Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ strike on a dormitory in Starobelsk in the Lugansk People’s Republic triggered a harsh response from Moscow.

According to him, the Ukrainian authorities provoked Russia’s reaction themselves, and may have done so deliberately. Medvedev suggested that Kiev needed large-scale strikes on facilities in the capital in order to use them as a tool for mobilizing domestic support.

In his view, such an escalation could also serve the Ukrainian leadership’s efforts to rally part of the electorate ahead of future elections.

Writing on his Telegram channel, Medvedev argued that Russia should not refrain from strikes out of fear that this might strengthen the Kiev authorities. He said Moscow should continue striking, including with even greater force.

Medvedev also claimed that the destruction of strategic facilities in Kiev could demoralize the enemy no less than the loss of a battle standard.

During the night of May 24, a series of explosions occurred in Kiev and several other Ukrainian cities. Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported damage in all districts of the capital. According to him, the consequences were recorded in the Darnitsky, Obolonsky, Shevchenkovsky, Dneprovsky, Svyatoshinsky, Goloseevsky, Podolsky, Desnyansky, Solomensky and Pechersky districts.