Russia denies hitting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia does not carry out strikes at Ukraine's civilian infrastructure, the Kremlin said on Thursday amid claims of Moscow firing missiles on critical facilities leading to power blackouts in many Ukrainian cities and regions.

There were no strikes on civilian infrastructure, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing in Moscow. "And as for the targets that are directly or indirectly related to military potential, they are, accordingly, subject for hitting," he added.

Commenting on French and other condemnations of Russian strikes, Peskov said: "We are ready to accept such statements only if similar statements condemn the strikes of Ukrainian artillery on civilian objects and residential premises in the Donbas, which have been taking place since 2014. We have not heard a single condemnation of the French leadership," he said.

On the recent partial military mobilization, Peskov said the Kremlin is proud of the citizens who voluntarily joined the army, adding that President Vladimir Putin will hold a meeting on providing to the needs of the military later in the day.

Peskov said Russia does not plan to sell oil and gas to countries that may join price caps proposed by the West, noting that the proposals being discussed in Europe "look hardly explicable."

"The Europeans still have very unclear discussions on this 'cap' in the nuances. Inexplicable numbers are called, it feels like they are just trying to make a decision for the sake of a decision.

"We intend to analyze the situation before taking a position," he said.

Peskov responded negatively to a question that whether Armenia's refusal to sign a declaration of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) puts the alliance's existence in doubt.

"No, by no means, there are certain disagreements ... but this does not mean that it somehow jeopardizes the existence of the CSTO," he said.