Kremlin claims battlefield gains as Russia attacks Ukrainian books and toys

The Kremlin believes Russia's advance on the Ukrainian front is "obvious" and has dismissed talk of escalation as merely "Western scare stories". Russia has made it clear that it has no intention of abandoning its stepped-up aggression and is insisting that its demands be met.

Source: Russian media outlets, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov

Details: Peskov said that strikes on Kyiv "are continuing regularly, in a targeted manner" and claimed they are "destroying military and military-adjacent infrastructure of the Kyiv regime".

Yet in recent weeks Russian strikes have been deliberately destroying warehouses in Ukraine that contain food, cosmetics, books and children's toys. In other words, Russia's attacks continue to target civilian infrastructure.

Peskov was also asked to comment on reports that Russia is preparing to escalate the conflict.

Quote: "As for escalation, well, those are the usual scare stories, plenty of which get published in Western media. We are continuing the special military operation, and the advance on the fronts is in fact obvious. It's obvious, and experts understand perfectly well what this dynamic means and what consequences it ultimately has for the Kyiv regime."

More details: Peskov also said the issue of peace talks is effectively on hold.

He claimed there are "no new ideas whatsoever" and that the Ukrainian side "knows Russia's demands perfectly well".

Quote: "They don't want to discuss this through peaceful means. So we're continuing to maintain this dynamic, which is positive for us. And the operation continues."

Background:

• Pyotr Tolstoy, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma (the lower chamber of the Russian parliament), has said Russia should openly bomb Ukrainian cities to demoralise the population and force Ukrainians to surrender to Russian troops "with their hands up".
• Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi has declared that calls by Pyotr Tolstoy to bomb Ukrainian cities should serve as grounds for an arrest warrant to be issued by the International Criminal Court. He said the only reason for Ukrainians to raise their hands is to "give Tolstoy and his fellow war criminals the middle finger".
• On 27 August, Russian propaganda "liberated" a village in Sumy Oblast for the second time – Ukraine's Kursk Group of Forces has rejected claims by Russian media outlets.

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