Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed Ukraine's "Western sponsors" with his chief general, claiming battlefield successes and a shift in the war's narrative. Analysts suggest this is propaganda to justify prolonged conflict and potential mobilization, framing it as a war against NATO.
Valentina Matvienko, speaker of the Federation Council, stated that Western "curators" of Kyiv should be held responsible for the Ukrainian Armed Forces' strike on a college in the LNR. She noted that their refusal to condemn the attack confirms "ideological European patronage of the Kyiv neo-Nazi regime."
Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador at Large Rodion Miroshnik accused NATO's Coordination Center and Western sponsors of approving Ukrainian terrorist attacks, including the strike on Tuapse. He stated that Ukraine has lost the initiative on the battlefield and is suffering defeats, forcing it to resort to sabotage. Miroshnik made the statement on Solovyov Live, asserting that these attacks are blessed by NATO and the sponsors who fund them.
