Russia to Harshly Suppress Any Ukrainian Terrorist Attack, Says Diplomat

Maria Zakharova pointed out that extremism and terrorism are now flourishing in Kiev

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Peter Kovalev/TASS

© Peter Kovalev/TASS

MOSCOW, May 24. /TASS/. The Russian side will continue to harshly suppress any terrorist attacks, as it did in the case of Ukrainian saboteurs in the Belgorod Region, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

"Of course, no one can overshadow the victory in Artyomovsk. The May 22 saboteurs’ attack on the Belgorod Region was aimed at giving the Kiev regime’s NATO handlers a false impression of some high combat capability of the Ukrainian military and so on. It failed. All such terrorist attacks will continue to be harshly suppressed in the future," the diplomat told the briefing on Wednesday.

Zakharova pointed out that extremism and terrorism are now flourishing in Kiev. "We note <…> increasingly aggressive statements by Western officials who shamelessly call for bombing peaceful Russian regions," she continued, "They are simply acting treacherously."

A Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group infiltrated the Belgorod Region’s Grayvoronsky District on Monday. According to the latest data, 13 civilians were wounded. An elderly woman died during the evacuation. The counter-terrorist operation regime, declared in Russia’s Belgorod Region on Monday because of the Ukrainian saboteurs, has been cancelled. On Tuesday, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that during the counter-terrorist operation Russian forces blocked and defeated Ukrainian nationalist units who infiltrated the region.