Politics Selenskyj: Russia must feel the war

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has described the recent drone attacks by his military against targets in Russia as a necessity.

"The terrorist state must feel what it is like to wage war," said Zelenskyi in his evening video message. On Sunday night, Ukrainian combat drones attacked targets on Russian territory, including in the capital Moscow. The planning staff in Kiev are now working to bring as many Russian military facilities, Russian logistics and critical parts of their military economy within range of Ukrainian weapons.

The constant Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities, especially against civilian targets, now led to fierce counterattacks. "We have to bring the war home, to where it is being brought from in Ukraine." This is now being achieved with the use of combat drones and the new Ukrainian missile program. "With our drones and missiles, we are in a position to fulfill some of the tasks."

Nevertheless, Ukraine needs permission from the West to use heavy weapons against targets on Russian territory, Selensky repeated a well-known demand. "To force Russia to make peace, to move from the false rhetoric of negotiations to steps to end the war, to free our country from occupation and occupiers, we need effective instruments," he said. But this would depend on US President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. "Not a single Russian missile, not a single Russian attack should go unanswered."

For the first time in almost two and a half years of war, Ukraine has caused serious damage in and around the Russian capital Moscow with a massive drone attack. In the south-east of the metropolis of Moscow, a hit caused a fire in the large Kapotnya refinery - just 16 kilometers from the Kremlin as the crow flies. According to Russian reports, a power plant south of Moscow and a power plant around 100 kilometers away in the Tver region were also hit.

Forbes: Nasty surprise for Russia

The British business magazine "Forbes" has described the Ukrainian drone attacks against targets in Russia as a way of giving the Russians their own medicine. In view of the poor condition and outdated technology of the Russian power supply, the Ukrainian attacks could cause greater problems for the Russian population this winter than the inhabitants of Ukraine have experienced so far.

Looking back at the almost ten-year Soviet war in Afghanistan, which contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union, the magazine pondered how long the Russian population would want to support the war against Ukraine. "The most exciting question is whether the Russian dictatorship will survive." Because if Russia loses, dissatisfaction among the public and political elites could increase. "Continued economic sanctions and military losses could put further strain on Russia and give the political opposition or factions within the government the opportunity to challenge Putin's leadership."

Russian attacks against Ukrainian cities

Russian artillery and warplanes have again attacked cities in Ukraine. In the second-largest city of Kharkiv, 47 people were injured when a Russian missile hit a shopping center. Just the day before, at least six people were killed and another 99 injured in a Russian airstrike in Kharkiv. In Kuracheve in the Donetsk region, three people died in a Russian rocket launcher attack, as the local authorities reported in the evening. Nine residents were injured.

The authorities also reported repeated Russian artillery attacks in the Sumy region, in the course of which several people were injured. All supplies for the Ukrainian troops that have invaded the western Russian region of Kursk pass through Sumy.

SDA