A Russian response to the drone attacks on Moscow is imminent. “We see something happening every time that the Russians don’t like,” says Patrick Bolder, a defense specialist at the Center for Strategic Studies in The Hague. “They can’t do much other than large-scale rocket attacks.” The question is what attacks do to support the war in Russia.
After earlier arms deliveries and the drone attack on the Kremlin in early May, missile barrages followed on Ukraine and Kiev in particular. “We can expect something like this again,” Bolder says. “If Russia really wanted to achieve something on the ground, it would have done it a long time ago,” Bolder says.
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According to the defense specialist, the fighting on the ground has actually stopped for ten months. The four areas that have been declared Russian territory are not yet entirely in Russian hands. And even after Bachmut’s capture, the Russian soldiers showed no significant movement.” They just don’t seem to have the capacity for it. Their last option is the long-range missile to saturate the Ukrainian air defense as much as possible.”
Blindly allowed
It is unclear whether Ukraine is behind the drone strikes earlier this week. ‘But it can hardly be otherwise that the Ukrainian army command or even the government knew this was going to happen. It will probably be turned a blind eye or at least not sanctioned,” says Bolder. A logical answer. “Ukraine has been a victim of this type of attack for fifteen months. And now bring it to the one who provoked it”.
If those drones really took off in Ukraine, they traveled great distances before reaching a target. They are shot from the air when they are near Moscow, the Kremlin or where the oligarchs live. “They don’t care what happens to the rest of Russia,” Bolder says.
More than 200,000 Russian soldiers have been killed or wounded in the fighting so far. This has not changed the behavior of the command of the Russian army. “Maybe you should take the war to the leaders themselves, in hopes that will turn this war around.”
Credibility
Bolder believes that this attitude could dent the support of the Russian population. ‘If the populace sees that only the elite are protected, then they lose credibility. Are they protecting Russia from a NATO invasion or are they securing their position of luxury?’
This feeling is now evident among the elite, but Bolder thinks it won’t have much effect just yet. ‘They also depend on Putin, he is the keystone of the pyramid. If you eliminate Putin, the whole pyramid collapses.”
Source: BNR
Sharon Rock is an author and journalist who writes for 24 News Globe. She has a passion for learning about different cultures and understanding the complexities of the world. With a talent for explaining complex global issues in an accessible and engaging way, Sharon has become a respected voice in the field of world news journalism.
