The West is attempting to sow unrest and destabilize the internal political situation in Russia, as it is unable to beat it on the battlefield, President Vladimir Putin has said.

Speaking at a convention of his United Russia party in Moscow, Putin said that the country was facing severe and “unprecedented pressure from Western elites.”

“They are unable to inflict a strategic defeat on us, to win on the battlefield, and they are trying to destabilize the political situation and sow internal unrest, but this is also unsuccessful,” he said.

Western elites continue to support the Kiev regime, which they have chosen as “a battering ram against Russia,” with no thought for the Ukrainian people, he said.

As Kiev’s forces are retreating on the front lines, Ukraine is resorting to “openly terrorist actions,” Putin said, citing its “targeted strikes against civilians and civilian sites.”

Ukraine has intensified long-range drone attacks on Russia in recent months, targeting energy infrastructure and logistics, as well as increasing strikes on purely civilian targets like ambulances, school buses and museums.

On Saturday, a Ukrainian drone strike on a World War II museum in Russia’s Rostov Region injured 12 people, according to Governor Yury Slyusar.

Over the previous week, Ukrainian attacks killed at least 41 civilians, including one child, according to Rodion Miroshnik, who leads the Russian Foreign Ministry mission responsible for tracking Ukrainian war crimes.