Feb 1 (Reuters) – Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russian forces must stop shelling Russian areas from Ukrainian territory.
Putin was speaking at a government conference on the restoration of destroyed housing and infrastructure in the region of southwestern Russia bordering Ukraine.
“The priority, of course, is to eliminate the very possibility of an artillery strike. But this is the job of the military department,” Putin said in a statement posted on the Kremlin’s website.
Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the strike on Russian territory, but it has destroyed Ukrainian cities and systematically targeted the country’s energy infrastructure, depriving people of power and water frequently in the dead of winter. It describes it as the “karma” of the invasion of Moscow.
Putin cited Belgorod, Bryansk, and Kursk in Russia, as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine and annexed in 2014, as areas where homes were damaged or destroyed.
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People were in “very serious” problems and needed repairs and compensation, he said.
“Many people were in dire straits, lost their homes, were forced to move to relatives or temporary settlements, and faced interruptions in water, heat and electricity supplies,” he said. .
His comments indicated Moscow’s dissatisfaction with the frequency of attacks in southern Russia, including attacks on substations and weapons and fuel depots.
Reported by Reuters, written by Mark Trevelyan.Editing by Alexandra Hudson
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