Friday, 13 Jun 2025
America Age
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Font ResizerAa
America AgeAmerica Age
Search
  • Trending
  • World
  • Politics
  • Opinion
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Real Estate
    • Money
    • Crypto & NFTs
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
    • Lifestyle
    • Food
    • Travel
    • Fashion / Beauty
    • Art & Books
    • Culture
  • Health
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
America Age > Blog > World > Analysts: Russian missiles seek to levy pain, could backfire
World

Analysts: Russian missiles seek to levy pain, could backfire

Enspirers | Editorial Board
Share
Analysts: Russian missiles seek to levy pain, could backfire
SHARE

LONDON (AP) — The Russian missiles that rained down Monday on cities across Ukraine, bringing fear and destruction to areas that had seen months of relative calm, are an escalation in Moscow’s war against its neighbor.

But military analysts say it’s far from clear whether the strikes mark a turning point in a war that has killed thousands of Ukrainians and sent millions fleeing from their homes.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attacks were retaliation for a blast Saturday that damaged a showpiece bridge linking Russia to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula seized by Moscow in 2014. Putin called the Kerch Bridge attack an “act of terrorism” and vowed a “tough” response to any further attacks that threaten Russia’s security.

Simon Smith, a former British ambassador to Ukraine, said the Russian leader was trying to send “a ‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’ message” to Ukraine.

Smith said the hail of Russian missiles onto civilian areas was “psychological and physical intimidation” – but also “an act of desperation” from a Russian leader whose troops are losing territory in parts of eastern Ukraine that Moscow has already annexed.

“This is very much Putin on the back foot,” said Smith, who heads the Ukraine Forum at the think-tank Chatham House. “He is on the defensive.”

Russia’s defense ministry said it had targeted “military command and communication facilities and energy infrastructure,” but Ukraine accused Moscow of indiscriminately hitting civilian areas. Ukrainian authorities said Russia fired 84 missiles against 10 cities, with 56 of them neutralized by air defenses. At least a dozen people were killed and over 60 wounded in the missile strikes, officials said.

“Russia is seeking to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses,” Justin Crump, chief executive of security consultancy Sibylline, told the BBC. “That’s something they have tried throughout the conflict, but never on this scale.”

Crump said Ukraine will likely seek more surface-to-air missiles from Western allies to strengthen its air defenses. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due to speak Tuesday to Group of Seven leaders during a video conference.

Michael Clarke, a visiting professor in war studies at King’s College London, said Monday’s attacks, while brutal, likely were not a turning point in the war, “because in a way, the Russians are already doing their worst.”

Ukrainians are finding mass graves and evidence of torture — and are undertaking war crimes investigations — in cities and towns recaptured after months of Russian occupation.

“In increasing the worst, all they do is bring more civilian misery to Ukraine, which will harden the resolve (of Ukrainians),” Clarke said. “And they are still losing on the ground.”

Monday’s fierce bombardment came two days after Putin put air force chief Gen. Sergei Surovikin in command of all Russian forces in Ukraine. Surovikin previously led Russian forces in Syria and was accused of overseeing a brutal bombardment that destroyed much of the city of Aleppo.

Sidharth Kaushal, a research fellow at military think-tank the Royal United Services Institute, said Surovikin’s appointment probably will not bring a major change to Russia’s military campaign.

“He has had a career that’s been blighted by accusations of both corruption and brutality,” Kaushal said. “So that may be some insight into how he will approach it. But then again, the Russian approach has already been quite brutal.”

Kaushal said Russia had “used a pretty phenomenal number of missiles” in the war so far and could run short of some of modern precision weapons. But he said Russia had “large numbers of stockpiled holdovers from the Soviet era” and still retained a capacity to inflict heavy damage on Ukraine.

“Given the sheer number of targets, and given that overall, the Russian missiles in terms of their accuracy and performance have been reasonably good, you would expect at least some bits of Ukrainian critical infrastructure, some things like power grids, to be destroyed over the course of the campaign,” Kaushal said.

Andriy Yermak, a senior adviser to Zelenskyy, said Russia was seeking “to psychologically break Ukrainians, to make us wish the war ended no matter how.”

But Ukraine said it would not back down.

Kyiv has not officially claimed responsibility for the Crimea bridge attack, but Ukraine’s ambassador to Britain, Vadym Prystaiko, on Monday called the bridge a legitimate military target and said Kyiv’s forces would strike more sites of high military significance to Russia.

“We are not targeting Russian civilian infrastructure anywhere, especially beyond the Ukrainian official borders with Russia,” he told Times Radio. “But to achieve the victory, we will have to push further and further.”

Smith, the former ambassador, said Monday’s attacks were not “game-changing.” But he said Putin, faced with Ukrainian advances on the ground, had opened up “a new dimension” in the war.

“If Putin knows that deploying hundreds of thousands of his armed forces in Ukraine is going to be a dead loss because they are so poorly commanded and poorly equipped, then he is going to be looking for ways of visiting death and destruction on Ukraine from a greater distance,” Smith said — and that raises significant questions for Ukraine’s Western allies.

“The countries supporting Ukraine need to think about the ways they can help Ukraine defend itself against that,” Smith said.

___

London correspondent Jill Lawless has covered politics and international affairs for the Associated Press since 2000. ___

Follow the AP’s coverage of the war at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine

Share This Article
Twitter Email Copy Link Print
Previous Article Bono Reflects on Being Married to Ali Hewson for 40 Years Bono Reflects on Being Married to Ali Hewson for 40 Years
Next Article UPDATE 1-U.N. refugee boss warns of ‘severe cuts’ without immediate new funding UPDATE 1-U.N. refugee boss warns of ‘severe cuts’ without immediate new funding

Your Trusted Source for Accurate and Timely Updates!

Our commitment to accuracy, impartiality, and delivering breaking news as it happens has earned us the trust of a vast audience. Stay ahead with real-time updates on the latest events, trends.
FacebookLike
TwitterFollow
InstagramFollow
LinkedInFollow
MediumFollow
QuoraFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad image

Popular Posts

Warriors Reportedly Are Not Wanting To Commerce 1 Younger Participant

(Photograph by Ezra Shaw/Getty Pictures)   The Golden State Warriors have gone by loads of…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Menendez Brothers’ Thanksgiving Consists of Grub, Soccer and Worship Service

The Menendez brothers are going to spend not less than yet one more Thanksgiving behind…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Japanese, Vietnamese leaders reject use of force in Ukraine

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida discussed the war in Ukraine with…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

Author Salman Rushdie attacked on lecture stage in New York

CHAUTAUQUA, N.Y. (AP) — Salman Rushdie, the author whose writing led to death threats from…

By Enspirers | Editorial Board

You Might Also Like

Israel’s air would possibly and Iran’s nuclear bunkers could make for prolonged battle
World

Israel’s air would possibly and Iran’s nuclear bunkers could make for prolonged battle

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
Israel’s air would possibly and Iran’s nuclear bunkers could make for prolonged battle
World

Fears of full-scale conflict as Israel says assault on Iran is ‘just the beginning’

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
‘The sky is red and we fear more attacks’: Iranians left surprised by Israeli strikes
World

‘The sky is red and we fear more attacks’: Iranians left surprised by Israeli strikes

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
‘The sky is red and we fear more attacks’: Iranians left surprised by Israeli strikes
World

UK authorities says it gave no army assist for Israel’s assault on Iran

By Enspirers | Editorial Board
America Age
Facebook Twitter Youtube

About US


America Age: Your instant connection to breaking stories and live updates. Stay informed with our real-time coverage across politics, tech, entertainment, and more. Your reliable source for 24/7 news.

Company
  • About Us
  • Newsroom Policies & Standards
  • Diversity & Inclusion
  • Careers
  • Media & Community Relations
  • WP Creative Group
  • Accessibility Statement
Contact Us
  • Contact Us
  • Contact Customer Care
  • Advertise
  • Licensing & Syndication
  • Request a Correction
  • Contact the Newsroom
  • Send a News Tip
  • Report a Vulnerability
Terms of Use
  • Digital Products Terms of Sale
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Settings
  • Submissions & Discussion Policy
  • RSS Terms of Service
  • Ad Choices
© 2024 America Age. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?