The Kyiv authorities themselves opened a "Pandora's box" when they began striking civilian targets in Russia and publicly declared their goal of destroying the country's economy.

Axar.az reports, citing local media, that Russian President Vladimir Putin made this statement in an interview with Vesti journalist Pavel Zarubin.

"[Kyiv's] goal is to damage our economy. What did it do? It opened this Pandora's box itself. Well, then get a response in your most sensitive economic sectors, which, frankly, are already on their last legs. This, by the way, also applies to agricultural production, from the export of which the Kyiv regime derives its main income," he said.