Putin threatens new strikes on Ukraine infrastructure

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened to step up attacks on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, vowing to continue his invasion after his forces suffered some of their worst reverses in the 7-month campaign.

In his first public comments on the issue since Ukraine said it retook as much as a tenth of the territory Russia had seized, Putin was dismissive of the counteroffensive.

“Just recently, the Russian armed forces hit some sensitive targets. Let’s consider that warning strikes,” Putin told Russian media Friday in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, where he attended a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a China-led bloc. “If the situation develops further in this direction, our response will be more serious.”

Putin claimed Moscow was using “only part” of its army. “Bit by bit, the Russian army is taking control of more and more territory,” he said.

Ukraine wrested control of a large swathe of the northeast of the country occupied by Russia in a lightning offensive this month that forced Russian troops to flee, abandoning their equipment. In response, Russia fired missiles that plunged large areas of Ukraine into darkness and attacked the water system, causing severe damage and flooding.

The Russian leader said the Kremlin is “in no rush” to complete its invasion, while Ukraine denies striking civilian facilities and killing collaborators.

Putin’s comments came hours after he told Indian prime minister Narendra Modi that Russia would “do everything to end this as soon as possible.”

In comments to reporters, Putin blamed Kyiv for being unwilling to talk. Ukrainian officials have demanded a full Russian withdrawal as a condition for diplomacy.

Earlier Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said authorities had discovered hundreds of graves in territory retaken from Russian occupation and demanded the Kremlin be held accountable for war crimes.