Putin’s Air-Terror Campaign Against Ukraine Is Already Failing
As plenty of militaries have learned — including NATO in Libya in 2011 — you can’t win a war without controlling the ground.
Keeping calm and carrying on in Kyiv.
Photographer: Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP/Getty Images
In the rapidly shifting Ukraine war, the growing failure of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ground game is causing him to seek asymmetrical responses. Most visibly, he is turning to what is essentially a terror-bombing campaign against the civilian population of Ukraine.
Much like the V2 blitzes Nazi Germany directed against British cities in World War II, these missile attacks will accomplish very little tactically. Instead, they will heighten the already enormous anger and resolve of the Ukrainians and likely cause US and European supporters to accelerate arms deliveries. These may include some weapons previously held back to avoid escalation between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.