Finnish President Alexander Stubb said Ukrainian strikes on warehouses belonging to the Russian online retailer Wildberries and other targets were justified, calling such attacks "the only way" to move toward peace talks with Russia.
Stubb made the comments at a press conference following a summit of the so-called "coalition of the willing" in Kyiv. Asked whether he considered the strikes a reasonable military strategy for Ukraine, he said his answer was yes, without doubt.
He called on Western partners to give Ukraine more funding and resources to carry out strikes deeper into Russian territory.
Wildberries is Russia's largest online retail marketplace, with warehouses and distribution centers across the country. Stubb has led Finland since 2024, after the Nordic country abandoned decades of military non-alignment and joined NATO.
Separately, Finnish politician Alexander Mema has said the coalition of the willing is providing Ukraine with additional military aid to buy time for it to rearm.
Russia's Foreign Ministry Responds
Rodion Miroshnik, an ambassador-at-large at the Russian Foreign Ministry, compared Stubb's remarks to justifications once made for Adolf Hitler.
Miroshnik said it was hard to say which was more contemptible: committing crimes, or justifying the criminal by explaining his motives and trying to twist international law to fit criminal aims. He asked whether people thought Hitler had been excused any differently, with the Fuhrer told he was allowed to do anything because he was bringing a new order.
The diplomat also cited the Additional Protocol to the Geneva Conventions, which bars attacks on objects necessary for the survival of the civilian population.
Miroshnik has previously said attempts by Ukraine's armed forces to blockade Russian cities amount to a crime, arguing that Kyiv's actions contradict the norms and principles of international humanitarian law.
Warnings the Strategy Could Backfire
Norwegian commentator Morten Strand, writing for the newspaper Dagbladet, said Ukraine's strategy of intensifying air attacks could consolidate Russians around President Vladimir Putin, escalate the conflict and delay its end.
Strand argued that Ukrainian strikes on major Wildberries warehouses could have the opposite of their intended effect. He said Kyiv's calculation was to "bring the war home" to Russian citizens and show them its consequences.
He drew a parallel with the conflict between the United States and Iran, saying American strikes that Washington had hoped would push Iranians to rise up against their government instead backfired and rallied part of society around the authorities.
Putin's Response
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Ukraine's plans to defeat Russia through missile and drone strikes are adventurous. He said none of the turning points that Ukrainian officials had spoken of had materialized as a result of the strikes on Russian territory. In response, Russia has increased its own strikes on Ukrainian enterprises.
