President Vladimir Putin acknowledged Russia is facing a “difficult period” as Ukraine expanded its long-range assaults on the country’s infrastructure.
Kyiv struck a Russian defense plant and set fire to a major oil refinery as part of its efforts to weaken Moscow’s wartime economy.
Russian fuel production has dropped, and the country’s stock market has fallen in June by the most since 2022.
“There is a feeling that there is no good end to this in sight,” a former Russian official told The Washington Post.
This “vibe shift” presents an opening for Europe to provide Ukraine with more funding and tighten sanctions on Russia, a Financial Times commentator wrote: “This prescription is not new but the outcome could be.”