Russia on Monday launched one of its largest barrages of missile strikes in Ukraine in its first major coordinated attack on Ukrainian energy and communication infrastructure across the country, marking a significant escalation of the war.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the missile strikes targeted the “energy, military command and communications facilities of Ukraine.” The missile barrage came after the truck bombing of the Kerch Bridge, which connects the Russian mainland to Crimea.
A day earlier, Putin called the Kerch Bridge bombing a Ukrainian “terror act” and Ukrainian sources confirmed to US media that Kyiv was responsible.
Monday’s strikes targeted nearly every region of Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, where missiles hit the city’s center. Other major cities that were targeted include Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, and Odessa.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said 11 key infrastructure facilities were damaged in eight separate regions including Kyiv, leaving parts of the country with no electricity, heat, water, or internet. So far, Ukrainian authorities have reported 11 people killed in the missile strikes.
Putin warned of a further escalation if Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure continue. “If attempts continue to carry out terror attacks on our territory, Russia’s responses will be tough and by their scope correspond to the level of threats created for the Russian Federation,” he said.
Monday’s missile strikes marked a new approach for Putin in his war as Russia had previously avoided wide-scale attacks on civilian infrastructure, which is a standard tactic for invasions carried out by the US military. For example, the initial phase of the 2003 invasion of Iraq started with a major bombing campaign against infrastructure, known as “shock and awe.”
The initial phase of Russia’s war did involve wide-scale missile strikes across Ukraine, but the targets were primarily military infrastructure. Russia had targeted energy infrastructure with strikes after Ukraine made gains in Kharkiv in September, but nowhere near the scale of Monday’s strikes.
The new phase of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine came after Russia appointed Gen. Sergei Surovikin as the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine on Saturday. Surovikin had previously led Russian forces in Syria.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that the missile barrage was a success and that it hit all targets. “The goal of the strike has been achieved. All designated targets were hit,” the ministry said.
In response, President Biden condemned the strikes and said the US would continue supporting Ukraine. “These attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. Alongside our allies and partners, we will continue to impose costs on Russia for its aggression,” he said.
I believe Putin has reached his “f*ck it” time. Gas pipeline blown up. Bridge connecting Crimea with Russia blown up. Kiev army crawling with special ops from the U.S., with U.S. targeting for Kiev. Not one iota of attempting detente by Washington. So yeah, “f*ck it”. The poor Ukraine citizens need to go after Z with pitchforks. All I hear from the ministry of propaganda that parades supposed journalism is Russia, Russia, Russia. I am telling ya, if Moscow is hit by anything and the hit was directed by U.S. forces, its on.
Not to mention the death of Darya Dugina, attacks on Crimea, the sinking of the Moskva made possible by US intelligence, billions in funds and equipment being sent to Kiev by NATO countries, etc.
and the poisonings of the Skripals and Navalny, shelling of the NPP and all the other minor state approved acts of terrorism.
Putin reached his “f*ck it” time back in February when he invaded.
And do you know who too reached that point? Ukraine.
The war is ON already.
Only the USA and UK want this war, both governments are a ship of fools, a bunch of deranged people, to put it mildly.
The war criminals reside in Washington DC and London, 2 dying empires. The UK went under a long time ago, they just can’t face it, now they jumped on the sinking American ship.
The EU and NATO lemmings are already in pieces, divide and conquer is the US slogan, the UK gains nothing by drowning with the US monster.
The only winners are the WAR PROFITEERS like Zelensky and co. they will be billionaires retiring in million $$$$ mansions on some island in the Pacific. It may be radioactive, but they would not know that.
West, West, West!!
Never mind Russia the one party who invaded Ukraine.
Russia was baited into invading by the West, West, West and they took that bait.
Poor little Vlad, he had no choice at all.
https://english.almayadeen.net/articles/analysis/the-curious-silence-surrounding-the-baltic-gas-bubbles
The Curious Silence Surrounding the Baltic Gas Bubbles. Alastair Crooke.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS LINK..!!!
About what I would have expected, given the relationship of US intelligence and the Ukrainian military. It’s a proxy war, not a dance, and the Russians are well aware of who is really targeting them.
US President (Biden) has called Russian strikes in Ukraine “BRUTAL”
What about US strikes in their illegal war on IRAQ? That was much more brutal and killed more people than Russia has done so far. Its amazing that the WEST is so good at spin they can make out that they were gentle and considerate whilst killing people thousands of miles from their own borders citing a threat to the American people which NEVER was.
Yes, the US has done all that so why don’t we call out everyone that behave like that as well (i.e. Russia).
Would you call out Russia too for that behavior? I’m pretty sure you won’t.
You ignore the sheer weight of illegal actions taken by the US over the course of more than a century, and because you do, I find your posts on the subject to be laughable.
TOTALLY DIFFERENT SITUATION. The Iraq War was by WMD LIES, Iraq was NO threat to the U.S.. NATO MISSILES ON UKRAINE BORDER WOULD BE EXITENTIAL THREAT TO RUSSIA. Russia offered negotiations to come to some peaceful rendering of the situation, but NATO’s Stoltenturd said NO !!!!!! Can NATO members say NO to NATO nukes on their border? Who’s finger is on the fire button at NATO…??? I as an Americac do not want any first strike by either US or Russia. I will do everything in my power NOT to pass a post apocalypse world on to our children…!!!!!!
Yes, your opinion.
Loaded with facts.
Because “we” here are mostly Americans. Once again, it doesn’t much matter that “Don” Julio is consistent in his criticism of US and Russian war tactics (even assuming that is true). Nor does it matter if Philadelphialawyer is either. What matters is that the USA itself, its government, its President, its State Dept, its War Department, etc, and its MSM, are grossly inconsistent. It is childishly foolish to pretend otherwise. Preening about your own consistency, as if anyone gives a good GD about the consistency (or not) of one pseudonymous internet commenter who calls himself “Don” Julio.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9c8de4239b191f9f81d8030b87af8151200f5c5ea9ae33b0b4ca4a3f880fec3c.jpg
“citing a threat to the American people which NEVER was”
And that threat was only a threat if Saddam had some way of hitting the US with those WMD’s. So, it was bullshit on top of bullshit and neither justified our invasion or made it legal. But what is sad, is that I would guess most people think we were justified if Saddam indeed did have WMD’s whether they were deliverable to the US or not. And I remember then that the country being invaded was the one that had the next “Hitler” and not the invader.
Oh, not just a “coordinated attack on Ukrainian energy and communication infrastructure”:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/10/missile-attacks-hit-cities-across-ukraine-what-we-know-so-far
Yes, WAR is HELL on earth. It takes TWO to make war. Lets hope that peace comes soon
No reason to think that those places were not hit by failed Ukranian counter battery fire. Also no reason whatsover for Russia to deliberately waste missiles targetting a minibus, park, or a pedestrian bridge.
ETA: Also, Neo Nazi regime itself is putting civlian casualties in the low double digits. If Russia intended to kill civilians, or even was merely negligent, the toll would be much, much higher. Basically, everything Russia does, even when it attacks military targets, is a “war crime.” While everything the Ukraine does, even when it attacks, for example, civilian journalists far from the front lines, is just A OK.
Some retired and not retired Russian generals, as well as many military experts, talked about the necessity of destruction of Ukranian energy system and railroads, since last February till now. For some reason, Putin was always postponing this. Even now, when Russia destroyed some of Ukrainian power stations and other important infrastructure objects, Putin said, it was just a response to Ukrainian terrorist activity inside Russia. So, after all, it looks, Putin doesn’t mind the unhindered delivery of NATO military equipment to the front over Ukrainian territory.
A reminder Russia could destroy the Ukrainian parliament and presidential residence if they liked.
Alexis Mercouris from the Duran, in today’s YouTube video made an interesting comment: The killing of the driver on the bridge must have taken at least a month to prepare. The truck drove around for a week.
So, possibly it was meant to cap Ukie advances that never came. “Imagine Crimea cut off by land and then the bridge cut off,” to hurt morale. Interesting.
Well, that didn’t happen. The Ukie advance, with EVERYTHING THEY HAVE, was stopped as soon as Russia had pulled back to the best defense lines. Every time they tried to engage Russia in battle, Russia withdrew and bombed them from afar.
So the strike under these circumstances, which didn’t even stop the railroad that military supplies are sent on, only worked in Russia’s favor. Mercouris also says that some surmise Russia had planned the strikes, at least for a POSSIBLE use of these strikes, and now they had a reason to use them. The lack of electricity greatly slows down Ukie troop movement, as their railroads mostly depend on electricity.
And five times as many Ukrainians are killed as Russians, as even British media admit, and more than 60% of their foreign tanks have been destroyed. They had at most 200, they have much less now.
Meanwhile Russia is gathering lots of new tanks in Crimea. Ukraine should have negotiated after recent advances, instead of going for yet another good-for-the-cameras act. But Zelensky is an actor, after all.
That post could have been much shorter: “A reminder I have a vivid imagination and chug my favorite team’s Kool Aid by the gallon.”
Ad hominem is not argument, a logical fallacy it’s the white flag of intellectual surrender; a sad reminder we graduate high schoolers at a rate of 20% functionally illiterate.
Which bodes worse for our civilization do you think: that we are destroying our future or that our present is being destroyed by a cretinous collective of hubristic third generation intellects lacking the critical faculties to deal with the crises their ill-gotten foreign and economic policies have created?
Yes, ad hominem is a logical fallacy when used in argument.
I wasn’t arguing with the poster. I was just insulting him. There’s a difference.
Now you are clutching at straws!!! “There’s a difference” Why don’t you tell us what the difference is, instead of stating it as it is a fact…???
The difference is that I wasn’t addressing any particular proposition and attempting to prove or disprove that proposition in a fallacious manner by insulting the guy. I was just insulting the guy, period.
Storm coming…
And this war could have bern shorter or not happen at all. But we human rights loving people, the great winners of WWII, enjoyed every bit of KIev Gestapo having a ball at the expense of ethnic Russians. And, psst, all Russian speaking Ukranians. And we pay their salaries. All the regiments with Nazi insignia, are having our wespons. All their higher ups are in Zelenski government. A spectacle only we can redefine as human rights living democracy. Theirvrecord of inhumanity and cruelty well documented. UN justvfokes them under “Other”.
So why so overtly abuse population? In hope Russia’s leaders cannot withstand internal pressure to do something.
So, all we wanted — materialized, The great Britisb obsessiom with Germany getting stronger — taken care off.
The famous Toyota ad. We asked for it — we got it.
You are right, the war shouldn’t have happened but your boy Putin made his decision.
PS. Wagner Nazis wear Nazi insignias too. Need proof?
Are you under the impression that all the people here who oppose your point of view are Putin supporters ? Have you ever looked at the header on this website? I believe it says antiwar. Do you know what being antiwar entails? Are you really this uninformed?
I have visited websites populated by supporters of Biden’s policies, and what I have seen has changed my mind about democrats. They are among the most bloodthirsty supporters of this proxy war I’ve encountered.
I’m downvoting you not because you hold a different opinion than I, but because you slip in comments implying that people who seek to maintain a balanced view which contains those real historical events which created the conditions for this war are Putin’s boys. You should apologize.
There wouldn’t have been a war at all if Russia had stayed where it was, but that seems to be commonly forgotten here.
There had been a war for eight years in the Donbas. The Russian invasion of Ukraine proper was an escalation (and based on a claim Ukrainian escalation) of that war, not a new war.
The 30 years prior and “not one inch eastward” seems to be forgotten also. So, let’s remember it all. If only everyone had stayed where they were.
Some of us are far less than surprised, very far.
Alexis Mercouris has been wrong so many times.
Didn’t he say that Ukraine could not regain territory and that the Kherson offensive would not work at all? Yes, he did say that.
Looks like “General Armageddon” had a successful first day on the job!
General Sergei Surovikin is not a “hearts and minds” Woke guy. He will wage a successful conflict then sort out the situation later. Just like Americas “shock and awe”!
The sooner Russia wins the sooner lives will be saved!
The sooner US negotiates with Russia the sooner this ends. A Russian “win” can only come at a staggering price in Ukrainian and Russian blood. A Ukrainian win means nuclear war. This conflict is a lose-lose for all humanity.
Biden – or whoever controls him – needs to be talking to Putin ASAP to hammer out a deal.
Too bad that the empire lets Ukraine get hammered, but their motive is to diminish Russia. If their motive changed to do what is best for Ukraine, the war could end tomorrow.
Better yet, the sooner Russia pulls his army out of Ukraine, the sooner the war will end.
No one invaded Russia. Russia invaded Ukraine.
The USA and the Kiev Neo Nazi entity started the war. That is no longer open to dispute. Run along now.
General Sergei Surovikin is not a “hearts and minds” Woke guy. He will wage a successful conflict then sort out the situation later. Just like Americas “shock and awe”!
Yes, just like our “shock and Awe”. Always something to strive for. But of course, our “woke” military is getting soft. Next thing you know we’ll be seeking peace talks. /s
Most wars are thus. They begin in optimism and pride then devolve into ugly, escalations of terror and brutality. WW1 is the best example…’Home by Christmas’ as both sides began with smiles and a knowing that the war would be over by ‘Christmas in the first year.
Ah, exactly the point needed: Russia’s war is now so depraved and involves willfully attacking civilians that it has sunk to the level of standard US military practice. Horrifying indeed.
Possibly the only time when negotiations had a chance to succeed while the war was on occurred when the early Russian land-attack on Kiev failed.
Did an attack actually materialize, or did “IT” stall out and reverse in retreat? & if so do you think there is a chance it was a tactical retreat? Or a faint perhaps…?????
Biden, the senile fool, and the vultures around him and in the UK will pick Ukraine to the bones, all because they love the Ukrainians just as they stab their allies in the backs out of love.
The bunch of deranged neocons have only a string of failures, everything they touched fell apart, they can’t win now.
They already broke the EU and NATO.
It might also be worth noting that the Kerch bridge re opened to train and car traffic the day after the attack. And that truck and bus traffic has either also already been restored or soon will be. The so called “collapse” of the bridge was of much the same overblown, over hyped, made for TV and social media, BS, Neo Nazi Kiev regime military “success,” as the sinking of a single ship, the Ghost of Kiev, the Snake Island defiance, the Kherson counteroffensive, and so on.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/d3168502a99e3e5aeb9517f56a08e530252ce7345e464ee0ca35bcb6892cd9dc.png
I laughed. I shouldn’t have had, but I did.
Me too. But seriously, always remember, Russia’s bombs are dumb and only target civilians and hospitals. Our bombs are “smart,” they target “ISIS leaders.” Even when they miss, they only kill “ISIS members.” All Russia knows to do is lose, except with Russiagate. Somehow they managed to defeat HRC. They pulled a win out of the arse of defeat. (s)
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“Revenge” is patently a “wrong word”. Putin is KGB. The KGB famously emphasized the cardinal sin of losing one’s cool in a fight. He would happily permit Zelinsky and his Nazi bro’s (Neocon, Zionist, Polish, lumpen German and Ukrainian) continuing posing for fashion foto shoots in their fools paradise. Nor would he value targeting civilian infrastructure. Achilles heel is digital communications/guidance principally drones, AWACs, and satellites. Neutralize that and you’ve blinded Polyphemus, a pitiful Pentagon giant with useless weapons.
I wonder how WW II might have gone had there been video of Churchill dancing around in spiked heels and leather, not that there’s anything wrong with that, but Wikipedia reported the strikes were prepared a week beforehand and used Iranian UAVs and since Wikipedia doesn’t have a comment section let me clear up that target lists are kept current and missiles maintained ready to launch and no, the Russians didn’t use Iranian UAVs no matter how much Israel wants to bomb Iran. Also we need to officially change the definition of terrorism to what the other side does. And, so … the ball’s in Biden’s court. Lose some more, or time for the Russians to “go nuclear”?