Russian MP says Ukraine's parliament and president's office are not "decision-making centres"

Andrei Kartapolov, Chair of the Defence Committee of the State Duma (lower chamber of the Russian parliament), has claimed that the Verkhovna Rada (Ukraine's parliament) and Office of the President are not the "decision-making centres" that the Russian Foreign Ministry has threatened to strike.

Source: Kartapolov in an interview with Parlamentskaya Gazeta, the official newspaper of the Russian parliament

Quote: "First of all, the Verkhovna Rada is not a decision-making centre, just as, for example, the State Duma is not one in Russia. MPs do not control troops or decide where and when strikes should be carried out. The same applies to the Office of the President of Ukraine.

We all understand that Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not appear there. He sits in a bunker, and in his office, there are two guards and five cleaners. Does it make sense to waste expensive ammunition on what is essentially an empty place?

Therefore, in this case, decision-making centres refer to underground and protected command posts of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, their branches and formations and possibly other security agencies, including government bodies. But it is important to note that they are not in central Kyiv. These are hidden, well-fortified facilities. And our task is to detect and expose them using the weapons at our disposal."

Details: Asked whether Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself could become a target for elimination, Kartapolov replied that "only one person" could determine that – Russia's supreme commander-in-chief.

According to Kartapolov, the "systematic strikes" promised by the Russian Foreign Ministry will continue until Russia sees "a change in the official position of Ukraine's leadership" to unconditionally accept the Kremlin's terms.

Background:

• Judging by recent Russian strikes on Kyiv, the so-called "decision-making centres" referred to by the Kremlin appear to be located in shopping centres, residential buildings and other civilian infrastructure facilities.
• Several international media outlets have reported that Russia has strengthened security protocols surrounding Vladimir Putin amid fears of a coup attempt or assassination.
• According to European intelligence services, Putin is spending increasing amounts of time in underground bunkers while directing the war.

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