Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared his intention to continue the conflict in Ukraine "to the end" and suggested a potential revision of Russia's nuclear weapons doctrine. During his visits to North Korea and Vietnam, Putin accused Western nations of escalating tensions by endorsing the use of NATO weapons against Russian targets. He suggested that these actions lower the threshold for the use of nuclear devices against Russia.
In a recent interview, Putin emphasized that a defeat in Ukraine would signify the end of Russia's statehood. He questioned the necessity of being fearful in the face of Western actions and accused the US, UK, and other allies of pushing towards a strategic defeat of Russia.
These statements precede one of the largest drone assaults by Ukraine on Russian soil. The Ukrainian attacks targeted the Yeysk airbase, the Ilsky oil refinery in the Krasnodar region, and an oil depot in Volgograd, causing significant fires and damages. Russian authorities reported that 114 Ukrainian drones were intercepted, with 70 over Crimea and the Black Sea, 43 over Krasnodar, and one over Volgograd. An employee at a heating station in Krasnodar was killed during the strikes.
In response, regional authorities managed to control fires in the Tambov and Rostov areas. Kyiv's increased drone activity follows continued Russian missile attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, which have severely impacted Ukraine's energy sector.