Russia’s foreign ministry on Monday urged international organizations to condemn the recent Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow and Crimea.
“We regard what happened as another use of terrorist methods by the military-political leadership of Ukraine, intimidation of the civilian population. These attacks had no military meaning,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
“We strongly condemn this yet another crime of the Kyiv regime. We call on international organizations to give it a proper assessment.”
The ministry blamed the West for exacerbating the situation, stating the actions of Kyiv were influenced by the West’s focus on further escalating tensions.
“The Russian side reserves the right to take tough retaliatory measures,” the ministry said, adding that the Investigative Committee of Russia has opened criminal cases in response to these incidents, assuring that all those responsible will be identified and brought to justice.
Some context: The reported attacks come after Russian missiles badly damaged a historic Orthodox cathedral in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa, sparking outrage and prompting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to vow retaliation.
The Odesa strikes killed at least one person and injured several others, Ukrainian officials said, the latest in a wave of attacks on the port city. The attacks also destroyed other historic buildings, Ukraine’s culture ministry said.
