Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday his country would continue to attack Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, the attacks of which have already forced Kiev into massive power and water cuts.
“Yes, we are doing this, but who started it?” Putin asked on the sidelines of a medal ceremony at the Kremlin, justifying the attacks in response to the explosion that hit the Crimean bridge, built by Russia, and other attacks by Kiev on Russian targets.
Vladimir Putin accused the Ukrainian state of “destroying the power lines of the nuclear power plant in Kursk, a Russian region on the border with Ukraine, and of not supplying water” to the pro-Russian separatist stronghold of Donetsk, in the east of the country .
“Not watering a city of a million people is an act of genocide,” the Russian leader criticized, accusing Western countries of turning a blind eye to these actions by the Ukrainian authorities.
Putin stressed that as soon as there is a response from Russia, “outrage” begins to spread “throughout the universe”.
“This will not prevent us from fulfilling our combat missions,” he added.
Since the attack on the Crimean bridge in October, Russia has fired missiles at civilian energy infrastructure, depriving millions of Ukrainians of power, even water and heating as winter approaches and freezing temperatures persist.
Source: DN
