Kyiv And Kharkiv Targeted In Russian Military Attacks
President Zelensky has called for “global unity” in response to continued Russian terror.
Early on Thursday morning, Kyiv woke up to a wave of Russian cruise and ballistic missiles which injured at least 10 people across the city. Among the victims was an 11-year-old girl who was among two people taken to hospital.
Air sirens rang for nearly three hours and missiles dropped down on the city from multiple directions.
The attack, which also involved strategic bombers, is the first big strike on Kyiv in weeks according to the head of Ukraine’s military administration.
All 31 Russian missiles targeting the city were shot down by Ukrainian air defences, the air force commander has said, with missile debris hitting several residential buildings, industrial sites, and a nursery school.
Meanwhile, at least 5 civilians were killed in Kharkiv by a Russian aerial assault on a printing house.
In response, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for more Western help, including advanced air defence systems.
In a post on Telegram, Zelensky said: "It is possible to put an end to it through global unity... Russian terrorists do not have missiles capable of bypassing Patriot and other leading world systems."
"This protection is required in Ukraine now.
"From Kyiv to Kharkiv, Sumy to Kherson, and Odesa to the Donetsk region.
"This is entirely possible if our partners demonstrate sufficient political will."
The Russian attacks come amid an escalation of violence between the two sides. Just last week the people of Odessa suffered a Russian missile strike that killed 21 people.
Ukraine has also been increasingly aggressive in response to Russian terror, launching numerous drone attacks on Russian naval vessels, oil refineries, and most recently the main base of Russia’s long-range strategic bomber fleet.
According to British defence chiefs, the Russian military is now seeking to hide its planes, ships, and other assets to protect them from Ukrainian missile and drone strikes.
Pro-Ukraine Russian militias have also been active in the Belgorod region of Russia bordering Ukraine, which has suffered from repeated attacks. According to Ukraine’s military spokesman Andrii Yusov, these anti-Kremlin militias, “act absolutely autonomously, on their own, and pursue their social and political programme tasks.”
One of the militias involved in the border raid, the Siberian Battalion, was established primarily for disfranchised ethnic minorities from Siberia, including Buryats, Yakuts, Tuvans, and others.
These border raids, accompanied by alleged drone and rocket attacks, are likely part of a Ukrainian strategy to weaken and destabilise Russia. Due to sustained attacks, the governor of Belgorod ordered the evacuation of 9,000 children from the region and ordered schools to close.
By attacking Belgorod, Ukraine is forcing Russia onto the defensive, making them move resources further away from the Ukrainian frontline. Incursions and drone attacks into Russia will also have a psychological impact on the enemy, reminding Russians that nowhere is safe from Ukrainian resistance, and making them lose faith in the ability of the Kremlin to keep them safe.
Additionally, Belgorod Oblast is frequently used by Russian forces as a launchpad for attacks on Ukrainian cities, such as the one seen in Kharkiv this week. So, attacking the region makes sense strategically if it results in Russia withdrawing its assets from the region.
With Ukraine suffering a shortage of weapons, however, there are questions about whether the benefits outweigh the costs.
Nevertheless, while the US continues to delay sending aid to Ukraine. European allies have been steadfast in their support. On Thursday EU leaders discussed plans to use €2.5-€3 billion a year of profits from frozen Russian financial assents to buy arms for Ukraine. Leaders are also considering banning grain exports from Russia and Belarus.
While escalating attacks on Ukraine are extremely devastating for the people involved, the families of the victims, and people living under constant fear of bombardment, they are also a reminder to the people of Europe that Russia is not interested in peace. The war can only be ended by Ukraine and its allies exerting economic and military pressure on Russia to end its illegal occupation of Ukrainian territories.
Russians must be reminded that the war is not a faraway conflict. It is a major war right on their doorstep. Until the Russian people become aware of that and begin to feel the cost themselves then the Kremlin will feel emboldened to continue terrorising Ukraine.
Border raids into Kursk and Belgorod are one option, though it is up to Ukraine and its Russian rebel allies how far they think they can succeed in penetrating Russian defences in that region. For Ukraine’s allies, the main tasks are firstly making sure that sanctions hurt Russia’s economy, and secondly making sure Ukraine is fully armed with enough drones, artillery, tanks, aircraft, and munitions that will allow it to take the fight to Russia.