Vladimir Putin toasts with servicemen all the way through a ceremony within the Kremlin. (Picture: EPA)

Vladimir Putin has claimed Ukraine “started it” while trying to justify Russia’s attacks on its neighbour’s energy infrastructure. 

The Russian president made the declare while consuming champagne at a glitzy Kremlin reception for servicemen called ‘Heroes of Russia’ on Thursday. 

He pointed to the bombing of a Russian-held bridge to Crimea regardless of Russia having invaded Ukraine in February in a struggle that has killed thousands. 

He stated: ‘there may be so much of noise now about our strikes at the energy infrastructure of Ukraine.

The strikes plunged portions of Ukraine back into freezing darkness with temperatures now firmly beneath zero Celsius. 

Putin used to be speaking previous to nowadays’s annual memorial day in Russia called  ‘Heroes of the Fatherland Day’ to commemorate the country’s infantrymen. 

He added Russia would not be avoided from ‘from pleasurable our army targets’ despite outrage or what he defined as ‘data wars’ in opposition to Russia. 

In The Meantime, Putin on Monday drove a Mercedes around the Crimean Bridge linking southern Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula, less than months when you consider that an explosion tore via certainly one of the Kremlin chief’s showcase infrastructure tasks.