By GB News (World News) | Created at 2026-09-03 23:20:43 | Updated at 2026-09-04 00:10:02
1 hour ago
Vladimir Putin has ordered Russians to be "prepared for anything" as he signalled a further escalation of hostilities against Ukraine.
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Russian President offered little prospect of the four-year conflict drawing to a close.
"Only our readiness for anything will give everyone who wants to harm us an understanding that it is better not to do so," he declared.
Mr Putin pledged "to launch retaliatory strikes" against Ukraine to ensure they "don't dare to harm us again".
His warning came after a devastating Ukrainian drone campaign targeted Russian oil refineries, causing lengthy queues at petrol stations across the country.
The Russian leader also dismissed the prospect of negotiations, accusing President Volodymyr Zelensky of "state terrorism" over Kyiv's long-range drone operations.
"We don't negotiate with terrorists," Mr Putin said.
Russia's Defence Ministry claims more than 43,000 Ukrainian drones were shot down over Russian territory and illegally annexed Crimea between June and August alone.
Speaking at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, the Russian President offered little prospect of the four-year conflict ending
REUTERS
Kyiv has not revealed how many drones it launches, although Mr Zelensky has spoken of expanding the campaign, which he describes as "long-range sanctions".
The nightly attacks have battered Russian oil infrastructure and set fire to commercial warehouses, while Moscow has intensified its own aerial assault on Ukraine.
Mr Putin's latest warning comes after he also directed thinly veiled threats towards Britain following the UK's decision last week to provide Ukraine with classified blueprints for long-range missiles.
Asked by Russian state broadcaster RT whether British military-industrial sites on home soil could become targets, Mr Putin responded with a smirk: "That's a secret, a military secret."
The Russian leader also dismissed the prospect of negotiations, accusing President Volodymyr Zelensky of 'state terrorism'
He did, however, confirm that British military facilities operating within Ukraine were "absolutely" legitimate targets for Russian forces.
Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reinforced the warning last week, cautioning that "any British military installations and equipment in Ukraine and beyond its borders" could face retaliatory strikes.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian officials have vowed to continue pressuring Russia into ending the war despite Moscow's escalating bombardment.
Mr Zelensky and senior figures in Kyiv have also claimed Russia is preparing a fresh mobilisation drive following the country's upcoming legislative elections.
Moscow has intensified its own aerial assault on Ukraine in recent weeks
REUTERS
Mr Putin dismissed the claims as "an information attack by the enemy."
The warnings come as Nato leaders sound the alarm over Moscow's widening "hybrid" campaign of sabotage, cyberattacks and disinformation across Europe.
Germany accused Russia on Tuesday of involvement in an attempted attack on Leipzig/Halle Airport last month in which a drone packed with explosives was deployed.
The accusation followed two further suspected acts of sabotage on German soil, including an attack on critical infrastructure near the Janschwalde coal-fired power station in Brandenburg.
Brandenburg's interior minister Jan Redmann described the incident as "an act of sabotage".
Police in the western city of Bergheim also investigated deliberate vandalism targeting the technical infrastructure of a power substation.
