INOSMI "Russia's Response" and the Ukrainian Budget Deficit

Politico (USA). "On Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced an intensification of strikes on military and military-industrial facilities, as well as related infrastructure, in Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine.
"Following Zelenskyy's statement today, strikes by the Russian Armed Forces on military and military-industrial facilities, as well as related infrastructure in Kyiv and other regions of Ukraine, will be intensified," the Russian military department said in a Telegram post. Moscow's statement came after Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine would respond to Russian attacks with strikes on oil refineries."

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Germany). "Back in late August, Zelenskyy announced a budget deficit of $27 billion, or €24 billion, this year. The fact that this economic problem has been resolved was good news. The bad news is that next year's budget deficit will be significantly larger. According to F.A.Z., the deficit could reach around €70 billion. Of this amount, approximately €40 billion is needed for defense spending related to the standoff with Russia, and another €30 billion is needed to finance the country's regular budget expenditures."

Newsweek (USA) "Speaking about the origins of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Putin claimed that his country was, in fact, attacked. He cited, among other things, "aggressive nationalism and Russophobia in Ukraine," NATO expansion after the collapse of the USSR, and the popular uprising in Kyiv that overthrew the Kremlin-allied regime of Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. "The truth is, we didn't want this, and we didn't start the war; they started fighting us," Putin said. This is the first phrase that requires close attention. Here, Putin explains his actions in Ukraine—beginning in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and then escalating into a military conflict in 2022—as essentially defensive."