Following the 9/11-style attacks of Ukrainian drones on residential structures in Kazan, in the Tatarstan region of Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised retaliation on those involved. During a road-opening ceremony on Sunday, Putin addressed the local Tatarstani leader via videolink. Where he said, “Whoever, and however much they try to destroy, they will face many times more destruction themselves and will regret what they are trying to do in our country.”
On 21 December, six Ukrainian drones struck residential buildings in Kazan, while a seventh hit an industrial site. There were no official reports of injuries from the attack. However, media accounts stated that three people suffered injuries from smashed window glass. Drones were seen hitting a high-rise glass building and blazing fireballs in videos shared on Russian social and new media networks, but no casualties were recorded.
Notably, Kazan is about 1,000 kilometres (600 miles) from the Ukrainian border. Although Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the attack, it is regarded as a reaction to a Russian missile strike on Kyiv. Putin has previously threatened to launch a hypersonic ballistic missile at the heart of Kyiv in reaction to Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory.
Putin’s threat comes as Russia claims significant military advances in eastern Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense said on Telegram that its troops had “liberated” the villages of Lozova in the northeastern Kharkiv region and Krasnoye, also known as Sontsivka in Ukraine.
The latter is close to Kurakhove, a resource hub that Russia has nearly ringed, and would be a valuable gain in Moscow’s quest to seize control of the entire Donetsk region. Moscow’s army claims to have seized more than 190 Ukrainian settlements this year, with Kyiv struggling to hold the line in the face of manpower and ammunition shortages. The recent advancement may help Russia get the upper hand when the negotiation happens. The Republicans have promised to bring a swift end to the nearly three-year-long conflict without proposing any concrete terms for a ceasefire or peace deal.
Prior, in an interview with Russian television and radio station VGTRK, Putin stated, “It is possible to do everything if there is desire.” The Russian President was responding to a question regarding possible cooperation between Russia and the United States. Putin stated that Russia is willing to normalize relations with the United States and other Western countries, provided that such attempts do not jeopardize Russian interests.
The only paramount thing in International relations is the maximization of interests and power, in this case, “the interests of Russia and its people” The Russian leader stated, “If we see that the situation changes in a way that there are opportunities and prospects for building relations with other countries, then we are ready for that. It is not a question of us but it’s a question of them. But this should be without detriment to the interests of the Russian Federation,” Putin emphasised.