Russian drones hit Kyiv in Moscow's latest strikes on Ukraine's capital that have added to fears that President Vladimir Putin has started a combined missile and drone campaign ahead of winter to force Ukraine's government to capitulate. One drone hit a school in the capital's Solomianskyi district on Thursday, sparking a fire and causing damage. Children and teachers were in a bomb shelter at the time and no one was hurt.
Hours later, two Russian drones struck near the supports of Kyiv's Southern Bridge, disrupting a metro link between the city's eastern and western banks. The incidents come on the heels of a massive, combined drone and missile strike that mostly targeted energy infrastructure in Kyiv ahead of what Ukraine’s economy minister Oleksandr Kravchenko said could be the harshest winter of the war that began with the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. Mark Galeotti, host of the podcast In Moscow's Shadows, told Newsweek that a long-range campaign by Russia is likely intended to shatter what is left of the Ukrainian economy.
"Not only does that put the pressure on Ukraine—it also puts the pressure on Europe because everything that gets destroyed, ultimately it's going to be Europe that has to rebuild," he said. Newsweek has contacted the Kremlin for comment. Kyiv has faced continuous attacks this week from Russia, often with faster jet-powered drones that are difficult for Ukrainian air defenses to intercept.
An air raid alert in Kyiv on Wednesday lasted nearly 13 hours—one of the longest since the start of the war. Attacks across Ukraine overnight Wednesday killed at least six people and injured 38, according to Ukrainian officials. Ukrainian Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi said Russia had conducted the largest combined strike package on energy infrastructure since early April, at the end of the last heating season.
The Ukrainian monitoring Telegram channel eRadar said Moscow intends to step up strikes on electricity generation and transmission facilities. The aim would be to disconnect nuclear power plants from the grid, cut off Kyiv from external power supplies, and destroy energy infrastructure in the industrial east, it said. However, Ukraine has reported battlefield success with its counteroffensive, codenamed "Operation Vivaldi." Third Army Corps commander Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky has said his troops made gains in the Lyman direction in Donetsk oblast, thwarting Russia's attempts to encircle the "Fortress Belt," which includes cities Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, that are critical to Putin's intentions of capturing the Donbas region.
As Russia faces negligible frontline gains, Russian military blogger Rybar has posted that Putin has turned to a long-range combined ballistic missile and jet-powered drone campaign to force Ukraine to surrender over the winter. This jibes with analysis from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) that Putin is looking to take advantage of strikes before Ukraine can come up with ways to counter the faster drones. Putin is also likely to be trying to demoralize the Ukrainian population and force surrender before meaningful peace negotiations, the think tank said.
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