The Russian Defense Ministry said Russian forces are preparing to carry out large-scale strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.
According to the ministry, the planned attacks are intended as a response to continued Ukrainian strikes on civilian infrastructure and fuel and energy facilities inside Russia.
The ministry said the Russian Armed Forces had begun preparations for mass strikes on Ukrainian energy sites in line with received orders.
It also reported that Russian forces continued group strikes overnight against Ukrainian military-industrial facilities used in support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the ministry, attack drones hit an asbestos-cement plant whose warehouses were being used to store explosives.
The Russian Defense Ministry has repeatedly stated that its strikes target military and energy infrastructure in Ukraine, as well as facilities serving Ukrainian forces.
In July, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow’s response to attacks on Russian territory would be reciprocal but significantly more powerful. He later said strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure were intended to disrupt ammunition deliveries, troop rotations and the operation of Ukraine’s military-industrial complex.
Putin also argued that Kiev had been the first to strike Russian economic infrastructure, setting off a further escalation of attacks on such targets.