(Reuters) – Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday that the West was stepping up equipment and arms supplies to Kyiv ahead of what he said would be a “large-scale” Ukrainian offensive, and said Moscow would strike any supply routes it detected.
Speaking on state television, Shoigu also said Russia was inflicting “effective fire damage on the enemy” and that the Western weapons would not change the outcome of Moscow’s “special military operation” in Ukraine.
He was speaking shortly after Ukraine launched its biggest ever drone attack on Moscow, though Shoigu’s ministry said Russian air defences had destroyed all eight of the drones.
“This morning, the Kyiv regime carried out a terrorist attack in the Moscow region. On civilian targets, I note,” said Shoigu.
A Ukrainian presidential aide denied Kyiv was directly involved in Tuesday’s attack on Moscow, but said Ukraine was enjoying watching events and forecast more to come.
The 15-month war has largely been fought inside Ukraine, though Russia has also experienced a number of drone attacks on its territory, including one targeting the Kremlin citadel earlier this month that Moscow said was a bid to kill President Vladimir Putin. Kyiv also denied involvement in that attack.
Ukraine has signalled it will soon embark on a long-anticipated “counter-offensive” backed with Western weapons to try and drive Russian occupiers from its territory.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Gareth Jones)
