“If Ukraine Burns, Moscow Will Burn”: Zelenskyy Says Kyiv Made Good on Its Warning

Days after Russia struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Ukraine followed through on a promise of retaliation, launching drone strikes against oil refineries in and around Moscow, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on July 18.

The operation, he said, pierced the Russian capital’s three-ring air defense system and demonstrated that even Moscow is not beyond Ukraine’s reach.

“We do not want Ukraine to burn because of the enemy,” Zelenskyy said. “But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn.”

According to the President, the strikes on Moscow fulfilled a promise he made earlier this week while visiting the damaged site.

“They hit Lavra,” Zelenskyy said. “I said absolutely frankly, we will prepare the answer and you will see it.” He noted that the military response was fair and necessary, demonstrating that Russian air defenses can be bypassed.

In addition to military retaliation, the President emphasized the need for intensified global pressure on Russia following the Group of Seven (G7) summit. He called for comprehensive partner sanctions targeting Russia’s energy sector, shadow fleet, banking system, and defense industry.

“The main thing is that the people of Russia begin to feel that one person is fighting, Putin, and people are paying for everything,” Zelenskyy stated.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha echoed this approach of changing the reality of the war onto the Russian public. Following the morning strikes, Sybiha addressed Russian citizens directly on social media, noting that residents in the capital were waking up and asking what was happening.

“I can answer. Your country started a war of aggression against ours,” he wrote. Sybiha urged Russian citizens to confront their leadership over the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine, stating, “Now that you know what’s going on, ask Putin when he is planning to end it.”

These efforts to secure military and political support continued in Brussels on June 18 during the NATO Defense Ministers meeting. Zelenskyy is scheduled to attend the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, known as the Ramstein format, later in the day.

Following preliminary meetings with NATO leadership and the German Defense Minister, discussions have prioritized reinforcing Ukraine’s air defense networks, the President said.

A central focus of the UDCG meeting is securing backing from partner countries for the PURL initiative , specifically to acquire Patriot systems and anti-ballistic missiles. Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine has also initiated a collaborative effort with European partners, including Germany, to develop a future joint European anti-ballistic missile system.

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War in Ukraine

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On the diplomatic front, the President welcomed the European Council’s decision to open the first cluster in Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations.

Ukraine aims to open the remaining five clusters rapidly. “Our desire is that in the coming weeks, months, we will be able to open five more clusters, so that all six clusters open up and open the way for us to become a member of the EU,” Zelenskyy said.

A Ukrainian drone strike had recently targeted the largest fuel refinery supplying the Moscow region, causing a fire that forced the Gazprom Neft facility to completely halt its operations.

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