Russian President Vladimir Putin has blamed Western Intelligence for the current conflict with Ukraine.
Speaking at a meeting with members of the Russian security council, Putin stated that in the course of the conflict, Western Intelligence agencies have aided Ukraine to carry out acts of sabotage against Russia.
“There are reasons to believe that the capabilities of third countries, Western special services, have been involved in the preparation of acts of sabotage and terror attacks,” he said at the meeting.
The Russian leader said that four Russian provinces have suffered from Ukrainian shelling and acts of sabotage aimed at frightening the locals.
He also noted that a large number of Russian officials in the newly established provinces have also been killed and wounded in recent military attacks.
He went on to urge officials to increase control over the situation and act “harshly and effectively to ensure control over the situation.”
The Kremlin leader also encouraged officials to put more effort into integrating the four provinces into Russia and protecting the local citizens from attacks by the Ukrainian side.
“They must see and feel that all our great country stands behind them and we will do everything to protect them,” he said.
