If you wanted an indication of how badly Russia’s war is going and how much pressure Vladimir Putin is under, then the missile attacks on Kyiv and Ukraine’s major cities over the last day or two are as good as any. These attacks have no military value; they won’t stall Ukraine’s successful counteroffensives in the south and east. They merely aim to terrify the Ukrainian people. History tells us this approach rarely works.
The successful attack on Kerch bridge has clearly cut Putin to the quick. The bridge was one of Putin’s signature projects and a major strategic asset for the Russian military, providing its main road and rail connection between the Russian mainland and the Crimean peninsula.
As well as a brilliantly successful demonstration of Ukrainian special operations – blamed by Russia on the feared Ukrainian intelligence service the SBU (who now appear to have admitted as much), this was also an indicator of where this war is going. Russia’s decision to respond by attacking civilian targets has been equally significant.
