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More than four months after the invasion of Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin boasted on Thursday that the conflict had just begun. And he challenged Western countries that support Ukraine to “try” to fight Russia on the battlefield.
In televised statements to parliamentary leaders, Putin rejected the idea that Russia has let the invasion linger for too long, saying “nothing has even begun yet.” He said negotiating peace is becoming increasingly difficult, and then focused his anger on Western countries that have imposed widespread sanctions on Russia while offering support and resources to Ukraine.
“Today we hear that they want us to be defeated on the battlefield,” Putin said, according to state media RIA Novosti. “Well, what can I say? Let them try.”
He added: “We have heard many times that the West wants to fight with us to the last Ukrainian. This is a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it seems that everything is moving towards that.”
The governor of Ukraine’s Luhansk region, which is now almost completely under Russian control, said Friday that the city of Severodonetsk is facing a “humanitarian disaster.” Critical infrastructure, including the sewer system, has been badly damaged by months of fighting and “there is no centralized supply of water, gas or electricity,” he said, adding that 80 percent of the city’s housing they have suffered damage.
Severodonetsk faces ‘humanitarian disaster’; UN warns of “famine catastrophe”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reiterated on Thursday that he does not plan to cede territory in a possible peace deal with Russia. Ukraine’s fierce resistance to Russia has encouraged Zelensky, who has since repeatedly despised the idea of allowing Moscow to redraw its border and annex the lands it has captured during the fighting.
“Ukrainians are unwilling to give up their lands as new territories of the Russian Federation,” Zelensky told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, shaking his head as he spoke. “This is our land. We have always said that and we will never give up. “
Zelensky’s adviser, Mykhailo Podolyak, recently listed Ukraine’s conditions for peace with Russia, such as a ceasefire, the return of abducted citizens and the withdrawal of Russian troops across the country.
Despite Putin’s bravery, the Russian army faces major long-term challenges. International sanctions are hurting Moscow’s ability to replenish its arsenal, forcing Russia to become a second-hand economy that depends on poor substitutes. Russia is increasingly determined to manufacture its own goods and components, even if that means going back to import substitution policies that led to a vast, though not globally competitive, industrial complex before the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The Russians face the possibility of a Soviet-style shortage as sanctions bite
The Kremlin is also struggling to find experienced fighters after losing many troops before the invasion. So far, the Kremlin has refused to order a general mobilization of soldiers of recruiting age, saying the move could indicate that the war is not progressing as well as described in Russian media. Instead, the military has embarked on a campaign to expand the ranks of active soldiers who have voluntarily signed contracts by cold calling eligible men and trying to reactivate reservists.
Russian army increases recruitment as steep casualties reduce ranks
Although the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday that troops fighting in Ukraine’s Donbas area would temporarily halt its military operations to “replenish its combat capabilities,” a Russian rocket grenade fell on cities and peoples of Ukraine, killing several civilians and injuring many more. according to local leaders.
Despite the appearance that the invasion is not going as well for Russia as its leaders intended, Putin suggested that the invading forces still had more to liberate Ukraine.
“Everyone should know that, to a large extent, we have not really started anything yet,” Putin told parliamentary leaders. “The course of history is unstoppable and the collective West’s attempts to enforce its version of the global order are doomed to failure.”
Addressing whether peace was still possible, he said it was not impossible, but also issued a warning to Western countries.
“We do not refuse to negotiate peace, but those who refuse must know that the more they refuse, the more difficult it will be to negotiate,” Putin said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed Putin’s sentiments on Friday, saying the Russian president “operated on the statements being heard from Western countries” about how the invasion for Russia is going.
“Putin simply recalled that … Russia’s potential is so great in this regard that only a small part is involved in a special military operation,” Peskov said, according to Russian state media. “And so all these statements by Westerners are literally absurd. They are absurd and simply add pain to the Ukrainian people. “
Kings Thebault, Mary Ilyushina and Anthony Faiola contributed to this report.