Alexey Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, predicted on Wednesday that there will be many more explosions across Russia as long as the conflict between the countries continues. While he did not directly take responsibility for any attacks on Russian infrastructure, Ukrainian media insinuated that blasts as far away as Siberia were Kiev’s doing.
“I warned that ‘cotton blooms’ in Russia would grow more and more each day,” Danilov said in an appearance on state TV, using a slang term for explosion. “That’s not surprising, Russia is Russia. One needs to be polite in dealing with civilized societies, and everything will be fine. But if you continue the policy you chose today, then believe me, there will be blasts, not just there but in many other cities,” he added.
Danilov did not explain which explosions he was referring to. The Ukrainian outlet Izvestia listed a series of blasts that happened in Russia over the past week. Two were in Belgorod Region, close to the the Ukrainian border, which local officials blamed on Ukrainian artillery.
The third was a blast and a fire at an oil refinery in Angarsk, in eastern Siberia’s Irkutsk Region, thousands of kilometers from Ukraine. Two plant employees were killed and five were injured. Russian authorities, however, did not blame sabotage.
Ukrainian officials have not claimed responsibility for acts such as the August car-bomb assassination of journalist Darya Dugina, or the October truck-bombing of the Crimean Bridge, though some publicly joked about both incidents.
Danilov himself posted a meme wishing Russian President Vladimir Putin a “happy birthday” after the Crimean Bridge attack. Later that month, Danilov urged the eradication of the Russian language in Ukraine, saying his compatriots ought to study English instead.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that missile attacks on the Ukrainian power grid were a response to terrorist strikes against Russian infrastructure. Ukrainian drones used to attack the regions of Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, and the Crimean peninsula were supplied by a US company, according to Russian media.
American forces also had a hand in the drone strikes targeting Russian strategic bomber bases in Ryazan and Saratov Regions, according to Denis Pushilin, the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
Earlier this month, US media outlets reported that Washington no longer advised Kiev against striking inside Russia. Germany also said Kiev’s right to “self-defense” did not end at Ukraine’s claimed borders.