Putin’s Play for Time in the Ukraine War? On Thursday, Russia launched what has been described by CNN and other outlets as the second-largest barrage since the start of the war.
At least 23 people were killed, while buildings that belong to the European Union and the British Council were also struck. Both the EU and the UK withdrew their personnel from the Ukrainian capital as a result.
“Among those killed were children aged 2, 17 and 14, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. The vast majority of those killed – 22 – died in a strike on a five-storey building in the Darnytskyi district, according to emergency services,” CNN reported.
“Ukraine’s air force said that the Kremlin unleashed 629 air attack weapons on the country overnight, comprising 598 drones and 31 missiles.”
CNN also quoted Russia’s Defense Ministry as stating that they struck “military-industrial complex enterprises and military air bases in Ukraine.”
British Prime Minister Kier Starmer, per The Guardian, accused Russia of “sabotaging hopes of peace.”
“These Russian missiles and attack drones today are a clear response to everyone in the world who, for weeks and months, has been calling for a ceasefire and for real diplomacy,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared on social media. “Russia chooses ballistics instead of the negotiating table.”
Putin’s Strategy?
Why is the Russian president doing this, especially when it appeared in recent weeks that the corner might have turned towards the end of the war?
A Sky News analysis after the attacks looked at that question.
“So what’s going on? Why is Vladimir Putin doing it? Because he can,” Sky News said.
“The Russian president thinks he’s winning this war, and it’s hard to escape the conclusion that he’s using diplomacy to play for time while he carries on beating down the Ukrainians’ will to win.
And at the moment, no one is stopping him.”
The Sky piece added that Ukraine has been hitting Russia’s oil installations hard, although “analysts don’t expect it will be enough to persuade him to end this war.”
In addition, per Sky, the West is divided on exactly what to do at this point in the war.
“The West can wring its hands in condemnation. But it’s divided between Europe that wants a ceasefire and much more severe sanctions, and Donald Trump, who, it seems, does not – strangely always willing to sympathise with the Russians more than Ukraine.”
The attack came as the U.S. approved a package of over 3,000 missiles and other armaments for Ukraine, to be paid for by European allies.
“The State Department has made a determination approving a possible Foreign Military Sale to the Government of Ukraine of Air Delivered Munitions and related equipment for an estimated cost of $825 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency delivered the required certification notifying Congress,” the Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced. A Buffer Zone?
Meanwhile, as reported by Politico, European leaders are “weighing the creation” of a buffer zone between Russia and Ukraine’s front lines.
“The proposal, according to five European diplomats, is among several that military and civilian officials are considering for either a postwar or ceasefire scenario in Ukraine,” the Politico report said. “Officials disagree how deep the actual zone could be and it’s unclear Kyiv would accept the plan as it would likely come with territorial concessions. The U.S. does not appear to be involved in the buffer zone discussions.”
The Politico story does not use the phrase “demilitarized zone” or “DMZ” to describe the proposal, as that idea has been controversial in the past.
Some experts have thrown cold water on the proposal.
“They’re grasping for straws,” Jim Townsend, an Obama-era Pentagon official who oversaw NATO policy, told Politico. “The Russians are not afraid of the Europeans. And if they think that a couple of British and French observers are going to deter them from marching into Ukraine, then they’re wrong.”
About the Author: Stephen Silver
Stephen Silver is an award-winning journalist, essayist, and film critic, and contributor to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Broad Street Review, and Splice Today. The co-founder of the Philadelphia Film Critics Circle, Stephen lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons. For over a decade, Stephen has authored thousands of articles that focus on politics, national security, technology, and the economy. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) at @StephenSilver, and subscribe to his Substack newsletter.
More Military
F-20 Tigershark: The Best Fighter Jet You Never Heard Of
