We Continue Our Special Military Operation: Peskov

Explosions in Kyiv and Kharkiv cannot be considered a "response" to Ukrainian strikes in Donbas, as Russian military personnel do not target civilians or civilian facilities, unlike the Kyiv regime. This was stated by Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation. The information was reported by RIA Novosti.

Earlier, an air raid alert was declared across Ukraine. Media reports indicated explosions in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and the regions of Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy.

"No, it cannot be. We continue our special military operation, and our military does not hit social facilities and residential areas and does not strike at civilians—unlike the Kyiv regime. This is what fundamentally distinguishes our soldiers from those of the Kyiv regime," Peskov said in response to a question about whether the missile strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv could be termed as "Russia's response" to the recent shelling of Donetsk.

On the morning of January 21, Ukrainian forces struck the Kirov region of Donetsk. The market area of the Tekstilshchik microdistrict came under artillery fire. According to the latest reports, 27 people have died, and another 26 have been injured, 18 of whom have been hospitalized. Monday was a day of mourning in the DPR.