The president maintained that Moscow was forced to intervene in Ukraine after being deceived about NATO's expansion and claimed that Russian retaliatory strikes have eliminated Ukraine's steelmaking industry. Putin asserted that the Ukrainian state is now losing its sovereignty and is managed by foreign interests, while repeating the Kremlin's position that Russia did not initiate the conflict but responded to aggression.
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
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Putin Admits Ukraine Refinery Strikes Cost Russia 1% of GDP
War19 days ago
An assault on the Russian Federation or the Kaliningrad territory would trigger the immediate consideration of using every weapon in Moscow's arsenal, President Vladimir Putin warned during a speech at the Valdai Club. He told attendees that the point of no return for the international community could arrive unexpectedly, although he stated that Russia intends no attacks against other nations in 2029, 2030, or 2050. Putin also admitted that Ukrainian drone strikes against oil refineries had reduced the Russian gross domestic product by approximately 1%.
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