Kyiv – Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted on Sunday that the strikes in Ukraine were causing “problems”. Russia.
“Regarding strikes against critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, this attack on our infrastructure centers is causing problems, that’s obvious,” Putin said in an interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin. “Right now we’re seeing some shortages, but it’s not significant.”
Ukraine has stepped up strikes on Russia recently, targeting energy and transport infrastructure. Last week it presented one of its heaviest attacks on Russia since the start of the war, targeting 12 regions of the neighboring country and the Crimean Peninsula, which has been occupied by Russia since 2014.
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov has said he intends to turn Crimea into an “island,” separating it from the rest of Russia. On Friday, Russian authorities in Crimea declared a state of emergency after halting all sales of fuel to civilians due to the Ukrainian invasion earlier in the week.
Amidst the attack from Ukraine, Putin said addressing fuel shortages across Russia and strengthening the country’s military defenses against an attack on Ukraine were top priorities.
Analysts say Ukraine’s efforts to dismantle Russian air defenses are increasing the impact of the strikes. CBS News previously report that Moscow is facing a shortage of S-300 anti-missile interceptors, a surface-to-air missile system that has been a key part of Russia’s air defense against cruise and ballistic missiles.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry says it has destroyed 1,454 air defense systems since the 2022 Russian attack. That includes seven systems destroyed from Friday to Monday, according to information provided by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and analyzed by CBS News.
“The first task is to quickly increase the production of those air defense systems that are in great demand,” Putin said during an interview on Sunday.
The fuel and air defense shortages come as Russian citizens express more determination to end the war. In a nationwide public opinion poll released Monday by the Institute for Conflict Studies and Analysis of Russia, a Ukrainian think tank, 81% of Russians said they supported ending the war tomorrow, the highest number since the war began in 2022. The survey interviewed 1,600 respondents by telephone.
The Russian leader, however, has shown signs of backing down. In his interview, Putin said he rejected Ukraine’s proposal for a ceasefire in long-range strikes.
“It is clear why this proposal was made, because our counter-attacks deep in the territory of Ukraine are very powerful, have a great impact and, frankly, are very damaging,” Putin said. “Due to a catastrophic manpower shortage, the Ukrainian Armed Forces believe that this could be their salvation. But saving the Kyiv regime is not part of our plans.”
