NOVO-OGARYOVO, Aug. 12 (TASS) – Ukraine’s armed provocation on the Russian border aims to bolster Kiev’s position in future talks, but talks with a government that attacks civilians make no sense, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

He made the statement when opening a meeting about the situation on the Russian border.

"It is now clear why the Kiev regime refused our proposals to return to the plan for peaceful settlement," Putin said. "The enemy, with the help of its Western masters - it is doing their bidding, and the West is waging war against us using Ukrainians - <...> seeks to improve its negotiating position in the future."

"But what kind of negotiations can we even talk about with people who indiscriminately strike civilians, civilian infrastructure or try to create threats to nuclear power facilities," the president went on to say. "What can we even talk about with them?"

The adviser to the chief of staff of the Ukrainian presidential office, Mikhail Podolyak, said Ukraine could improve its negotiating position with the help of an operation on Russian territory. The European edition of Politico said the attack in Russia’s Kursk Region took place with the approval of the West.

Ukrainian forces started a major attack on the Kursk Region on August 6. Missile attack alerts have been issued repeatedly in the region since then. According to the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry, more than 8,000 people have been evacuated from border areas over the past day due to Ukrainian attacks, and more than 6,000 people have been placed in temporary accommodation centers.

Hospitals have admitted 69 people that were injured in Ukrainian shelling of the Kursk Region, Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko said. Of them, 17 are in serious condition. According to the latest data from the Russian Defense Ministry, Ukraine has lost up to 1,350 troops, 29 tanks and 23 armored personnel carriers since the start of hostilities in the Kursk Region.

Photo from TASS