Putin says Ukrainian infrastructure attacks cause damage but no ‘critical consequences’

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure had caused damage but had not resulted in any “critical consequences.”

Speaking at a meeting of the Council for Strategic Development and National Projects in Moscow, Putin ordered the government to develop a program to restore damaged infrastructure at a “qualitatively new” level.

“There are no critical consequences from such attacks, there have not been and cannot be. But they certainly cause us harm, that is obvious, and we understand, see and know this,” he said.

Putin also said Russia’s economic growth remained modest but positive.

According to him, gross domestic product increased by about 1% overall, with growth of 0.6% in the first half of the year and 1.3% in the second quarter.

He attributed the pace of economic growth to several factors, including external pressure and Ukrainian attacks on industrial and infrastructure facilities.

Putin called for strengthening Russia’s sovereignty and improving efficiency in defense and security, as well as in the socioeconomic sphere.

Russian e-commerce company Wildberries has reported damage to several of its logistics facilities in the Moscow region following Ukrainian drone attacks in recent weeks.

The company said it was able to redirect deliveries and shipments to other facilities after evacuating employees from affected sites.