After more than 80 rocket attacks on numerous major Ukrainian cities, Russian President Vladimir Putin has intensified the threats in the National Security Council. He described the attacks against numerous Ukrainian cities as a reaction to “terrorist attacks” against “Russian territory”, probably meaning Crimea, which was annexed in 2014. There was an explosion on the Crimean Bridge over the weekend. At the same time, he threatened Kyiv with an even tougher “response” if the “Ukrainian attacks” continued. Another level of escalation became apparent at the same time: Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that he wanted to form troops against Ukraine together with Russia.
“We have decided to set up a regional association of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus,” Lukashenko said, according to the Belarusian state news agency Belta, without giving any information about their location. The formation of the group on his orders began two days ago.
He accused Ukraine of preparing an attack on Belarus, which is why this decision has now been made. According to a report by the Russian news agency RIA, Lukashenko also accuses NATO and some European countries of preparing an attack on Belarus, including a nuclear attack.
Heavy attacks on cities
Previously, there had been rocket attacks across the country on major Ukrainian cities, including the capital Kyiv and the west of the country. The authorities reported several deaths and serious damage to infrastructure.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia aimed at Ukraine’s infrastructure, but also at maximum harm to the people. He activated several diplomatic channels, a special G-7 meeting was announced. The West was appalled.
Videos documented the heavy attacks. In recordings from Kyiv, clouds of smoke could be seen kilometers high, and a fireball was also reported in the sky. Eyewitnesses spoke of several impacts, according to Ukraine, a playground was also hit. Several dead and injured have been confirmed. Kyiv has not been attacked for months. In the far western city of Lviv, the power supply is interrupted.
Revenge for Crimean Bridge
Earlier, Deputy Chief of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev threatened Ukraine with retaliation for the explosion on the Crimean bridge, which is strategic for Russia, on Saturday. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin spoke yesterday of a “terrorist attack” on the bridge and – like the media in Kyiv – blamed the Ukrainian secret service SBU. However, the SBU has not confirmed an involvement.
How far away is peace?
Russia recently responded to Ukraine’s successful offensive in the east of the country with partial mobilization. However, military experts question whether this will quickly have military consequences. How will the war develop in the coming weeks and then in the winter? What are the consequences of partial mobilization for the mood in Russia? How far off is peace?
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