
Vasily Prozorov, a former Ukrainian Security Service officer, told TASS that Ukraine conducted attacks on Russian non-military infrastructure and civilians during the State Duma elections to create fear and destabilize Russian society, asserting that Kyiv believed ordinary citizens would link the strikes to the election and authorities' actions, and that Ukraine understood its defeat in the special military operation was imminent.
AI-generated summary
The statement was made during the State Duma elections in Russia, amid ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine referred to by Moscow as a 'special military operation'.
MOSCOW, September 21. /TASS/. Kiev sought to destabilize Russia internally by carrying out attacks during the State Duma elections, understanding that Ukraineβs defeat in the special military operation is approaching, Vasily Prozorov, a former officer of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), told TASS.
"Ukrainian forces strike non-military infrastructure and civilians exclusively to create negative sentiment within Russian society. Ukraine assumed that ordinary citizens would associate strikes on Russia and possible mass casualties with the State Duma elections and the authoritiesβ actions on election day. <β¦> The Kiev regime bet on creating discord and instability inside Russia, understanding that Ukraine has no way to win and is on the verge of defeat," Prozorov said.
The expert stressed that drone strikes on Russian territory pursued "no military objective." "It is a terrorist attack, since the main defining feature of a terrorist attack is to intimidate and sow fear in peopleβs minds. In other words, Ukraineβs actions can be regarded as terrorism," he added.

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Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Rodion Miroshnik said that in a week, including the days of voting in the State Duma elections, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out almost nine thousand attacks on Russia, which amounts to up to 1,270 strikes daily. According to him, this is a planned action aimed at disrupting the elections by military means.