Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned his country of possible increased Russian attacks in the upcoming Christmas season and called on his people to “watch out for air strikes, help each other and watch out for each other.”
In his regular nightly video address on Friday, Zelensky said he had met with his top military commanders to review the situation and that his government was “preparing for various scenarios of action by the terrorist state. And we will answer.”
“As the Christmas season draws ever closer, Russian terrorists could once again step up their activities,” said Zelenskyy. “They have no regard for Christian values or any other values in this regard.”
The Ukrainian leader also issued an unusually sharp warning to Russia.
Zelenskyy switched to Russian and warned that “the citizens of Russia must clearly understand that terror never goes unreacted.”
He did not elaborate.
In recent days, the Ukrainian military leadership has repeatedly warned of possible new rocket attacks on the country’s infrastructure and energy supply, which have already been devastated by drone and missile attacks in recent weeks, leaving millions of people without electricity, heating and running water.
On Friday, the Ukrainian military announced that a Russian naval unit was en route in the Black Sea, including a warship equipped with cruise missiles, and Moscow is also sending troop reinforcements to the front lines in eastern and southern Ukraine, according to the Ukrainian secret service.
“The enemy has increased the volume of rail transport of troops, equipment and ammunition to combat areas,” the General Staff in Kiev said on Friday. The main battle areas were the area around the front town of Bakhmut in the east and the towns of Avdiivka, Kupiansk and Limansk in the Donbass region.
Reinforcements on the Russian side were also found in the south of the country, the General Staff said.
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During a visit to the Russian weapons manufacturing center in Tula on Friday, President Vladimir Putin called on defense industry bosses to increase production and ensure that the Russian armed forces quickly receive all weapons, equipment and military equipment needed to fight in Ukraine.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also visited the Kalashnikov weapons factory in Izhevsk on Friday and told its director that the state would “significantly increase” orders from the plant next year, military news channel Zvezda said.
A union leader in Russia’s Ural region told state news agency TASS last week that companies involved in defense contracts there have switched to a six-day week, in which workers work in shifts of up to 12 hours.
“The main main task of our military-industrial complex is to provide our units and front forces with everything they need as quickly as possible: weapons, equipment, ammunition and equipment in the required quantities and of the right quality,” Putin said in Tula.
Although Kiev has received billions of dollars in Western weapons as well as military intelligence, Putin has stated that Moscow will gain the upper hand despite fierce Ukrainian resistance and nothing would change the outcome of its war in Russia’s favor.