Russian leader Vladimir Putin compared the Israeli attack on the Gaza Strip to Nazi Germany’s siege of Leningrad during World War II.
So far, 1,300 Israeli lives have been claimed in the aftermath of the attack by Hamas terrorists.
“Casualties among civilians will be absolutely unacceptable,” Putin said, according to a translation via the Citizen Free Press.
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Putin speaks out against Gaza blockade and Israeli airstrikes:
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) October 13, 2023
"Casualties among civilians will be absolutely unacceptable. The Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip is unacceptable and is like the Nazi siege of Leningrad."
pic.twitter.com/AkMbmbaXnJ
“The Israeli siege of the Gaza Strip is unacceptable and is like the Nazi siege of Leningrad,” he added.
The 900-day siege of Leningrad from 1941 to 1944 claimed 800,000 civilian lives, according to the Sorbonne.
The Siege of Leningrad, which lasted from September 8, 1941, to January 27, 1944, during World War II, was one of the longest and most brutal sieges in history. Leningrad, now known as Saint Petersburg, was a major city in the Soviet Union and a key target for Nazi Germany during… pic.twitter.com/5N1CnjnDuV
— History Nook (@history_nook) October 8, 2023
While Putin said Israel sustained “an attack unprecedented in its cruelty” and deplored a ground attack on Gaza, he did say the country had the right to defend itself.
“And most importantly, the civilian casualties will be absolutely unacceptable,” Putin said.
“Now the main thing is to stop the bloodshed,” Putin added.
“Russia is ready to coordinate with all constructively minded partners,” he continued.
The Russian leader then clarified that “without solving fundamental political issues, the main of which is the creation of a sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, it is impossible to solve the problem as a whole,” according to Fox News.
“We understand that the hardening on both sides is very large, but no matter what the level of hardness on both sides, it is still necessary to strive to minimize or reduce to zero, to minimize losses among the civilian population: women, children, the elderly,” he said.
“If men have decided to fight among themselves, let them fight among themselves – children, leave women alone. This applies to both sides,” Putin added.
“This is a clear example of the failure of United States policy in the Middle East,” Putin said Tuesday when speaking of the Hamas attack on Israel.
“The image of the invincible Israeli fortress has just collapsed,” Russian talk show host Olga Skabeyeva said, adding, “Are U.S. aircraft carriers next?”
According to the Times of Israel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of working with Hamas.
“We are certain that Russia is supporting, in one way or another, Hamas operations,” he said in an interview with French TV.
“The current crisis… bears witness to the fact that Russia really is seeking to carry out destabilizing actions all over the world.”
On Saturday, Israel announced it will not negotiate with terrorist group Hamas over the release of 100 and 200 Israeli and international hostages.
The head of Israel’s National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, said the days of negotiating with terrorists were over.
“Israel will not hold negotiations with an enemy that we have vowed to wipe from the face of the earth,” he said, briefing reporters at the Israel Defense Force’s Tel Aviv headquarters.
There are reportedly 50-200 hostages being held by Gaza terror groups.
Hanegbi’s remarks unsurprisingly caused anger among the families of Israeli hostages, who are already protesting for the government to do everything possible to secure their release.
As CNN reported, More than 2,100 people, including 724 children and 458 women, have been killed in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis is spiraling, with warnings people are at risk of starvation, hospital generators on the verge of running out of fuel, and whole streets reduced to rubble.
The Israeli military has warned people living in northern Gaza to evacuate south for their safety ahead of an expected surge in operations, including a possible ground invasion. UNICEF says that amounts to 1.1 million people, roughly half Gaza’s population and adds there is “nowhere safe for civilians to go.”
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