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 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 about 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.
Separately, asked if there is any information that delegations from Russia and Ukraine met in Abu Dhabi on Nov. 17 to discuss the prisoner swap and Russian ammonia exports, Peskov said: "No, nothing is clear. I can't say anything. This is the first time I have heard about this issue."
Separately, the Defense Ministry said Russian troops launched an attack against Ukrainian military command and energy targets on Wednesday, according to the state news agency TASS.
"On Nov. 23, Russian troops delivered a massive strike by long-range air-, sea- and ground-based precision weapons against Ukrainian military command and related energy sites," ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
The goal of the attack was achieved and all designated targets were hit, Konashenkov said, adding: "The strike disrupted the redeployment of Ukrainian army reserves, foreign armaments, military hardware, and ammunition by railway to combat areas."
He also claimed that Moscow did not carry out any missile strike on Kyiv on Wednesday.
"All the destruction in the city declared by the Kyiv regime resulted from falling missiles of foreign and Ukrainian air defense systems deployed in residential areas of the Ukrainian capital," he said.
