The ongoing military conflict and the increasing drone strikes by Ukraine on Moscow have resulted in a quandary for Russian President Putin.
He’s facing the uncomfortable truth that seemed unfathomable four years ago. The war is slipping away, and the world can see it.
Su-25. Image Credit: Creative Commons.
And worst of all, his hated enemy, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy, is openly taunting him with each passing drone strike on Moscow.
Putin has no answers and doesn’t know what to do.
Zelenskyy Taunts Putin After The Latest Drone Attack
On Tuesday night, Ukrainian Drones attacked a Russian satellite company just outside of Moscow.
The drone strike targeted the Dubna Space Communications Center, which is located about 310 miles from the Ukrainian border, which Russia uses to collect intelligence and coordinate operations by its army units in occupied Ukraine. This was Ukraine’s second strike on the Dubna facility in about a week.
Moscow’s regional governor, Andrey Vorobyov, said a drone had hit an “administrative building” in the town with no reported casualties, but stopped short of admitting the facility had been hit.
Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said Russian air defenses shot down more than 60 drones during the attack. Overall, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted or destroyed 419 drones.
Ukrainian President Zelenskyy said, “This is a specialized satellite communications facility used, among other things, for intelligence gathering and coordinating the activities of Russia’s occupying forces in Ukraine.”
And then he taunted Putin when he added that “relevant actions are also being prepared against other similar enemy facilities.”
Tu-160M Bomber from Russia. Image Credit: Russian Military/Creative Commons.
Putin Doesn’t Quite Know What To Do on Ukraine War
Former US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said this drone strike and others that have crippled Russia’s oil and gas infrastructure have left Putin unsure about what to do next.
Panetta told NewsNation’s Leland Vittert on “On Balance” that he does not “think there’s any question” that Putin is “on the ropes.”
“I just think that it’s clear right now that Putin is cornered in this situation and is not quite sure what to do,” Panetta said. “He obviously ought to, frankly, negotiate some kind of ceasefire, but knowing Putin, he will continue to resist that, and Russia is going to pay the price.”
Panetta believes that the United States’ most important assistance to offer Kyiv is “whatever it needs in terms of weaponry so Ukraine can present a bigger threat to Russia,” which will “send a message to Putin” and lead to Russia losing the four-year war.
He urged President Trump to stand up to the tyrant that Putin is.
“Putin’s not going to win under any circumstances,” Panetta added. “It would be smart for the president to pick the side that is going to win this war, and that is Ukraine.”
Now Moscow Is Concerned About Civilian Deaths
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov criticized Ukraine’s attacks, saying three civilians were injured and a six-month-old baby was killed in the attacks.
“We would like once again to bring the international community’s attention to this criminal conduct of the Kyiv regime,” Peskov said, as the Russian state-run news media TASS reported.
“Civilians have been affected, and children have been dying as a result of actions by the Kyiv regime. And everybody should know and remember that.”
It is an interesting quote considering that since the war began, Russia’s attacks have actually targeted the civilian population in Ukraine; the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has verified that at least 16,126 Ukrainian civilians have been killed, including hundreds of children, and over 46,000 injured since the full-scale invasion began on February 24, 2022.
However, the UN cautions that the actual toll is significantly higher, as the verification process takes time.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Says Putin Will Be Forced To Seek Peace
In an interview with PBS’ Simon Ostrovsky, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha believes that Putin will be forced to sue for peace.
About Russia and Putin being forced to try to end the war, Sybiha said, “We have proven that there are no safe places in Russia, and we can reach out to 2,000 kms.
“The most important thing now is to end this war. Ukraine wants to end this war. We have doable proposals.
We are in a position to use our leverage to pressure Russia, not to ease sanctions, but, on the contrary, to increase pressure on Russia and to raise the price of further aggression personally for Putin.
“He must admit that he will never achieve his goals on the battlefield,” he added.
The Pressure On Putin Now To Seek A Peace Deal Is Rising
Ukrainian drone attacks are raising the cost of the war and pressuring Russian President Vladimir Putin, but they have not forced him to seek peace.
Instead of pursuing negotiations, Putin’s administration has responded with escalated counterstrikes and shifts in domestic policy.
However, with the attacks on Russia growing in intensity and effectiveness, Russian citizens are feeling the effects of the war, with long lines at gas pumps as attacks have caused gas shortages. Airport travel has been significantly affected, and citizens are turning against the war, seeking peace.
Many Russian military analysts now consider the land bridge to Crimea to be nothing short of a “highway of death” for Russian logistics.
In addition to the gas and oil attacks, Ukraine conducted coordinated strikes against the Osa air defense system, five coastal radar stations in Crimea, Russian command locations, UAV facilities, weapons shelters, and logistics vehicles across the peninsula.
Ukraine’s plan to bring the war to Moscow’s doorstep is exacting a heavy toll on Russian oil and gas industries, isolating Crimea, depriving Moscow of its ability to supply its southern and western groups of forces in Ukraine, and leaving the economy teetering.
Putin was forced to admit the drone strikes on the oil and gas industries were “causing problems” for Russia.
And even more for him, as his war seems like it is heading toward a conclusion he never expected.
About the Author: Steve Balestrieri
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
