President Putin Orders Military to Stop Shooting on Russian Territory

President Vladimir Putin. (Wikimedia Commons/The Presidential Press and Information Office)

JAKARTA - President Vladimir Putin ordered the military to stop shelling into Russian territory from Ukraine on Wednesday, because it has left many people homeless or without electricity.

he made the remarks while addressing a government meeting on the restoration of destroyed housing and infrastructure in the southwestern region of Russia that borders Ukraine.

"Of course, the priority task is eliminating the possibility of firing. But this is the business of the military department," President Putin said in remarks published on the Kremlin website.

Furthermore, President Putin cited the Russian regions of Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk, as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine and annexed in 2014, as areas where housing has been damaged or destroyed.

President Putin said, "The people are facing a very acute problem, and correction and compensation are needed."

"Many people who are in a difficult situation, have lost their homes, have been forced to move to relatives or temporary housing, facing interruptions to the supply of water, heat and electricity," he said.

His comments signaled Moscow's frustration with the frequency of attacks in southern Russia, which have included attacks on places such as power substations and weapons and fuel depots.

Ukraine did not claim responsibility for the attack inside Russia but described it as "karma" for the Moscow invasion, which has razed Ukrainian cities and systematically targeted the country's energy infrastructure, leaving people often without power and water in winter.