Putin: Ukraine has “opened the gates of hell upon itself”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in remarks published that Ukraine “has opened the gates of hell for itself” with its strikes on Russian economic targets. According to Reuters, Putin added that Russia responded by launching its most severe strikes targeting the Ukrainian economy. This summer, Ukraine increased its drone attacks on Russian economic infrastructure, including oil refineries and warehouses of online retail companies, in an effort to destroy facilities it says are crucial to Russia’s war effort. Russia retaliated with strikes targeting Ukrainian economic infrastructure, including Ukrainian grain exports via the Black Sea. Speaking to a journalist on Russian television, Putin said, “The Kyiv regime sought to harm our economy. What did it do? It opened the gates of hell for itself. Well then, expect a response targeting the most sensitive sectors of your economy.” He added that the drone strikes endangering Ukraine’s agricultural exports would not cause a global food shortage, because Russia would be able to compensate for Ukrainian exports, even if Kyiv targeted Russian grain export infrastructure. “We are already facing challenges related to shipping our goods, but we will resolve these issues. Therefore, there will be no shortage in the global market.”