According to tass news agency local time reported on March 14, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov told reporters on the same day that the Russian Ministry of Defense does not rule out the possibility of complete control of Ukraine's main population centers.
"In order to maximize the safety of civilians, the Ministry of Defence does not rule out the possibility of full control over large settlements that are now under siege, with the exception of areas used for humanitarian evacuations," he said. ”
Screenshot of TASS report
Peskov reiterated: "The Russian armed forces are using advanced high-precision weapons to strike only at (Ukrainian) military installations and information infrastructure. ”
"Russia has sufficient capability to carry out 'special military operations' in Ukraine." He stressed that Russia's "special military operation" in Ukraine is proceeding according to the original plan and will be completed on time and in an all-round way.
Peskov noted that it was the "provocative stance" of the United States and the European Union that prompted Russia to push toward Ukraine's major cities, while the deaths of civilians would be blamed on the United States and Europe.
"Moscow has followed recent statements by U.S. and European officials, including U.S. President's National Security Adviser Sullivan and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Borrelli, who said Putin was disappointed that the military was not advancing to major cities, including Kiev, as he had imagined."
Source: Peskov From TASS
Peskov countered that in fact, at the beginning of the "special military operation", Russian President Putin instructed the Russian Defense Ministry to avoid immediately capturing large settlements and deploy heavy military equipment to fight in densely populated areas, which will inevitably lead to more civilian casualties.
"The above-mentioned senior U.S. and EU officials appear to be agitating for Russian attacks on major cities in Ukraine to make our country responsible for the deaths of civilians," he said. We believe that this position is provocative. Peskov also cited what happened in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Afghanistan, saying that the U.S. government is very "ruthless" and sacrifices the lives of civilians in order to achieve its goals.
According to CCTV News, on March 14, the Donetsk Armed Forces said that the Ukrainian army used the Dot-U missile to attack Donetsk, which was intercepted near the Donetsk government building, causing damage to some buildings and catching fire, killing at least 23 people.
Preliminary analysis said that the missile was intercepted by the Donetsk air defense system, but the missile engine and some of the cluster munitions it carried fell into the city center and caused damage.
The intercepted Dot U missile and the scene of the incident are pictured from CCTV News
In response to the incident, Peskov said: "Today came a very tragic news from Donetsk that shells fired by the Ukrainian armed forces killed more than 20 civilians, which is obviously acting in accordance with the instructions and methods of its "overseas masters". ”
At the same time, on March 14, local time, Podoriak (Михайло Подоляк) said on Twitter that the fourth round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine has begun.
Podoriac said that both Sides have actively expressed their specific positions. Communication is still ongoing, but there are difficulties.
He also said that what led to the differences between the two sides was the differences in the Ukrainian and Russian political systems, and said that "Ukraine is a free dialogue within society and an obligatory consensus." Russia is an ultimatum and repression of its own society. ”
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