Ukraine is pulling out all the stops and showing that Russia’s main cities can be targeted in actions that feature ever-evolving 21st-century warfare tactics. Massive one-way drone and missile strikes are being launched from Ukrainian territory and punishing Russia’s energy infrastructure. Saturation attacks on June 17 are a case in point. Two hundred unmanned kamikaze loitering munitions were launched at Moscow. This was likely the largest attack on the Russian capital during the war.
Moscow Under Siege: What Has Been Hit Now by Ukraine?
Putin Clapping. Russian Federation Photo.
Dark black smoke rose up from the explosion at a critical refinery.
The idea is to make the Russian citizens struggle with fuel shortages and high petroleum prices.
The Ukrainians also want to disrupt oil supplies to military and civilian aviation. Ukraine has found a winning recipe for the war – continue to eliminate the oil production facilities until Russia has a major energy supply problem that will hobble their economy and create shortages that keep tanks and armored personnel carriers on the sidelines.
Producing the Fear of God in Ordinary Russians
The latest strikes hurt 17 Russians, and one person died in southern Rostov oblast, where an oil supply center was blasted into ruins.
These attacks are designed to place fear into the local populace and bring the fight to the civilian world to answer for Russian drone strikes against churches and monasteries earlier this week.
Since June 16, over 1,000 drones and four Ukrainian cruise missiles have destroyed Russian targets, and that is giving Vladimir Putin a bad headache.
Not Enough Air Defense Systems to Protect the Capital
Volodymyr Zelensky has even given a nickname to his highly organized and coordinated attacks: “long-range sanctions.”
This is economic warfare at its finest. Keep the Russians guessing about which energy infrastructure to hit each night, force the Russian air defenses around Moscow to be moved from other cities, and place the entire capital under a state of siege.
The Russian people can certainly see the thick smoke billowing from the destroyed targets, and this hurts civilian morale.
Strengthening Armed Diplomacy
Zelensky also wants to strengthen his diplomatic hand and make Russian efforts to prosecute the war that much harder. “It’s time to end this war, and Russia must take the necessary steps in diplomacy,” he said, as reported by the BBC.
The Ukrainian leader is going to continue tit for tat strikes until he feels that the Kremlin can’t take any more military pressure.
“We don’t want this war and have never wanted it,” Zelensky said. “But if Ukraine burns, your Moscow will burn too,” according to the BBC.
Violence Increasing Russia’s Fear Factor
The Ukrainian strikes have been particularly violent, and people have witnessed them constantly. The top of a refinery blew off, alarming onlookers. Witnesses also saw explosions at the Kapotnya refinery in southeast Moscow.
Some people left their apartments in fear that their homes would be the next targets. Meanwhile, the local airports shut down and canceled hundreds of flights, leaving many stranded and wondering if the airplanes and runways would be destroyed.
The Typical Russian Government Cover-up
As usual, the Russian government kept state-run media from covering the carnage, but civilian journalists posted the violent video on social media, and these clips went viral on sites like Telegram, where many Russians are getting up-to-date news as it happens in real time.
Ever Evolving Bombing Tactics
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military has created a new tactic that makes their drone strikes even more effective.
They first send a flight of dummy-decoy drones to make the Russians expend interceptors from their air defenses. Then they deploy reconnaissance unmanned vehicles to identify open sectors.
These give information to ground controllers to hit Russia against unprotected areas. Then the kamikaze drones blast targets.
What Will Be Hit Next?
This is a successful formula that keeps the Russians guessing about the source of the main effort during saturation strikes. This brings the war home to Moscow and St. Petersburg so the Russian people can get a dose of their own medicine, as Zelensky has explained.
Ukraine Is Waging Psycholigical Warfare
Ukraine has discovered that it can play psychological warfare against ordinary Russians who normally think that fighting only happens at the front lines in Ukraine. The public’s constant worry is considerable. Imagine trying to sleep at night, knowing that your residence could be hit. The Kremlin may have to begin building bomb shelters or have people duck for cover in the metro system below ground.
Vladimir Putin is in Kazan for a conference this week and has not witnessed the carnage at home, but his underlings are likely to explain to him that the war has entered a new phase.
Civilian terror is real, and this could make waging war that much harder. The people of Russia will continue to struggle with fear and foreboding every night.
About the Author: Dr. Brent M. Eastwood
Author of now over 3,500 articles on defense issues, Brent M. Eastwood, PhD, is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: A Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare, plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
