Putin’s Hand of Revenge Grabs Civilians
Putin’s hand of revenge grabs civilians as bombs fall on Kyiv, Lviv, and other Ukrainian cities in retaliation for the Kerch Bridge explosion. A barrage of missiles rained down on the cities of Kyiv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Dnipro, and Odesa on the morning of October 10.
Drone bombings targeted civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, and children’s playgrounds during the busiest hours of the day, forcing people to seek refuge in shelters and metro stations. The air raid alert lasted over five hours nationwide, resulting in at least ten deaths and sixty injuries, according to Ukraine Pravda.
This was Russian President Vladimir Putin’s response to the explosion two days ago on the Kerch Bridge, which connects Crimea to Russia. In a televised address last night, the Russian president pointed the finger of blame at Ukraine’s secret intelligence services, accusing Kyiv of a terrorist attack aimed at destroying Russia’s vital infrastructure.
Following this, the president appointed General Sergey Surovikin as the new commander of military operations in Ukraine. Surovikin, known as the Butcher of Aleppo, led Russia’s military campaign in Syria in 2017 to support Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said today’s attacks on Ukraine are just the first part of the retribution and called for the complete dismantling of Ukraine’s political power. After the Moscow Security Council meeting, he wrote on Telegram, ‘The first attack has been carried out; more attacks are on the way.’
Why Kerch is Vital
The Kerch Bridge, constructed after the military occupation and illegal annexation of Crimea to Russia in 2014 and inaugurated by Putin in 2018, is a strategic infrastructure for Moscow’s war against Ukraine. This 15-kilometer bridge is the only land route connecting Crimea to Russian soil, through which supplies and troops are sent to the southern front.
This bridge, a symbolic work of the Putin regime, which the president referred to as an engineering miracle, played a crucial role in Russia’s rapid advance in southern Ukraine at the start of the invasion. According to Moscow, following this explosion, which no one has yet confirmed, a road collapsed and part of the railway was partially damaged, allegedly caused by a bomb-laden truck that came from Russia.
The Russians are trying to downplay the explosion and its damages, emphasizing that traffic on one of the two roads has been restored. However, this explosion, which resulted in three deaths, is more of a blow to Moscow’s prestige, especially considering its timing, the day after Putin’s seventieth birthday and during days when Ukrainian advances have seriously troubled Russian invaders.
Escalation of Conflicts
In Kherson, the capital of one of the southern regions annexed to Russia through ridiculous referendums, Ukrainian forces continue their advance. Russia failed to stabilize the front line, and for weeks, numerous criticisms have leaked on social media against military leaders held responsible for the failures, and now there are criticisms against Putin and the Kremlin’s inability to deal with defeats on the battlefield.
According to observations by analysts at the Institute for the Study of War, there are unprecedented criticisms from military bloggers and Russian nationalists who continue to fully support Putin’s goals in Ukraine, attributing the failures to Russian military commanders or the Ministry of Defense.
Alexander Lukashenko
Recently, we witnessed Alexander Lukashenko, the President of Belarus, expressing his readiness to assist the Kremlin leader and announcing the establishment of a joint military command with Moscow, a decision taken after warnings to Minsk officials about a potential Kyiv attack on Belarus, according to Lukashenko.
This claim quickly prompted a reaction from the European Union, with Peter Stano, the EU’s foreign action spokesperson, calling the allegations of a potential Ukrainian attack on Minsk false and baseless, urging Belarus to refrain from any interference.
China Calls for Dialogue
Recent events have prompted China to react, calling for an immediate de-escalation. Mao Ning, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that Beijing always supports respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries and the legitimate security concerns that must be taken seriously. He added that they hope the situation calms down as soon as possible and that all parties resolve their differences through dialogue.
The spokesperson for India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also announced that New Delhi supports any efforts to reduce tension. Additionally, Moscow spoke of the possibility of talks with the US, France, Germany, and the UK, with Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, stating that a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan might take place in Astana.
Peskov, according to a RIA Novosti report, did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Astana, following Ankara’s proposal for negotiations between Moscow and the West regarding Ukraine. This would be the fourth meeting between the two presidents in four months. Erdoğan, regarding a potential meeting with Zelensky, said Turkey is in talks with all parties and that a fair peace has no losers. He added that even the worst peace is better than war.
Nuclear Attack
After the attack on the Kerch Bridge, those who believed that a nuclear escalation by Russia was possible spoke of the worst-case scenario and were fearful. However, with the October 10 attack, the Kremlin demonstrated that it could harm Ukraine even without using nuclear weapons. The attack on civilian targets and cities, especially Kyiv, which had relatively been spared from attacks, proves this. However, this does not mean that the possibility of a future nuclear attack should be dismissed.
Particularly concerning is Putin’s emphasis on Kyiv’s nuclear terrorism in his recent Security Council speech. Kyiv is accused of attacking the Kursk nuclear power plants, in addition to Zaporizhzhia, on three occasions. Such attacks fall under the classification of threats to vital security interests, which, according to Russia’s 2020 doctrine, justify the use of nuclear weapons.
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