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The Kremlin said Friday that Russia is responding to Ukraine’s attacks in the Black Sea and that Kyiv “must pay a price” for maritime strikes, the state-run Tass news agency reported.
Speaking to journalists, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine was already paying for the attacks and would continue to do so.
“It is already paying, and it will continue to pay,” Peskov said.
He said Moscow was continuing its “special military operation,” the term Russia uses for the war in Ukraine, with one of its key objectives being to halt maritime shipments of ammunition, military equipment and fuel to the Ukrainian armed forces.
“The Kyiv regime shows no inclination toward comprehensive agreements, and piecemeal ones cannot bring us any closer to a peaceful settlement. Agreements must be comprehensive,” Peskov said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin “said yesterday that we do not need a truce, we need peace,” he added.
Putin said Thursday that Russia expects to seize the remaining Ukrainian-held areas of the Donetsk region much sooner than Ukraine and European countries anticipate.
Speaking at a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Moscow, Putin said Kyiv and Europe believe the areas could be held for another one-and-a-half to two years.
“High-ranking officials in Ukraine say they will hold the remaining 11% of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic for another year and a half,” Putin said. “In Europe, they say Ukraine will hold it for two years. We believe this will happen much earlier, given the pace of our troops’ advance.”
Putin also said Russia was receiving calls to stop strikes against Ukrainian vessels in the Black Sea but rejected the idea, saying Moscow had begun responding after Ukrainian attacks on Russian tankers and other vessels carrying civilian cargo.
“Now, from all sides, we are being told: ‘Why don’t you stop?’ They started it. So get a grenade, fascist, from a Soviet soldier,” Putin said.
He said Russian strikes in the Black Sea had targeted military vessels or ships carrying military equipment, while Moscow would respond “symmetrically” to any attempts to detain Russian vessels, whether in the Baltic or the Atlantic.
Putin also linked the issue to Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, saying Moscow had responded by targeting facilities important to Ukraine’s economy.
Russia has ramped up strikes on Ukraine, while Kyiv says Moscow is deliberately hitting civilian targets and keeping the country in a near-constant state of alert as it prepares for another difficult winter.
Ukraine has responded with attacks on Russian refineries, oil and fuel depots and export facilities in an effort to cut Moscow’s energy revenues.
“We are told: ‘Let them stop striking your refineries, and you will stop striking their ships.’ It is simply ridiculous,” Putin said.
Asked about Russia’s response to the idea, he replied: “No.”
Putin said Russia had “lost approximately 1% of its GDP” because of Ukrainian strikes on refineries, which triggered nationwide fuel shortages this summer.
Russian strikes, meanwhile, have targeted Ukrainian steel companies, supply chains, particularly in the rail sector, and major warehouses.
The attacks have also severely restricted grain exports through the Black Sea, a crucial source of revenue for Kyiv.
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