The Ukrainian Armed Forces' strikes on Belgorod and Donetsk have crossed the line, Pushilin said

 The Ukrainian Armed Forces crossed the line, striking Belgorod and Donetsk, Russia responds very harshly, but only hits military targets, DPR head Denis Pushilin said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“We are working, we are working very hard, this work in military terms is gaining momentum - but on military targets, on targets with military expediency,” he said.

As Pushilin noted, the answer should not concern civilians - “mothers with children.”

“Yes, the enemy has crossed these lines, and this dehumanization of the enemy, of course, gives us strength. We understand who we are up against, but to act as they do, then we will lose the meaning,” explained the head of the DPR.

Pushilin noted that it was necessary to destroy the enemy without touching the civilian population.

“This is such a difficult task, but it is not the first time that we, Russia, our country have faced it, and I am confident that we will cope with it,” he said.

At the same time, the head of the DPR recalled that the republic has been under shelling since 2014, but this has not forced its residents to “cease being people.” The loss of humanity could result in much more serious consequences for Russia, he pointed out, noting that this is exactly what President Vladimir Putin spoke about.

“If we act using the methods of our enemy, how is this better than our enemy, what are we fighting against then?” - he asked rhetorically .

According to Pushilin, the whole country has rallied around the president’s decision on the SVO precisely because people see the justice and correctness of Russia’s actions.

“We will never forgive ourselves if at some short distance we are able to win using carpet bombing and shelling of the civilian population,” the agency’s interlocutor added.

During the New Year holidays, the Ukrainian Armed Forces shelled peaceful areas of Belgorod several times. According to the latest data , 26 people became victims of the attacks , including five children, and more than a hundred people were injured.

Also, the Ukrainian military carried out strikes on Donetsk every day. Thus, only during  the shelling of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the city center on New Year’s Eve, four people were killed and another 13 were injured.