Putin vows to make Russia secure after Ukrainian strikes

Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed on Sunday to ensure the nation's security and overcome challenges, including what he termed "terrorist attacks" on Russian territory and infrastructure. His remarks came amid a surge in Ukrainian retaliatory strikes inside Russia, which Kyiv views as fair compensation for Moscow's persistent attacks on Ukrainian civilians and energy facilities.

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Yes, we see the problems, we are aware of them and are responding to them, but we will certainly ensure the security of both the country and our citizens, as well as the inviolability of Russia's borders.

"Yes, we see the problems, we are aware of them and are responding to them, but we will certainly ensure the security of both the country and our citizens, as well as the inviolability of Russia's borders," Putin stated at a United Russia party congress. He added, "We will undoubtedly overcome all the challenges facing us today, including terrorist attacks on our territory and infrastructure facilities."

Putin's speech followed a Ukrainian drone strike in Russia's southern Krasnodar region that killed one person and ignited a fire at a refinery. Regional governor Veniamin Kondratyev confirmed the incident. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed responsibility for the strike, calling it part of "operations that weaken Russia's ability to wage this war." He noted that strikes hit the Slavyansk oil refinery in Krasnodar, about 300 kilometers from the front line, and another refinery in the Yaroslavl region, approximately 700 kilometers from Ukraine's border.

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We will undoubtedly overcome all the challenges facing us today, including terrorist attacks on our territory and infrastructure facilities.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry reported that its forces had captured the villages of Pysantsi in Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region and Novoselivka in the neighboring Zaporizhzhia region. This comes after a Ukrainian attack the previous week caused a major fire at a refinery near Moscow. Russian-annexed Crimea also declared an "emergency situation" due to increasing Ukrainian aerial attacks impacting fuel and power supplies on the peninsula.

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The Slavyansk oil refinery in the Krasnodar region was hit - about 300 kilometers from the frontline. We also reached a refinery in the Yaroslavl region, approximately 700 kilometers from our border.