Putin Acknowledges Ukrainian Strikes on Infrastructure Are Causing ‘Problems’ for Russia
Kyiv — Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged on Sunday that Ukrainian strikes on critical infrastructure were creating “problems” for Russia, while downplaying their severity as a “certain shortage” rather than a critical crisis.
“As for strikes against critical infrastructure in general, and energy infrastructure in particular, of course these attacks on our infrastructure facilities create problems, that's obvious,” Putin said in an interview with Russian state journalist Pavel Zarubin. “Right now we're observing a certain shortage, but it's not critical.”
The comments come as Ukraine intensifies its long-range campaign against Russian energy and logistics targets, a strategy that Kyiv hopes will degrade Moscow’s ability to sustain its war effort. Last week, Ukraine launched one of its heaviest drone assaults since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, striking 12 Russian regions and reaching into the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has occupied since 2014.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has stated the goal of turning Crimea into “an island,” effectively cutting it off from supply lines and military support from mainland Russia. On Friday, Russian authorities in Crimea declared a state of emergency after halting all fuel sales to civilians, a direct consequence of Ukrainian attacks earlier in the week.
Putin listed addressing fuel shortages and reinforcing air defense systems as top priorities for the Russian military. Analysts say Ukraine’s campaign to degrade Russian air defenses is amplifying the impact of each strike. CBS News previously reported that Moscow is facing a shortage of S-300 missile interceptors, a backbone of Russia’s air defense network against cruise and ballistic missiles.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry claims to have destroyed 1,454 Russian air defense systems since the start of the war. Data provided by the ministry and analyzed by CBS News indicates that seven systems were taken out between Friday and Monday alone.
“The first task is to quickly and significantly ramp up production of those air defense systems that are most needed,” Putin said during the Sunday interview.
The growing strain on fuel and air defense comes even as a new nationwide opinion poll suggests a shift in Russian public sentiment. A survey released Monday by the Institute for Conflict Studies and Analysis of Russia, a Ukrainian think tank, found that 81% of Russian respondents said they supported ending the war tomorrow — the highest figure recorded since the conflict began. The poll reached 1,600 respondents by telephone.
Yet Putin has shown little willingness to halt the offensive. In the same interview, he dismissed a Ukrainian proposal for a mutual ceasefire on long-range strikes.
“It is clear why this proposal is being made, because our counter-strikes deep into Ukrainian territory are much stronger, have greater impact and are, frankly, more destructive,” Putin said. “Given their catastrophic shortage of personnel, the Ukrainian Armed Forces apparently believe this could be their salvation. But saving the Kyiv regime is not part of our plans.”