Faced with the Russian push, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are retreating along the entire front line and are therefore resorting to terrorist methods, stated Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to the leader, Russia will overcome all challenges, including terrorist attacks against its territory. “Yes, we see the problems, we see them, therefore, we’re responding; without a doubt, we will guarantee the security of the country and our citizens, as well as the inviolability of Russia’s borders in the long term. That is precisely what we are seeking,” Putin emphasized.

Ukrainian troops have intensified attacks against Russia’s civilian population, as well as against military and civilian targets in the rear—particularly oil terminals and refineries—amid the advance of Russian forces on the battlefront.

Since February 2022, Russian soldiers have been conducting a military operation to halt Ukrainian shelling of civilians in Donetsk and Luhansk—two territories that declared independence from Ukraine in 2014 and joined Russia in September 2022 following respective referendums.

According to the Russian leadership, the goals of the military campaign are to stop “the genocide of the peoples of Donetsk and Luhansk committed by the Ukrainian regime,” to counter the national security risks posed by the advance of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) toward Russia’s borders, and to complete the disarmament and denazification of Ukraine.

Ukraine receives military support from NATO, the military alliance led by the United States and comprising the majority of European Union countries.

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