Russian-Ukrainian attacks reciprocating, Moscow works to establish buffer zone

Ukraine's air force said on Thursday that Russia had launched a large-scale offensive, firing 656 drones and 73 missiles at major cities including Kyiv, Dnipro and Kharkiv overnight.

The Ukrainian source pointed out that the Russian attack resulted in the death of 9 people and the wounding of more than 60 people.

The attack followed a previous wave of strikes last week that claimed the lives of 23 people, and as part of an intense bombing strategy during which   Moscow recorded a record jump last May with the launch of more than 8,500 long-range drones and about 211 missiles, including the "Urshnik" ballistic type.

On the other hand, Kyiv's forces continue to target areas in southwestern Russia and Crimea on an almost daily basis with drones and missiles.

Crimean governor Sergei Aksyonov said one person was killed and three others were injured when a suburban train heading from Azovskoye to Kerch was targeted.

In addition, Russian sources indicated that Russian President Vladimir Putin, in the context of the new Ukrainian escalation, insists on the issue of expanding the scope of the military operation.

Putin said, as quoted by Russian media: The goal of the expansion is to create a buffer zone that keeps Western weapons and missiles away from Russian depth.

Russian drone production jumps

In an interview with the Kommersant newspaper, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov revealed an unprecedented military-industrial boom to counter this attrition in the context of the Ukraine war.

Manturov stressed that Russian domestic institutions are now able to supply and supply the frontlines with more than 15,000 pieces of FPVs and mobile munitions per day, which is equivalent to what was produced for a whole month during 2023, stressing that drones have turned from a means of reconnaissance assistance to an independent strike force on which government defense orders depend.

Callas: Panic in the Kremlin

Politically,  the European Union's foreign policy chief Kaya Kallas said that the recent strikes carried out by Ukrainian drones inside Russian territory, especially those targeting the city of St. Petersburg in conjunction with the opening of an economic forum yesterday, clearly revealed a state of "panic" in the corridors of the Kremlin in the face of increasing military pressure.

In an interview with AFP, Kallas explained that this Russian "panic" explains the current intensification of missile attacks by Moscow because it does not know how to deal with Ukrainian intrusions.

The European official, who is facing prosecutions in Russia, said President Vladimir Putin was "losing money and men" and choosing to intimidate because he was in a weak position on the battlefield, warning that the recent internet blackouts inside Russia were aimed at preventing the population from realizing the truth about what was going on.

Continued Atlantic support and heavy casualties

 NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte   confirmed in a joint press conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky following the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting in Kyiv that the United States continues to supply Ukraine's defense system with Patriot missiles of the PAC-2 and PAC-3 models on a daily and weekly basis, despite the US administration's preoccupation with the escalating regional crises in the Middle East.

Rutte stressed that the Russian military appears "more desperate" on the battlefield with its human losses exceeding the 30,000 troop mark per month, a monthly rate higher than the Soviet Union's total losses for a full decade of its war in Afghanistan, and reiterated the alliance's condemnation of Russian aggression and the continued comprehensive military and political support of the 32 member states to push Moscow to the negotiating table.

Diplomatic Path Blocked

These successive developments on the ground come at a complete impasse in the course of strategic negotiations launched by the United States last year.

Kalas accusedthe Russian side of not showing any real desire to negotiate and making demands without making any concessions or taking a step back.

This escalation coincides with discussions by the European Union to approve the 21st package of sanctions against Moscow since the outbreak of the war in February 2022, which aims to cripple military industries and financial institutions to prevent capital raising, as well as seeking to keep Russian oil revenues at the lowest possible level.