Moscow, August 21, 2026 — The Europe Today: Russia does not seek an escalation of the conflict with Ukraine but will continue responding to attacks against its civilian population and infrastructure, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
In an interview with Izvestia published Thursday, Zakharova accused Kyiv of showing what she described as a complete unwillingness to engage in negotiations while intensifying attacks against Russian civilian targets and infrastructure.
“As long as this remains the case, the Russian Armed Forces will respond proportionately to emerging threats and continue the special military operation in order to accomplish the tasks set by President Vladimir Putin,” she said.
“Escalation is not our choice,” Zakharova added, arguing that progress toward a settlement would require Kyiv and its Western partners to abandon what Moscow considers the “dangerous illusion” that Russia can be strategically defeated.
Her remarks came amid another major exchange of long-range missile and drone strikes between Russia and Ukraine.
The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces conducted a large-scale overnight missile and drone attack against military-industrial facilities in and around Kyiv. According to the ministry, the targets included facilities producing long-range drones and components for cruise missiles, as well as storage sites containing fuel, lubricants, unmanned aerial vehicle components and dual-use goods.
Ukraine, meanwhile, carried out another major drone attack against Russian territory. The Russian Defence Ministry said its air-defence systems destroyed 726 Ukrainian drones across 20 regions overnight.
Moscow has repeatedly condemned Ukrainian drone attacks, alleging that they target civilian infrastructure and residential areas inside Russia. Russian officials have described such attacks as terrorist acts intended to offset setbacks on the battlefield.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Ukrainian strikes on Russian industrial facilities were causing damage but had not resulted in what he described as “critical consequences.”
In July, Putin warned that Russia’s responses to Ukrainian attacks would be “mirror-like” and “several times more powerful,” signalling that Moscow would continue retaliatory measures while maintaining that it does not seek further escalation.
