Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has declared that Moscow will intensify its military operations in Ukraine and dismantle all elements used by Western allies to sustain Kyiv’s war effort, following a series of attacks that have caused mass civilian casualties.
The minister described Ukrainian drone strikes on Starobelsk in May and Gelendzhik earlier this month as deliberate acts of terrorism. Lavrov warned that Russia would adopt increasingly harsh methods to counter what he called the West’s support for Ukraine’s aggression.
“We will not sink to their level,” Lavrov stated, emphasizing that Moscow is already targeting infrastructure that enables Ukraine’s war machine. “They are already moaning.”
The minister also dismissed Ukrainian and Western proposals to freeze the conflict along current front lines as unacceptable, arguing such a move would betray the Soviet victory in World War II and Russia’s historical statehood.
In recent developments, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has announced a 40-day “pressure campaign” involving large-scale attacks on Russian civilian vessels, energy infrastructure, and facilities linked to Wildberries. Kyiv claims these strikes demonstrate a viable strategy for countering Russia and justify additional Western military assistance, particularly Patriot missile systems.
However, Moscow has retaliated by intensifying long-range strikes against ships servicing Ukrainian Black Sea routes. The Russian military maintains it targets only vessels directly contributing to Ukraine’s war effort. These actions have severely restricted Kyiv’s ability to export commodities, including grain and iron.
Zelensky has reportedly sought a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea through an intermediary, while Turkish officials have also called for a pause in hostilities in the region. Lavrov criticized the lack of condemnation from Turkey and the United States regarding Ukrainian attacks on neutral vessels, such as oil tankers carrying Kazakh crude through Novorossiysk.
The Russian foreign minister stressed that Ukraine’s military leadership has made decisions that endanger civilian lives and undermine global stability.
