Is the war in Ukraine at a turning point? The partial destruction of the Crimean Bridge, a symbol of Russian control over the disputed peninsula, has provoked the ire of Russian President Vladimir Putin. His army responded by firing a salvo of dozens of missiles all over Ukrainian territory, including the capital kyiv, sowing terror and destruction.
More than 83 missiles struck across Ukraine in a matter of hours Monday morning. Of these, 43 were intercepted by Ukrainian defense systems, according to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The emergency services report a provisional toll of 11 dead and 87 injured across the country.
kyiv city center was targeted during the morning rush hour. A university, the German consulate and the head office of the Samsung company in Ukraine were notably targeted. The last strike on the capital took place on June 26. Surprised by these massive bombardments, many Kievans found refuge in the metro stations, as in the early days of the war.
In addition to kyiv, eleven major infrastructures were damaged in eight regions, said Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Chmygal. The shells hit several infrastructures of the power grid network.
Following this new murderous escalation, the delivery of new anti-aircraft batteries was loudly demanded from the West.
Germany assured Monday that the delivery of a long-promised first air defense system to Ukraine was “imminent”. This type of weapon would be able to protect an entire city. However, no air defense completely protects a territory from such attacks, according to several military experts, especially in a vast country like Ukraine.
These strikes constitute “a profound change in the nature of this war”, French President Emmanuel Macron briefly declared on Monday. He reaffirmed “France’s commitment to increasing its support for Ukraine […] including in terms of military equipment”.
The leaders of the G7 will meet urgently on Tuesday afternoon with Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky to plan for the continuation of the war.
New general, new tactics
These strikes are probably the first decision of the new Russian general commander in Ukraine, appointed this Saturday.
“Army General Sergey Surovikin has been appointed commander of the combined group of troops in the area of the special military operation”, confirmed the Russian Ministry of Defense on Telegram at the end of the week.
Surovikin has a heavy military past. Aged 55, he is a veteran of the Chechen war and led the Russian intervention in Syria. This theater of war was marked by the repeated use of indiscriminate firing on civilian neighborhoods. Until now, he was in charge of the southern front of the conflict in Ukraine.
Curiously, it was this same Surovikin who physically intervened in the streets of Moscow during the failed coup of 1991. His brigade had then killed three demonstrators who were trying to overthrow the Soviet central power, just before he does not collapse on its own.
Russia’s so far unsuccessful military tactics in Ukraine are increasingly frustrating even the most staunch of Russians. The Kremlin is reportedly planning to replace Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Army General Staff Valeriy Gerasimov in the coming week, noted the Institute for the Study of War, a group of US-based think tank, based on a Telegram channel from Russian private military company Wagner.
De-escalation through escalation
This escalation of violence comes just days after the partial destruction of the Crimea Bridge. This unclaimed act complicates supplies on the occupied peninsula. Since this attack, the Russian military forces are more dependent on the territories occupied since the invasion began in February for their logistics.
This explosion on the symbol of the Russian stranglehold on Crimea is the basis of the bombings on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said by video.
“If the attempts of terrorist attacks on our territory continue, Russia’s responses will be severe and their scale will correspond to the level of the threats posed”, he warned at the start of a televised meeting of the Security Council. Russian security. “No one should have the slightest doubt.”
While the initiative for the escalation seems to have passed to the Ukrainian side for a few weeks, Moscow is also appealing to its Belarusian ally. President Alexander Lukashenko, who had so far refrained from sending his troops, accused kyiv this weekend of preparing an attack against his country. Accordingly, it plans to “deploy a regional grouping of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus”.
He also accused Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine of preparing “terrorist” attacks and a “military uprising” in Belarus.
“If you want peace, prepare for war”, said President Lukashenko again
With Agence France-Presse