At a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Ukrainian attacks on industrial facilities are causing damage to Russia but have not produced critical consequences.

Putin said the pace of the economy is being affected by several factors, including external pressure and attacks on industrial and infrastructure sites. At the same time, he argued that such strikes have not caused and will not cause critical damage.

Against this backdrop, the Russian president called for further efforts to strengthen the country’s sovereignty and improve state effectiveness in both defense and security and the social and economic sphere.

In late June, Putin instructed officials to minimize the consequences of Ukrainian attacks. He also said Moscow’s response would be reciprocal and more powerful. According to him, the Defense Ministry and other security agencies bear the main responsibility for countering such threats.

Putin had also previously called for Russia’s security system to be reinforced. Among the priorities he identified were the further development of air defense and missile defense capabilities.