Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that it will be "impossible" for the West to isolate his country in a chilling threat.
In an appearance at an economic forum in the far eastern Russian city of Vladivostok on Wednesday, the despot struck a defiant tone saying he has recognised his country's future lies with The Middle East and Asia.
The 69-year-old said that Russia has not lost anything from its war with Ukraine, hitting out that Western sanctions imposed are simply a futile attempt to hold Russia in check.
In fact, Putin said that all of Russia's actions were designed to strengthen the country's sovereignty, and were aimed at "helping people" living in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
"We have not lost anything and will not lose anything," Putin said.
"In terms of what we have gained, I can say that the main gain has been the strengthening of our sovereignty."
Casting the US and its allies as aggressors, he said: “I am speaking of the West’s sanctions fever, with its brazen, aggressive attempt to impose models of behaviour on other countries, to deprive them of their sovereignty and subordinate them to their will.”
The autocrat also went on to say that sanctions imposed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine are a “danger” to the world, saying: “The pandemic has been replaced by new challenges of a global nature, carrying a threat to the whole world.
"I’m talking about the sanctions rush in the West and the West’s blatantly aggressive attempts to impose their modus vivendi on other countries, to take away their sovereignty, to submit them to their will.”
The Russian president added that the world’s future lies with Asia - and that the West is being reluctant to recognise that the Asia-Pacific region has become a magnet for human resources, capital and production capacities.
He said: “Irreversible and even tectonic changes have taken place throughout international relations.
“The role of dynamic, promising countries and regions of the world, primarily the Asia-Pacific region, has significantly increased.”
Meanwhile, during the economic forum, Putin went on to claim that the developing world is being 'cheated on' by a Ukraine grain deal, which was designed to alleviate a looming food crisis.
Putin took an aim at the deal - brokered by Turkey and the United Nations - and claimed that Ukrainian grain exports were not going to the world's poorest countries.
The tyrant said: "Once again, they simply deceived developing countries and continue to deceive them. With this approach, the scale of food (supply) issues in the world will only increase, unfortunately.
"To our great regret, this can lead to an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe."
He also shockingly added that some restrictions on Russia's fertiliser exports had been eased, but problems remained as he said he would look to revise the deal to ensure it reaches its original goals.
Ukraine appears to have launched a counterattack in the Kharkiv region in the northeast of the country, the second-largest city in the country, with several reports of fighting in the region.
Overnight and early this morning, the head of the Kharkiv regional state administration, Oleg Synegubov, posted on Telegram that Russian forces were shelling various parts of Kharkiv.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense confirmed earlier reports from officials in Ukraine that the armed forces there have been counterattacking Russian positions.
Most of the fighting has been taking place in the northeastern and eastern parts of the country, as well the south.
In its intelligence update today, the ministry said: "Over the last 24 hours, heavy fighting has taken place on three fronts: in the north, near Kharkiv; in the east in the Donbas; and in the south in Kherson Oblast.
“Russia’s planned main effort is probably an advance on Bakhmut in the Donbas, but commanders face a dilemma of whether to deploy operational reserves to support this offensive, or to defend against continued Ukrainian advances in the south."
