Putin aide accuses Baltic states of enabling attacks on Russia
Putin's aide Nikolai Patrushev (Photo: Screenshot)
The Kremlin claims that Ukrainian drones are using NATO airspace to strike Russian ports. According to a statement by Nikolai Patrushev, an aide to the Russian dictator, the Baltic countries and Finland are helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to Russian media.
The Russian side has invented its own explanation for the successful strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the Russian rear. Nikolai Patrushev, a former FSB director and now Putin's aide, does not believe in Ukrainian technology's capabilities. According to him, Ukrainian drones allegedly fly through the territory of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Finland.
These countries are deliberately opening their skies for attacks on facilities in the Leningrad region, the official claims. He asserts that non-military maritime infrastructure and Russia's commercial fleet are coming under attack.
Patrushev emphasized that the distance from Ukraine's borders to the Leningrad region exceeds 1,400 kilometers. In his opinion, such a route cannot be covered without NATO's help.
The Kremlin representative resorted to open threats and called the actions of neighboring states an act of aggression.
"The provision of airspace by the Baltic countries and Finland for the flight of strike UAVs means the direct participation of NATO member states in attacks on Russian territory and infrastructure. With all the conclusions and consequences," Patrushev stressed.
As evidence, he cited reports of SMS notifications in Estonia, where residents were allegedly warned about the appearance of drones. He also mentioned the discovery of drone fragments on Finnish territory. Patrushev demands that the Finns prohibit Ukraine from carrying out such strikes.
Official representatives of Estonia and Finland have not yet commented on these absurd accusations. NATO has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the conflict.
What is known about the strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Russia
The Defense Forces of Ukraine struck the Russian chemical enterprise PhosAgro in Cherepovets, Vologda region. The plant's products serve as raw material for the production of TNT, hexogen, and other components used in the manufacture of ammunition. At least two workshops, with a combined capacity of about 900,000 tons per year, were hit.
Due to the strikes by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, oil exports from Russia's largest Black Sea port, Novorossiysk, remain limited. The Ukrainian military reported hitting at least five berths and pipelines that support the terminal's operations.
Also, at the beginning of April, unknown drones attacked the Voronezh region. A fire broke out near the Minudobreniya plant in the town of Rossosh, one of the country's key chemical plants.
