‘Russia Will Feel It Firsthand’: Budanov Warns of Deeper Ukrainian Strikes

Ukraine will launch deeper and more powerful strikes inside Russia if Moscow continues the war, Presidential Office Chief Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview published Friday, Sept. 11.“If Russia does not stop hostilities against us, it will feel the consequences ever more strongly,” Budanov told Latvian Television in an interview published by LSM. “Our strikes will reach deeper and carry greater combat power.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.Ukrainian strikes reach record distancesBudanov’s warning came after Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces (SSO) said Wednesday, Sept. 9, that its Deep Strike units had hit two major Russian gas-condensate facilities in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug.The drones traveled more than 3,000 kilometers (1,864 miles) into Russia in what the SSO described as a record strike.Initial reports said Ukrainian drones had targeted the Novy Urengoy condensate preparation plant, about 3,200 kilometers (1,988 miles) from Ukrainian territory.The SSO later confirmed strikes on both the Novy Urengoy and Purovsky gas-condensate plants, which it described as important facilities for Russia’s gas industry.The Novy Urengoy plant has an annual design capacity of 19.5 million metric tons (21.5 million US tons) of raw materials. The Purovsky plant processed 13.4 million metric tons (14.8 million US tons) of gas condensate in 2025.President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday, Sept. 10, that Ukrainian forces had struck eight Russian infrastructure facilities “working for the war” the previous day, including a refinery in the Yamalo-Nenets region. Other Topics of Interest Russia Sends Bones of Medieval Warrior to Ukraine Front to Boost Morale The Russian Orthodox Church has sent a fragment of a medieval prince’s right hand to Russian troops in occupied Ukraine, saying the relic will strengthen morale. “Russia continues its terror against Ukraine every day. And every day it receives a fair response,” Zelensky said.Budanov outlines terms for ending the warBudanov said Ukraine had not started the war and would continue fighting for as long as necessary.He said Russia could choose whether to withdraw, while Ukraine had no option but to defend its people, territory and future.“We are standing on our land, and no one has the right to simply give that land away to someone else,” he said.Budanov said Ukraine was ready to end hostilities at any time, provided the agreement was based on acceptable terms rather than a Russian ultimatum.In his view, the most realistic arrangement would halt fighting along the front line as it stood on the day an agreement was reached and provide Ukraine with security guarantees.Ukraine would not legally recognize Russia’s occupation of any Ukrainian territory, he added.Trilateral talks could resumeBudanov said dialogue involving Ukraine, the US and Russia would continue. He said Washington and Kyiv had demonstrated their readiness to negotiate, while Moscow’s willingness would become clear over time.Budanov, who led the Ukrainian delegation at the most recent trilateral talks in Geneva, said he had participated in negotiations with Russia since 2022 and had no difficulty communicating with an adversary.His intelligence background, he said, had taught him how to work with an enemy while pursuing a concrete result.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Wednesday, Sept. 9, that Moscow expected trilateral negotiations with Ukraine and the US to resume in the “foreseeable future.”Peskov said no formalized program or roadmap had been agreed but claimed there was a “shared political will” to restart negotiations. He added that dialogue with the Trump administration and work on prisoner exchanges were continuing.Ukraine, Russia and the US have not held trilateral talks since February. Their last full negotiations took place in Geneva on Feb. 17-18, following an earlier round in Abu Dhabi on Feb. 4-5.The Kremlin continued calling for renewed talks even as Russian forces launched a massive missile and drone attack on Kyiv on Sept. 8 that killed five people and wounded at least 35.Russia tests hybrid tactics in LatviaBudanov also addressed security threats facing the Baltic states, saying Russia was testing a hybrid approach in Latvia.Whether that activity escalated would depend partly on Moscow’s assessment of Latvia’s ability to resist it, he said.“If the Russians see that everything here is prepared for resistance or defense, they will have to reconsider their plans,” Budanov said. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.