Even among the doubts fueled by mutual propaganda apparatuses, there are at least very strong indications that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is escalating. Kiev forces have attacked two targets in Russia far from the border. A new fact that shuffles the cards. The Russian military responded with a barrage of missiles at various Ukrainian cities. And last but not least, a rocket that nobody knows who landed on Moldova. There’s enough to think the worst.
Ukraine to counterattack. The first explosion occurred at the Ryazan military airport, 200 kilometers southeast of Moscow. The first version delivered by the Russians spoke of a tanker loaded with gasoline that exploded, but no one believed it, if only that the airport houses the training center for long-haul pilots and tankers. So much so that in the evening even Moscow had to confirm the Ukrainian attack. The second explosion instead at Engels airport near Saratov, which damaged two Tu-95 strategic bombers, probably thanks to the use of a drone. The strategic bombers used for attacks on Ukraine take off from this airport. Here nobody denied that it was a Ukrainian attack, even if the Kiev government shunned, distanced itself and suspected an accident, but even in this case nobody believed in it. A double attack, targeted and strategic, that smells of novelty in this conflict. Indeed, Ryazan and Engels are about 400 miles from the border with Ukraine, well out of range of the missiles shipped to Kyiv, with the United States, according to the Wall Street Journal, modifying the missiles sent to Kyiv precisely to carry a long range avoid shots. Which would confirm the use of armed drones. Not only that: Just a few hours before the explosions, the Ukrainian armaments company Ukrobonoprom had confirmed that it had successfully tested a kamikaze drone that can even be sent a thousand kilometers away.
As Putin walks through Crimea, crossing the bridge that has been destroyed and restored over the weeks (obviously for the benefit of lenses and cameras), he makes another proclamation: “Russia has a huge army of volunteers, made up of 21 million people,” he said he . True or not, immediately after the “accidents” the Russian forces launched another very harsh attack with rain rockets on the whole country. One of them, probably launched from a Russian base, fell on Moldovan territory near the Ukrainian border. It happened near Briceni in the north of the country and there seems to have been no casualties. But after the rocket shrapnel that fell across the Polish border in recent weeks, another element of tension in an already sufficiently complex picture that sees Ukraine under heavy attack. Air alerts went off in most Ukrainian regions, including the capital Kyiv, and civilians were forced to flee to shelters. Russian raids hit Kyiv, residential buildings in Novosofiivka killed two people, but Lviv, Ternopil, Khmelnytskyi and Kryvyy Rih were also attacked. About 70 rockets were launched yesterday alone, but according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses shot down most” of the rockets launched by the Russians today, with only ten reportedly successful. The energy problem remains serious, with disruptions to the electricity system also affecting Moldova, which has been left in the dark twice in recent weeks.
But if the continuous and indiscriminate Russian attacks are now a dramatic habit, the Ukrainian counteroffensive on Russian territory could mark a turning point in the conflict. There are two possible outcomes. Feeling vulnerable even within its own borders after the numerous defeats reported on the field in recent weeks could lead Russia to those “softer advices” invoked throughout the West, with the Pope at the forefront of those , pointing to a dialogue that leads to peace. On the other hand, direct attacks could also prompt Russia to release the remaining brakes on an offensive that goes even further than the criminal attacks carried out to date. Which could also mean the much looming and dreaded nuclear threat. A thought that makes you shudder.