Putin says Ukraine opened ’Pandora’s box’ with strikes on economic targets

Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted on Saturday that Ukraine had inadvertently set off "Pandora's box" by launching strikes on Russian economic targets, signaling that Russia would retaliate against Ukraine's most critical economic sectors. Ukraine has ramped up drone attacks on Russian economic infrastructure this summer, targeting oil refineries and online retailers' warehouses in an effort to dismantle assets crucial to Russia's war efforts.

In response, Russia has targeted Ukrainian economic infrastructure, including grain exports through the Black Sea. During an interview with a Russian state television journalist, Putin declared that the Ukrainian regime had "opened this Pandora's box itself" and vowed a response directed at Ukraine's "most sensitive economic sectors."

He reassured that these strikes would not trigger global food shortages, as Russia would be able to compensate for the loss of Ukrainian exports. While Ukraine faces challenges in shipping its goods, Putin affirmed that these issues would be resolved, preventing a global market shortage. The conflict stems from the breakdown of a Turkish-brokered deal to safeguard grain exports on the Black Sea, with Russia's withdrawal from the agreement in 2023.

Putin reiterated Russia's willingness to engage in peace talks, but only if based on the "realities on the ground," rejecting what he termed as "exotic" proposals put forth by Ukraine through intermediaries.