Russian missile strikes: What may change after talks, expert warns of dangerous scenario

On December 29, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met U.S. President Donald Trump, Russia threatened Ukraine with a new air strike.

This was reported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He said that government buildings could be targeted.

The threat followed a series of statements by Russian officials alleging that Ukraine had carried out a drone attack on the residence of Russian leader Vladimir Putin and that a Russian strike would therefore be “inevitable.” Ukraine has rejected the claim.

For example, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that “Russia has determined the targets for strikes and the time of their use.” Shortly afterwards, Russian lawmaker Andrei Kolesnik said that “the massive strike will be severe.”

What Russia’s strikes on Ukraine may look like in the near future was discussed in a comment to TSN.ua  by former spokesperson of the Ukrainian General Staff, Vladyslav Selezniov.

“I think Russia sees attacks on Ukrainian territory as a supplementary tool to pressure Ukraine and its partners. Note that whenever major negotiations are planned, or talks at a level that could radically alter the battlefield situation, the enemy turns to such provocations,” Selezniov said.

He continued: “Missile-and-drone terror brings Russia tangible gains. By destroying our energy infrastructure, Russia gains additional arguments — essentially saying: look, if you do not make concessions, if you do not accept Russia’s capitulation demands, Russia will continue to destroy, kill and wipe out everything Ukrainian, everything that is alive.”

Therefore, in Selezniov’s view, it is obvious that Russian missile-and-drone attacks will continue.

“And by a strange coincidence, U.S. leader Trump believes that the logic of such actions by Russia and Putin personally is adequate. That until a peace agreement is concluded, Putin must exert such pressure. In my view, this is an absolutely false position. I believe it requires, among other things, for an assessment of the U.S. president’s state of health. Unpunished evil multiplies exponentially. If that unpunished evil is Vladimir Putin, we will face greater problems,” the former General Staff spokesman said.

Russia has stockpiled missiles as the war in Ukraine continues, and the next strike could come within days, the expert said.

“The enemy has enough resources and there is no effective way to counter this. There is no clear or tough stance from the UN or NATO. The massive attack on Ukraine on December 27 may be repeated. After every strike, the enemy carries out reconnaissance, assesses the impact and plans subsequent attacks. Another round of talks in the United States is scheduled for January 4, and it is quite possible that another attack could happen beforehand. Even without those talks, the enemy would still be accumulating resources,” Selezniov said.

War in Ukraine: Russia has stockpiled missiles

In the expert’s view, the next attack on Ukraine could come within the next few days.

“The enemy has enough resources and there is no effective response to this. There is no clear or firm stance from the UN or NATO. The massive attack on Ukraine on December 27 may be repeated. After every strike, the enemy carries out reconnaissance, assesses the results of its attacks and plans subsequent ones. Another round of talks in the United States is scheduled for January 4, and it is quite possible that another attack could happen beforehand. Even if those talks were not taking place, the enemy would still be stockpiling resources,” Selezniov said.