- The White House said it did not support Ukraine launching attacks inside Russia after two drones from Ukraine damaged buildings in Moscow.
- “This is a war that Russia started. This is their war, And they can end it at any time by withdrawing forces from Ukraine instead of launching brutal attacks on civilians.” Jean-Pierre said.
- Kyiv on Monday said a Russian drone attack destroyed Ukrainian grain warehouses on the Danube River and wounded seven people.
- Russia has ‘almost abandoned the idea of winning this war militarily, says a former intelligence officer
The White House said it did not support Ukraine launching attacks inside Russia after two drones from Ukraine damaged buildings in Moscow earlier on Monday. “As a general matter we do not support attacks inside of Russia,” White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters in a press briefing. “This is a war that Russia started. This is their war,” Jean-Pierre said. “And they can end it at any time by withdrawing forces from Ukraine instead of launching brutal attacks on civilians.”
Russia vowed to take harsh retaliatory measures against Ukraine, calling the two drone strikes, including one close to the Defence Ministry’s headquarters, a brazen act of terror.
Nobody was hurt in the attack in Moscow. One drone struck close to Russia’s defence headquarters in a symbolic blow that underscored the reach of such drones, and a senior Ukrainian official said there would be more attacks.
Meanwhile, Kyiv on Monday said a Russian drone attack destroyed Ukrainian grain warehouses on the Danube River and wounded seven people. The Kremlin said it would press on with what it calls its “special military operation” in Ukraine. Kyiv and much of the West say is a brutal war of conquest.
A swarm of 17 drones also launched attacks overnight on Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, the Russian Defence Ministry said. They struck an ammunition warehouse and damaged a residential building, the Russian-installed head of Crimea said.
Russia has “almost abandoned” the idea of winning the war in Ukraine militarily, a former MI6 British intelligence officer has said. With an increasing number of attacks on insignificant areas, Russia appears to be using up “all stocks of missiles” to put other sorts of pressure on Ukraine and the international community, Christopher Steele told a news agency.
“Putin certainly has ambitions to challenge the way that the world market works and the Western system, as he sees it, of governance in the world. Mr. Steele explained Russia has failed in its objectives and that its troops are suffering from poor morale and bad leadership.
There also seem to be issues in the country’s high command, with a number of the best generals speaking out against the war effort. “That is really significant and indicates a much deeper problem within the Russian high command, and we’re not seeing those divisions within Ukraine,” he said.
(With inputs from agencies)
