MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Ukraine to expect strikes against its “most sensitive economic sectors” in retaliation for Kyiv’s growing campaign against Russian economic infrastructure.
Putin said Ukraine had opened a “Pandora’s box” by escalating drone attacks on targets including oil refineries and warehouses that Kyiv says contribute to Moscow’s war effort.
“The Kyiv regime set out to damage our economy. What did it do? It opened this Pandora’s box itself,” Putin told a Russian state television journalist in comments published on Saturday.
“Well then, expect a response targeting your most sensitive economic sectors,” he added.
Ukraine has intensified long-range drone operations against Russian infrastructure this summer, seeking to weaken industries it considers important to Moscow’s ability to sustain the war.
Russia has responded by targeting Ukrainian economic infrastructure, including facilities linked to the country’s agricultural exports through the Black Sea.
Putin dismisses food shortage concerns
Putin rejected concerns that attacks affecting Ukraine’s agricultural exports could cause shortages in international food markets.
He argued that Russia could compensate for reduced Ukrainian supplies despite Moscow also facing difficulties exporting its own agricultural products.
“We do face challenges regarding the shipment of our goods, but we will resolve these issues,” Putin said, adding that there would consequently be “no shortage on the global market”.
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Russia and Ukraine previously participated in a Turkish-brokered agreement intended to safeguard grain shipments through the Black Sea. Moscow withdrew from the arrangement in 2023.
The Black Sea remains economically important for both countries, particularly for agricultural exports that supply international markets.
Putin also reiterated that Moscow remained open to negotiations aimed at ending the war but insisted any talks would have to reflect what he described as the “realities on the ground”.
He rejected what he characterised as “exotic” proposals that Ukraine had communicated through intermediaries.
The latest remarks signal the prospect of further attacks on economic infrastructure as both sides increasingly use long-range strikes beyond the immediate battlefield.
