Russia vowed to retaliate last week after Ukraine staged a daring drone attack that struck Russian aircraft in multiple time zones of Russian territory.
Now, the retaliation has begun, over the last several days, and the Russians claim that they have managed to strike several Ukrainian cities, as well as key shipbuilding areas in Ukraine.
And things are going from bad to worse in the three-year-old conflict.
According to The Daily Telegraph, which cited the Russian Defense Ministry, Russia managed to hit “aviation, missile, armoured vehicle and ship-building facilities” in Kyiv.
“All designated targets have been hit,” the Russian ministry said.
However, Ukraine has challenged some of those claims, with Kyiv’s military administration claiming that the strikes hit civilian targets.
“Once again, Russian strikes are not hitting military targets, but the lives of ordinary people,” Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s military administration, said on Telegram, as reported by the newspaper.
Ukraine, the Telegraph said, is home to only one major shipyard, the Kuznia na Rybalskomu facility, and Ukraine has not confirmed that it was actually hit.
Zelenskyy Condemns Attacks in Ukraine
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the Russian attacks in a social media post on Tuesday, accusing the Russians of not being serious about peace.
“Russian missile and Shahed strikes drown out the efforts of the United States and others around the world to force Russia into peace,” Zelenskyy said in comments posted to X. “For yet another night, instead of a ceasefire, there were massive strikes with Shahed drones, cruise and ballistic missiles. Today was one of the largest attacks on Kyiv. Odesa, Dnipro region, and Chernihiv region were also targeted.”
The Ukrainian leader added that Russia used 315 drones in the latest round of attacks, some of which came from North Korea, and he offered his condolences to the families of those lost.
“It is vital that the response to this and other similar Russian attacks is not silence from the world, but concrete action. Action from America, which has the power to force Russia into peace. Action from Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong. Action from others around the world who called for diplomacy and an end to the war – and whom Russia has ignored.”
What About Peace?
It does not appear likely that Russia and Ukraine will return to the table for peace talks anytime soon, after two brief rounds of peace talks in Istanbul did not lead to any agreements, although the sides did agree on prisoner exchanges, which took place on Monday and Tuesday.
In the latest round of talks, Russia issued demands to Ukraine, including over sovereignty of multiple regions, the partial demilitarization of Ukraine, and a vow to not join NATO, which were all viewed as nonstarters for the Ukrainian side.
The implication, at least on the part of Ukraine, is that Russia wants to run out the clock, especially with President Donald Trump not siding as clearly with Ukraine as his predecessor Joe Biden did.
Adding to that, Zelenskyy told ABC News in an interview Monday that he’s been told that the U.S. is diverting “20,000 missiles” that were earmarked for Ukraine by the Middle East instead.
“Without the help of the United States, we will have more losses,” Zelenskyy told ABC’s Martha Raddatz in the interview.
“It is vital that the response to this and other similar Russian attacks is not silence from the world, but concrete action,” Zelenskyy said in a social media post in response to the recent Russian attacks.
“Action from America, which has the power to force Russia into peace,” the leader said. “Action from Europe, which has no alternative but to be strong. Action from others around the world who called for diplomacy and an end to the war — and whom Russia has ignored. There must be strong pressure for the sake of peace.”
About the Author
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
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