The past few weeks have witnessed dramatic shifts in the field of war between the Russian and Ukrainian forces, represented by the intensification of Western support for Kiev in exchange for tightening the noose on Moscow economically and logistically, targeting border cities, and penetrating the Russian depth.
According to the Russian researcher in foreign relations, Alexander Artamatov, Kyiv has adopted a strategy of targeting the Russian depth through several operations based on “intelligence information from the West to spy and carry out terrorist operations, such as what happened in the Crimean Bridge.”
Artamatov added: “At least 11 people were killed and 15 wounded at a training camp in southern Russia in Belgorod, when two attackers opened fire on a group of volunteers who wanted to fight in Ukraine, and Russian ammunition depots were also targeted.”
A few days ago, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, announced that Ukraine had bombed the village of Spodaryushino, and temporarily evacuated the residents of the villages of Bizimeno and Spodaryushino.
Later, Gladkov also reported the bombing of the village of Zhuravlevka, as a result, damage to residential buildings and facilities was recorded.
This is not the first attacks on Russian soil in recent times, as the bombing of a border checkpoint in the Kursk region has also been reported.
Before that, the governor of the Belgorod region announced damage to the railway tracks in the residential district of Chebekinsky, adjacent to the Kharkov region.
In a statement to “Sky News Arabia”, Artamatov believes that the aim of these abuses is:
- Ukrainian forces are trying to terrorize Russian citizens, because there are no military targets there, and there is no direct impact of such attacks.
- Exerting media and psychological pressure on the population of Russia. On the one hand, this is a provocation, and on the other hand, it is a slander, an attempt to show that the Russian forces cannot protect them and the authorities do not care about the population.
What’s Next?
In light of the response and the counter-response, the Polish politician and journalist Camille Gil Katy says that after the military success achieved by Ukraine on its territory, targeting the Russian interior itself to distract the focus of the military leadership and drain the state’s resources and strength has become a pivotal strategic direction in the map of the conflict.
In his statement to “Sky News Arabia”, Gil Katie expected Kyiv to continue targeting the Russian border and interior, in response to the destruction of Kyiv’s infrastructure, and the continued raids on the Ukrainian capital and surrounding cities, which have been largely away from the conflict for months.
Two days ago, Russia began evacuating civilians from the Kherson region in southern Ukraine as Ukrainian forces advanced.
Vladimir Saldo, the leader of the Kherson region, installed by Russia, called on civilians to evacuate following daily missile attacks by Ukrainian forces as they advanced.
He urged citizens to “save themselves” by going to Russia “for recreation and study”, asking for help from Moscow.
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