Putin warns of more serious response in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin has commented on Ukraine’s ongoing counteroffensive and warned of consequences for Kiev over its attempts to stage what he described as “terror attacks.”

So far, Moscow has shown “restraint” in its reaction, Putin insisted, but he warned that this may change. The president was speaking at a press conference in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit.

“The special military operation is not a warning of some sort, but a special military operation. We’re witnessing attempts to stage terror attacks, attempts to damage our civilian infrastructure. We respond to this with restraint, but only for the time being,” Putin stated.

Quite recently, the Russian armed forces delivered a couple of sensitive strikes, let’s say they were a warning. If the situation continues to develop in such fashion, the response will be more serious.

While the president did not specify which specific incidents he was referring to, over the past week the Russian military has targeted several key infrastructure sites across Ukraine.

The president also touched on the ongoing counteroffensive launched by the Ukrainian military, which is already celebrated as a great success by Kiev and its Western backers. Before drawing any conclusions, one should wait and see “how it ends,” Putin suggested.