©picture alliance / newscom | Office of the President of Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin is increasingly opting for a brutal air war against Kyiv, targeting residential areas, emergency services, and other civilian targets. The heaviest attack since the 2022 invasion demonstrates both military pressure and an attempt to increase fear, exhaustion, and uncertainty in the Ukrainian capital.
According to Ukrainian and international reports, Russia fired nearly 500 drones and approximately 75 missiles at Ukraine on Wednesday night, the vast majority of which were aimed at Kyiv. At least thirteen people were killed and about a hundred were injured; several residential towers, an ambulance station, a hotel, and playgrounds sustained damage. Many children were also among the dead. According to experts, the attack fits a pattern in which Russia deliberately targets civilian sites. According to that analysis, Russia has the technical capability to carry out much more precise bombing, but does not use it, which points to a deliberate strategy to target the population and break their morale.
Sowing fear by targeting more and more civilian targets
According to Russia expert Joris Van Bladel, it makes no military sense to indiscriminately shell residential towers, but it does fit with the Kremlin’s approach to waging war. The goal is not only physical damage but, above all, psychological pressure: the message is that no one is safe, not even in the capital. He says this in *Het Nieuwsblad*. Professor Ria Laenen also sees a clear escalation. She points out that Kyiv was spared for longer, but that Putin may now be seeking a response to Ukrainian attacks deep inside Russia. According to her, it’s “capital for capital,” though it differs fundamentally from Ukrainian attacks on Russian military and energy infrastructure. Het Nieuwsblad reports this.
Tactics of attrition
But does this approach actually work? Last winter’s attacks on energy infrastructure were intended to literally leave Ukrainians out in the cold, but they also fostered resilience. Despite war fatigue, a majority of the population continued to support the war effort. After Wednesday, Mayor Vitali Klitschko spoke of a terrible night and declared a day of national mourning. The message from Kyiv is clear: Russia seems determined to terrorize the civilian population, but it is by no means certain that this tactic will force Ukraine to capitulate.
©picture alliance / newscom | Office of the President of Ukraine