The Kremlin on Tuesday characterized the war in Ukraine as having moved into a new phase, framing recent developments as a response to what Moscow calls acts of terror carried out by Ukrainian forces against civilian targets.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian forces are carrying out systematic strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure. His comments followed large-scale Russian strikes that, according to Moscow, hit multiple Ukrainian targets overnight and resulted in at least 17 people killed and around 100 wounded.
Moscow describes the stepped-up campaign as retaliatory, pointing specifically to a drone strike last month on a student dormitory in Luhansk under Russian control that killed 21 people. Russian officials say the escalation of strikes is a direct response to that incident. Ukraine has rejected the claim that it intentionally targeted the dormitory, stating instead that the intended target was a drone command center in the vicinity.
Peskov also said that the peace process is currently on hold. At the same time, he indicated that contacts between Russia and the United States regarding the situation in Ukraine remain in place. The Kremlin reiterated that it remains open to achieving its stated objectives in Ukraine through diplomatic means.
Russian officials maintained that the conflict could end immediately if Ukrainian forces withdraw from the territories that Russia claims as its own. Beyond that assertion, Kremlin comments emphasized a shift toward intensified military action while keeping diplomatic channels with the United States active.
Details remain limited in public statements: the Kremlin framed recent strikes as both punitive and systematic, while Ukraine denied responsibility for the dormitory strike and described an alternative target. The pause in the peace process, as described by Peskov, and the continuation of United States-Russia contacts create a juxtaposition between stepped-up military action and ongoing diplomatic communication.
Clear summary
Moscow says the conflict has entered a new phase after what it terms terrorist acts by Ukrainian forces. Russian officials announced systematic strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure in the wake of overnight Russian strikes that killed at least 17 and wounded 100. The Kremlin tied its intensified campaign to a drone strike on a student dormitory in Russian-controlled Luhansk last month that killed 21, which Ukraine denies targeting.