Russia is using strikes on Kyiv to exploit the shortage of Patriot missiles and aims to distract attention from the Russian Federation's inability to protect its deep rear and from Russian failures on the battlefield, according to a new report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), UNN reports.
The Russian strikes on June 1-2 are part of a pattern of escalating Russian strikes on Kyiv aimed at exploiting the shortage of Patriot interceptors and distracting attention from Russia's inability to protect its deep rear from long-range Ukrainian strikes, as well as from its failures on the battlefield
As noted in the report, "the Kremlin attempted to provide several justifications to add a thin veil of legitimacy to its June 1-2 strikes." According to ISW, Kremlin leader "Vladimir Putin held a meeting on June 1 (on the eve of the start of the nightly Russian strikes) where he reportedly repeated claims that Ukraine's May 21-22 strike on the headquarters of the Russian 'Rubikon' advanced drone technology center in occupied Starobilsk, Luhansk region, hit an exclusively civilian target, calling for the Ukrainian authorities to be held responsible for the strike." "Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Putin issued orders to the Russian military in connection with the strike on Starobilsk following the June 1 meeting. On June 2, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that Russian forces conducted the June 1-2 strikes in response to the strike on Starobilsk and published a list of military and defense-industrial targets that Russian forces allegedly hit. However, the Russian strikes caused significant damage to civilian and critical infrastructure and resulted in a high number of civilian casualties," the ISW report says.
"The June 1-2 strikes are also part of an escalation of Russian strikes following a May 9-11 ceasefire agreement, which highlighted Russia's inability to protect its deep rear from Ukrainian strikes, as Putin was forced to ask Ukraine to refrain from strikes during the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow," the report notes.
It is also stated that "Putin and other Russian officials threatened to strike 'decision-making centers' in Kyiv if Ukraine conducted deep strikes during the ceasefire agreement, and Russia has since violated the spirit of the ceasefire agreement by constantly conducting strikes that disproportionately affect the civilian population in Kyiv." "Russian claims that recent strikes are a response to a single strike on occupied Starobilsk attempt to hide the fact that Russia would likely have conducted these strikes anyway. The Russian Ministry of Defense recently threatened a systematic series of strikes against Ukraine, as Russian ultranationalist milbloggers continue to express frustration over the lack of a significant response to Ukraine's deep strikes in the rear," the analysts point out.
It is noted that "Russia's use of cluster munitions and the conduct of double-tap missile strikes targeting first responders continues to demonstrate a Russian strike pattern aimed at causing maximum civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure."
"Putin is using massive strike packages against Kyiv in an attempt to break Ukraine's will to fight, as well as to hide his weakness, including his inability to protect Russian territory, including the Russian capital, from Ukraine's deep strikes. He is also trying to recover from the embarrassment of having to ask Ukraine for permission to hold even a significantly scaled-back Victory Day parade on May 9," the report says.