Russia says there will be a very painful & immediate response to Ukrainian long-range strikes

Russia on Wednesday warned Ukraine that any attack in the interiors with long-range weapons will be met with a very painful and immediate response.

For months, Ukraine has sought permission from the United States to hit deeper inside Russia with long-range weapons. Even as the United States and European partners have provided Ukraine with weapons, they have not allowed their usage in strikes deep inside Russia over fears of an escalation. As things stand, Ukraine may use small arms, artillery, and armoured vehicles inside Russia and missiles in border regions but not in the deep interiors.

Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said if Ukraine were to strike deep inside Russia, the response would be immediate and “extremely painful”, according to an English translation by Reuters.

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“We would like to warn such irresponsible politicians —in EU countries and behind the ocean— If such aggressive steps are taken by the Kyiv regime, Russia’s response will be immediate, I think many of that you have already been observing in the last days, and it will be extremely painful,” said Zakharova.

The Russian warning comes a day after missiles strikes in Ukraine’s Poltava city killed more than 50 people and injured more than 200. Following the strikes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy repeated his call for the supply of long-range weapons.

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“We continue to urge everyone in the world who has the power to stop this terror: Ukraine needs air defence systems and missiles now, not sitting in storage. Long-range strikes that can protect us from Russian terror are needed now, not later. Every day of delay, unfortunately, means more lost lives,” said Zelenskyy in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

‘West main instigator of conflict’

Continuing the Russian tirade against Ukraine and its partners, Zakharova told reporters that the West was the “main instigator” of the conflict.

“We see direct involvement of the West into the conflict in Ukraine. The collective West is the main instigator of the military aggression by the Kyiv regime. They are demonstrating their direct involvement as an interested party with more and more frankness and insolence,” said Zakharova, as per Reuters.

Zakharova further said that Ukraine and its Western partners were no longer concerned about escalation and had lost the sense of reality.

“They are losing the sense of reality, they are not thinking about the risks of further dangerous escalation of the conflict even when it comes to their own interests. It’s not about Ukraine or Ukrainian citizens anymore —they’ve long forgotten about them— they are not thinking about themselves,” said Zakharova.