Putin admits economic damage from strikes, promises more strikes on Ukraine

His remarks came on the eve of Ukraine’s 35th Independence Day anniversary, underscoring the Kremlin's intent to sustain economic warfare during the milestone celebration of Ukrainian sovereignty.

Russian economic damage and Kremlin narratives

Confronted with mounting operational realities, the Kremlin leader was forced to publicly acknowledge the economic losses caused by strikes on rear infrastructure, demonstrating the effectiveness of sustained pressure against Russia's fuel and logistics sectors. Simultaneously, Putin attempted to justify the domestic fuel crisis and rear disruptions by fabricating claims of a Western- and Ukrainian-designed "40-day plan" of escalation.

"Speaking of what is happening now, this is the result of yet another reckless adventure by the Kyiv regime and its Western curators, who conceived to inflict another 'strategic defeat' on Russia — this time in 40 days and with the help of massive missile and drone strikes against our civilian facilities and logistics... On Aug. 5, this 40-day deadline expired," Putin claimed.

While asserting that frontline power balances remained unchanged, the Russian leader acknowledged the material economic harm inflicted on Russia.

Offloading air defense to private business

Amid regular strikes against Russian oil refineries and compounding fuel supply problems ahead of the State Duma elections, Putin effectively conceded that state air defense systems cannot fully shield critical infrastructure. The Kremlin dictator called on private enterprises and regional authorities to independently finance security measures and integrate into air defense operations.

"It is necessary to improve coordination between law enforcement and civilian agencies at all levels, and to involve the capabilities of state enterprises and private business. This is especially important on the eve of elections to the State Duma and other government bodies," Putin added.

Targeting agricultural exports and domestic logistics strain

Putin placed particular focus on agricultural and port infrastructure, declaring an intention to systematically strike the most sensitive sectors of Ukraine’s economy, specifically agricultural production that generates vital foreign currency revenues, asserting that the Ukrainian agricultural sector is "on its last legs."

However, the dictator also inadvertently acknowledged that Russia itself is confronting severe domestic bottlenecks in exporting its own commodities.

"We have great export potential... Yes, we also have issues related to exporting our goods, but we will resolve these issues, meaning there will be no shortage on the global market," Putin stated.