MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. The European Union cannot tell Russia how to respond to the drone attacks on Moscow, and its position is janus-faced, a Russian lawmaker and party leader told TASS on Tuesday.
This comment was in response to EU foreign affairs spokesperson Nabila Massrali’s statement that Russia should not use the drone attacks on Moscow as a pretext to escalate combat operations in Ukraine.
"The European Union’s position is hypocritical. Brussels supports the terrorist regime in Kiev and thus is a sponsor of state terrorism. So, the European Union is not in a position to tell us what to do and how. Russia has the right to use all available means to defend its security," said Leonid Slutsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) and head of the international committee of the Russian State Duma, or lower parliament house.
According to Slutsky, Ukraine’s increased "terrorist activity" stems from the failure of its counteroffensive and is geared "towards sowing panic among Russians." He pledged that Russia has enhanced security measures. "And I am sure retaliation measures will follow, including against centers of decision-making in Ukraine," he stressed.
The Russian defense ministry said earlier on Tuesday that on the night of August 1 two drones were shot down near Moscow. One more drone was jammed by electronic warfare means and crashed inside a non-residential high-rise office compound in Moscow City. No one was hurt.
A high-ranking source in Russia’s air defense forces told TASS that the drones that tried to attack facilities in Moscow and the Moscow Region came from Ukraine. TASS has no official confirmation of this information.