Putin accuses Ukraine of 'resorting to terrorist methods on instructions of West'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that Ukraine "has resorted to terrorist methods on the instructions of the West."

Speaking at an expanded meeting of the Federal Security Service (FSB), Putin said the West once "actively used various kinds of cross-border radical, terrorist groups to its advantage, including encouraging their aggression against Russia."

No surprise that the West-led Kyiv is using terrorist methods, Putin said, citing attacks on civilians, murder attempts on government officials and public figures, attempts to recruit perpetrators of sabotage and terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure facilities in Russia and in places of mass residence of people.

Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine two years ago, and since then the West has supported Kyiv through economic, military and humanitarian means.

The Russian president ordered the FSB to strengthen state borders, especially in the regions bordering Ukraine.

Putin called on the officials to double the efforts aimed at neutralizing subversive activities of foreign intelligence services, protecting confidential information of strategic nature, including state and military management systems, advanced technologies and promising groundwork in the military and other fields.

"The enemy sees that we have it all, is developing rapidly and, of course, as always, is working in this direction against us," he stressed.

Turning to the announcement of a number of Western embassies in Russia about a terrorist threat alert, Putin called them "frankly provocative."

"All this resembles outright blackmail and the intention to intimidate and destabilize our society," he said.

Head of the Central Election Commission Elle Pamfilova said on Monday that the terrorist threat alert was meant to decrease voter turnout in the 2024 presidential election. Putin won the March 15-17 election by a landslide.