Putin attacks Ukraine

Russia bombarded multiple towns throughout Ukraine on Monday, striking civilian targets and destroying infrastructure, in what is believed to be retaliation for an explosion on a bridge between Russia and Crimea on October 9. This comes after weeks of experiencing losses.

The bridge bombing, which was dubbed a “terrorist attack” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has not been formally attributed to Ukraine. Putin was referred to as “a terrorist who talks with rockets” by Dmytro Kuleba, the foreign minister of Ukraine, on Monday.

Several Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv, the western city of Lviv, Kharkiv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr, and Kropyvnytskyi, came under fire from Russian forces.

Since the beginning of the battle, Kyiv had not experienced such ferocious missile assaults, while Lviv had served as a refuge for those escaping the conflict in eastern Ukraine. At least five persons are said to have been killed and 12 more injured after explosives reportedly exploded in Kyiv’s crowded city centre.

All of the attacks have destroyed civilian infrastructure, broken windows in residential buildings, and disrupted water and power supply. According to Reuters, explosions were recorded in the western Ukrainian cities of Zhytomyr, Dnipro, and Kremenchuk, as well as the central Ukrainian cities of Zaporizhzhia. The Associated Press cited Regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyi as claiming that Lviv’s energy infrastructure has been impacted (AP).

Ukraine’s response

On the messaging service Telegram, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared, “They are attempting to annihilate us and wipe us off the face of the world.” All around Ukraine, air raid sirens continue to sound. Missiles are crashing. Sadly, there are also injured and dead.

Putin’s main strategy is to use terror against innocent Ukrainian cities, but he won’t cause Ukraine to fall apart, said foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba in a tweet. He also says this in response to anyone who approaches him with the intention of discussing world peace: “Putin is a terrorist who speaks with rockets.”

Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kiev, wrote on social media: “Russian terrorists are attacking the capital! The city centre (in the Shevchenkivskyi district) and the Solomyanskyi district were both damaged by the rockets. The threat remains since the air raid sirens are still sounding.

Why Russia has increased its strikes

A few hours before Putin’s security council meeting, there were additional assaults. Russian military leadership has come under fire as a result of the country’s humiliating defeats on the battlefield. Things have gotten worse as a result of the damage to the Crimea bridge.

Dmitry Medvedev, the vice-chairman of the Russian Security Council, stated on Monday that Russia should execute the “terrorists” accountable for the assault. “The only way Russia can respond to this atrocity is by executing terrorists on the spot, as is the norm everywhere else in the world. Russian folks anticipate this, he was cited as saying by the official news agency TASS.

Why is the bridge crucial?

The sole direct connection between the Russian transportation system and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014, is the 19 kilometre Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait. The bridge was one of Putin’s signature constructions, and in 2018, he ceremoniously drove a truck across it to open it to traffic.

The bridge is essential for the delivery of goods such as food, gasoline, and other necessities to Crimea, where the Black Sea Fleet of Russia has historically called the port of Sevastopol home.

After Moscow invaded Ukraine and sent soldiers from Crimea to occupy most of Kherson area in southern Ukraine and some of the neighbouring Zaporizhzhia province, it also became a crucial supply route for Russian forces.

Latest Update

Two days after appointing an infamous general as its first overall commander for the conflict in Ukraine, Russia launched a series of attacks targeting cities around Ukraine.

A seasoned commander and air force general named Gen Sergei Surovikin oversaw the Russian military operation in Syria in 2017. He was charged with ordering a devastating bombing that obliterated part of the Syrian city of Aleppo.

According to reports, Surovikin’s army comrades dubbed him “General Armageddon” because of his rigid and unconventional methods of conducting war.

“What is occurring in Kiev this morning does not surprise me. Surovikin has scant respect for human life and is utterly vicious, a former defence ministry employee who has dealt with him told the Guardian.

“I’m worried that the blood from the Ukrainians will fully coat his hands.”

According to analysts, Surovikin’s major objective in Ukraine will be to address the structural issues affecting the Russian military.

Up until 2020, Surovikin and Gleb Irisov were coworkers in the air force, and Irisov claimed the new general was one of the few in the army who “understood how to monitor and organise diverse army branches.”

He is an excellent leader, but he is also quite harsh, Irisov observed.

But he won’t be able to fix every issue. Both people and weaponry are few in Russia, he continued.

Irisov claims that Surovikin has an excellent working connection with the Wagner group, a private military organisation associated with the Kremlin that has been engaged in combat in Ukraine.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the creator of the Wagner, and the powerful Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov were among the Russians who approved of Surovikin’s nomination. Prior to this, both individuals made uncommon criticisms of the military leadership of the nation, which caused significant tensions within the Russian elite.

On Monday morning, Kadyrov stated on his Telegram channel, “Now, I am 100% happy with the operation,” in reference to the shelling of Kyiv that resulted in at least five civilian deaths.