Russian President Vladimir Putin has been issued a chilling warning by the head of Ukraine’s spy agency who vowed to carry out attacks deep inside Russia.
Major General Vasyl Malyuk, the head of Ukraine’s SBU security service, said that Russian leadership should expect sustained attacks deep in the country without elaborating on the details of the operations.
He said: “We cannot disclose our plans. They should remain a shocker for the enemy. We prepare surprises. The occupiers must understand that it will not be possible to hide. We will find the enemy everywhere.”
Ukrainian and Russian saboteurs have struck frequently both in the occupied territories and within Russia blowing up railways, burning down military offices and carrying out assassinations.
Speaking to POLITICO, Malyuk joked: “We are always looking for new solutions. So, cotton will continue to burn.”
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Ukrainians have used the word cotton to describe targeted attacks and explosions carried out in Ukraine and Russia by security services. It is a play on the Russian word khlopok which means both blast and cotton.
Malyuk told the outlet: “The SBU carries out targeted point strikes. We stab the enemy with a needle right in the heart. Each of our special operations pursues a specific goal and gives its result.”
The comments come as Ukraine faces challenges in the war against Russia including relatively static – yet brutal – fighting on the frontlines and questions about continued Western aid.
Still, Ukraine has vowed to keep fighting for its survival and has ruled out a deal that would see Russia keep any of its occupied territory.
Kyiv has increasingly launched attacks deeper into Russia both with acts of sabotage as well as longer-range missiles and drones that have struck as far as Moscow.
Russia regularly targets Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and cities using waves of long-range missiles and kamikaze drones.
