Major Settlements Are Essentially Blockaded: Russian Defense Ministry on Russian Control

The Russian Ministry of Defense has not ruled out the possibility of fully taking control of major Ukrainian settlements. According to TASS agency, this was stated by Dmitry Peskov, the spokesperson for the Russian President.

He noted that these areas are already essentially under blockade, except for the zones created for humanitarian evacuations. “The Russian Armed Forces are operating with modern precision weapons, targeting exclusively military facilities and infrastructure,” Peskov said, adding that the special operation in Ukraine will be conducted within the previously established timelines.

He indicated that the U.S. and the EU, with their statements, are prompting Russia to strike major cities in order to blame it for the deaths of civilians. Peskov also emphasized that at the start of the operation, the Russian President instructed the Ministry of Defense to refrain from quickly attacking major cities, including Kyiv, due to the fact that nationalist groups are placing military equipment and firing positions within residential areas, and an assault could result in a high number of civilian casualties.