Putin: Ukrainian Strikes Hurt Russia but Won't Alter War's Course

Russian President Vladimir Putin has acknowledged that Ukrainian strikes are inflicting economic damage and losses on Russia, but insisted they would not change the fundamental trajectory of the conflict.

In an interview broadcast on Russian state television, Putin said attacks on civilian infrastructure and civilians "cause economic damage to our country" and "lead to losses," calling every death a tragedy. However, he asserted that "no turning point in the confrontation with Russia could and did not happen."

Putin claimed Russia has intensified its own strikes on Ukrainian defense-industrial enterprises, including in Kyiv, in response to Ukrainian actions against Russian civilian industry and logistics. He accused the "Kyiv regime" of opening a "Pandora's box" by targeting Russia's economy.

The remarks came as officials on both sides reported fresh casualties. At least seven people were killed in Ukraine by Russian drone and missile strikes on Saturday, while a Ukrainian drone attack on Russia's Krasnodar region killed three people.

The latest violence followed a Russian strike on a Ukrainian shopping center that killed at least 16 people and wounded around 130. Moscow has recently stepped up ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, exploiting Ukraine's shortage of U.S.-made Patriot air defense interceptors.

Ukraine has shifted the war onto Russian soil with long-range drone strikes on oil facilities, causing fuel shortages, and attacks on warehouses belonging to Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer.

Putin said Kyiv was attempting, through mediators, to prevent the situation from "developing catastrophically," but described some proposals as "exotic" and "unacceptable." He reiterated that Russia remains open to peace dialogue, but only on the basis of what he called "realities on the ground."