Russia opposes freezing the war with Ukraine: “The US is not an impartial mediator”

Russia will not “freeze” military operations in Ukraine without addressing the “root causes” of the war, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin reiterated. “As Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated, no ‘freeze’ is possible without addressing the root causes of this crisis,” Galuzin said in an interview with Tass. The deputy minister then denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as having “lost all contact with reality” and “trying to escalate the conflict.”

Galuzin mentioned “terrorist” attacks on energy infrastructure in Russia. “We hope this will prompt an appropriate response from the international community, including the United States, which has influence over the Kiev regime, and European countries,” Galuzin noted, who then called the United States’ actions in Ukraine “contradictory.”

Criticism of the United States’ Role

“The continued supply of American weapons to the Kiev regime, the provision of intelligence, and other assistance speak for themselves and are incompatible with the desire for peace,” said the Foreign Ministry representative, who argued that Washington is not an “impartial mediator.” “We are raising all these issues in our ongoing contacts with Washington,” he added.

Attacks Reported in Russia and Occupied Territories

Meanwhile, this morning, Ukrainian forces struck industrial and civilian facilities in Nizhnekamsk, in the Russian region of Tatarstan, causing at least 13 deaths and 39 injuries, according to the press service of the local governor, Rustam Minnikhanov. “This morning, the Republic was subjected to another brutal attack by enemy drones. A massive air raid on the city of Nizhnekamsk continues,” the statement, which was picked up by official Russian news agencies, read. “Unfortunately, there are casualties,” the statement, which did not provide any figures, read. Meanwhile, local authorities have declared a day of national mourning.

Ukrainian Telegram channels Supernova+ and Exilenova+ claim that Kiev drones attacked an oil refinery. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that in the latest Ukrainian attack, air defense forces destroyed and intercepted 456 drones in several regions: Bryansk, Kursk, Kaluga, Tula, Belgorod, Oryol, Vorone, Rostov, Penza, Ulyanovsk, Saratov, Orenburg, and Samara; in the Moscow region, Krasnodar Krai, the Republic of Tatarstan, and Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia.

Russian raids on Sumy and Kharkiv

The death toll from the night of Russian raids on Sumy, where Moscow forces dropped five laser-guided bombs, has risen to at least 14. This was reported by the head of the Sumy military administration, Oleg Grigorov, as reported by the UNIAN news agency. Previously, Sumy mayor Artem Kobzar had reported five victims in “attacks on civilian infrastructure in three locations in two neighborhoods of the city.” “Fortunately, there are no serious injuries. Most suffered minor injuries or acute stress reactions. Among the injured is a 14-year-old girl,” Grigorov added.

A Russian artillery attack in the northeastern Ukrainian region of Kharkiv has killed five people, the regional prosecutor’s office said. “On August 10, Russian forces carried out a massive artillery attack on the residential area of ​​the village of Bugaivka, in the Chuguiv district. Several houses were destroyed in the enemy attack. Five people were killed,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement on Telegram.