MOSCOW, April 21. /TASS/. Russian forces deliver strikes on civilian facilities only if they are used by the Ukrainian military as was the case in Odessa or Sumy where a military award ceremony was held, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday.
"As for the proposal that strikes should not be delivered on civilian infrastructure sites, we need to clarify this. For example, it is well known that our Armed Forces delivered a strike on the congress center of Sumy University, I believe. Is it a civilian facility or not? It is a civilian site. But it was the venue for awarding those who had committed crimes in the Kursk Region, both Ukrainian army units and nationalists. And these are the people whom we consider as criminals that must get the retribution that they deserve for the crimes they committed in the borderline area, in particular, in the Kursk Region. And they got this retribution This was done precisely to punish them," the Russian leader said, replying to reporters’ questions.
The Kiev regime uses these civilian facilities, the Russian leader stressed.
"Or let me give you a recent example: several days ago, our troops delivered a strike in the Odessa region. It was a small settlement in the Odessa region, 82 km from Odessa, I believe. What kind of a facility was it? It was an agricultural site: hangars, an agribusiness. However, the Kiev regime tried jointly with foreign handlers and assistants to set up both the production and testing of a new missile system there. So, a strike was delivered there. Is it a civilian facility or not? It is a civilian site but it was used for military purposes. Or those people who deserve the severest punishment for their crimes hold some gatherings in some restaurant," Putin added.
In restaurants, the Ukrainian military personnel "hold some gatherings, meetings, conferences, celebrate something, drink vodka," the Russian leader pointed out. "Is it a civilian facility? Yes, it is a civilian site. But what kind of a goal is it? The goal is military. It is necessary to clarify this. This is a subject for a thorough probe, perhaps, on a bilateral basis, as a result of a dialogue. We do not rule this out. So, we will analyze all this and will make corresponding decisions," the head of state said.
As Russia’s Defense Ministry reported on April 14, Russian troops delivered a strike on April 13 by two Iskander-M tactical missiles on a gathering place of the command staff of Ukraine’s Seversk operational-tactical group in the city of Sumy amid the Ukrainian army’s active counter-measures by foreign-made electronic warfare and air defense systems. The strike destroyed more than 60 Ukrainian military personnel, it said.
As the Russian Defense Ministry stressed, "the Kiev regime continues using the Ukrainian population as a human shield, deploying military facilities and holding measures with the participation of military personnel in the center of the densely-populated city.".