Putin Calls West ‘Instigators’ of Conflict in Ukraine

Russian President is convinced that the West crosses all red and even deep-red lines by supplying weapons to Ukraine

© Mikhail Metzel/POOL/TASS

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin sees Western countries as "initiators and instigators" of the conflict in Ukraine.

"An armed coup - that's where it all started. We were forced to protect the population of Crimea, and this way or another we ended up supporting Donbass. They pretend they had nothing to do with it. They are the initiators of this conflict and the instigators. And today they are handing over millions more munitions, hardware and so on," the president said, answering questions from host Pavel Zarubin.

Putin stressed that he had repeatedly spoken about this, adding that the former leadership of Ukraine could also be blamed for certain mistakes. "But it is their internal affair, of Ukraine itself. But staging a coup, besides a bloody one, - this is a completely different story," he went on to say.

According to Putin, the West is crossing all red and even deep-red lines by supplying weapons to the Kiev regime. "Yes, that’s what they are doing, they did it from the very start in 2014. When they facilitated the coup," the president said, responding to Zarubin's question who said that weapons supplies to Kiev, including depleted uranium munitions, meant crossing red and even deep-red lines.

Russia’s Nuke Arms in Belarus is Response to Collective West — Ex-top Yugoslav Diplomat

Zhivadin Yovanovitch noted that the agreement between Moscow and Minsk followed the announcement of the UK about plans to supply depleted uranium shells to Kyiv

BELGRADE, March 26. /TASS/. The deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus can be seen as a response to the actions of countries of the collective West, ex-Foreign Minister of former Yugoslavia Zivadin Jovanovic told TASS on Sunday.

"I think that the agreement on the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus is a very serious response and a warning to the so-called collective West (the United States, NATO, the European Union). It is a response to the escalation and the direct influence by NATO countries into the conflict in Ukraine, to the reckless actions to add fuel to the fire by means of advanced weapons, intermediate-range missiles, tanks, warplanes and other offensive weapons for targeting Russia’s territory. The agreement between Russia and Belarus followed the statement that the United Kingdom and some other NATO countries plan to supply Kiev with shells with depleted uranium, which can be interpreted as the beginning of the use of nuclear weapons against Russian troops and Russia. NATO’s propaganda is seeking to underplay the danger of such weapons, which, as a matter of fact, are weapons of mass destruction," he said.

The stressed that the use of such shells in 1995 and 1999 had caused the growth of cancer incidence in former Yugoslavia. "Or better, let them ask the families of hundreds of Italian, Spanish and other soldiers who died after returning from the KFOR (NATO-led international security force in Kosovo) mission how "healthy" it is to sped time in places where shells with depleted uranium was used. Finally, if these shells are harmless, then why is their use banned in NATO (EU) member countries?!" Jovanovic noted.

According to the former top Yugoslav diplomat, the collective West has deployed large bases with nuclear weapons in at least five countries, namely Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Poland and Romania have missile defense systems capable of using nuclear warheads. Moreover, those countries, which don’t have nuclear weapons so far, allocate huge sums to buy advanced US bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons. "For instance, along with its regular [military] budget, Germany has allocated an extra sum of 100 billion euro to purchase American F-16A bombers. Last but not least, the doctrine of the preemptive use of nuclear weapons is related to the collective West," he stressed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that at Belarus’ request Russia will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, like the United States has long been doing on the territories of its allied countries. Moscow has already transferred to Minsk an Iskander system that can use nuclear weapons. According to the Russian leader, the construction of a depot for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is expected to be completed on July 1.

France calls on Russia to revise decision on nuke arms deployment in Belarus

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that at Belarus’ request Russia will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, like the United States has long been doing on the territories of its allied countries

PARIS, March 26. /TASS/. The French foreign ministry has called on Russia to revise its agreement with Belarus on the deployment of nuclear weapons as having a destabilizing character.

"France attaches great significance to the commitment to the January 3, 2022 statement on the inadmissibility of a nuclear war and an arms race, which was approved by both [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and all the heads of state and government of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. It calls on Russia to demonstrate responsibility, which is expected from a state possessing nuclear weapons, and revise this destabilizing agreement," it said.

According to the French foreign ministry, this decision "represents an additional element of the erosion of the international architecture of arms control and strategic stability in Europe amid Russia’s violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty entailing its termination and Russia’s declared suspension of its participation in the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) in February."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Saturday that at Belarus’ request Russia will deploy its tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, like the United States has long been doing on the territories of its allied countries. Moscow has already transferred to Minsk an Iskander system that can use nuclear weapons. According to the Russian leader, the construction of a depot for tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus is expected to be completed on July 1.

Russian Troops Hit 84 Ukrainian Artillery Units in Firing Positions - Top Brass

The Russian Armed Forces destroyed a US-made M777 artillery system

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. The Russian Armed Forces hit 84 Ukraine’s artillery units in firing positions in the course of the special operation in Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Defense Ministry Spokesman Lieutenant-General Igor Konashenkov said on Sunday.

Russian troops "inflicted a defeat on 84 artillery units of the Ukrainian armed forces in firing positions, manpower and equipment in 128 areas," he said.

The Russian Armed Forces destroyed a US-made M777 artillery system in the past day, he said. In the Kherson area, "up to 20 Ukrainian servicemen, an Akatsiya self-propelled howitzer, as well as a US-made M777 artillery system were destroyed over the past 24 hours," Konashenkov specified.

In the Kupyansk area, units of the battlegroup West destroyed more than 70 Ukrainian military, and also hit an ammunition depot in the Kharkov region, Konashenkov added.

Russian air defenses down 14 UAVs, intercepd seven HIMARS rockets in past day - top brass

Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman, reported about it

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. Russian air defense forces intercepted seven rockets fired from HIMARS multiple rocket launchers and shot down 14 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours, Lieutenant General Igor Konashenkov, the Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman, told reporters on Sunday.

"Air defense facilities intercepted seven rockets of the HIMARS multiple rocket launcher system. In addition, 14 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed during the pasts day in the settlements of Varvarovka, Pshenichnoye and Krasnorechenskoye of the Lugansk People's Republic, Kirillovka, Volnovakha and Yasinovataya of the Donetsk People's Republic, as well as Tokmak and Balochki of the Zaporozhye Region," he said.

Ukrainian Strizh drone in Tula region disabled by Russian electronic warfare system

According to the Russian defense ministry, air defense systems, including S-300, Pantsyr-S1, and Pole-21 electronic warfare systems deployed in the Tula region ensure safe protection of this direction

© Stoyan Vassev/TASS

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. The Kiev regime tried to stage a drone attack in Russia’s Tula region but the Ukrainian drone was disabled by Russian electronic warfare means, the Russian defense ministry said on Sunday.

"On March 26, 2023, the Kiev regime tried to stage an attack with the use of a Strizh-type (Tu-141) unmanned aerial vehicle in its assault modification," the ministry said.

According to the ministry, air defense systems, including S-300, Pantsyr-S1, and Pole-21 electronic warfare systems deployed in the Tula region ensure safe protection of this direction. "Thus, the Pole-21 electronic warfare system disabled the Ukrainian drone’s navigation system. Having lost direction, the unmanned aerial vehicle fell down near the city of Kireyevsk in the Tula region," it said, adding that specialists from the defense and emergencies ministries and law enforcement agencies are working on the site.

The drone fell down in Kireyevsk in the Tula region on Sunday. Three people received fragmentation wounds. Three apartment blocks and four household structures were damaged.

Blast in Tula region caused by Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh drone carrying explosive substance

Three people wounded, three apartment blocks and four household structures damaged

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. The blast in the city of Kireyevsk in the Tula region was caused by an unmanned aerial vehicle, a spokesman for the local law enforcement agencies told TASS on Sunday.

"The blast in the Tula region was caused by a tactical reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle," he said.

"The explosion in the city of Kireyevsk in the Tula region was caused by a Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh unmanned aerial vehicle. The drone was stuffed with explosive substances," the spokesman specified.

According to the local emergencies call center, the blast occurred at 3.19 p.m. Moscow time. Three people received fragmentation wounds, one of them was taken to a hospital. Three apartment blocks and four household structures were damaged.

Tula region government reveals how many houses were damaged due to blast in Kireyevsk

Sixteen houses, including ten apartment blocks partially damaged, press service of the regional government says, citing updated reports

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. Sixteen houses, including ten apartment blocks, have been partially damaged by the explosion caused by a fallen Ukrainian drone in the city of Kireyevsk in the Tula region, the press service of the regional government said on Sunday, citing updated reports.

"According to updated reports, ten private houses were partially damaged due to the incident, windows were broken in sic multi-apartment houses. <…> Local emergencies services and defense ministry specialists arrived to the site," it said.

According to earlier reports, the explosion damaged five houses. Three people received minor injuries, their health is out of danger.

Fragments of Ukrainian drone retrieved from blast site in Tula region

According to the local emergencies call center, two young men received fragmentation wounds and one more person was slightly hurt in this accident

MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. Fragments of the Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh drone have been retrieved from the blast site in the city of Kireyevsk in the Tula region, a spokesman for the law enforcement agencies told TASS on Sunday.

"Investigators have found fragments of the Ukrainian Tu-141 Strizh UAV at the blast site in Kireyevsk," he said.

According to the local emergencies call center, the blast occurred at 3:19 p.m. Moscow time on Sunday. Two young men received fragmentation wounds and one more person was slightly hurt. Three apartment blocks and four household structures were damaged.