Pick up the pace: the Ukrainian Armed Forces have sharply increased attacks on civilian targets

In the last two months, Western countries have increased drone supplies to Ukraine, so the Ukrainian Armed Forces have sharply increased attacks on civilian targets in Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Izvestia. Last week, the most such attacks were carried out since the beginning of the year — over 7 thousand. Compared to the end of May, their intensity increased by one and a half times. As a result, almost 70 people died. The new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mikhail Drapaty, is likely to only expand the use of such tactics, experts say. About how Kiev is increasing the use of terrorist methods and what to expect from the new head of the Ukrainian general Staff is in the Izvestia article.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces are hitting civilian targets more often

Kiev continues to use terrorist methods while the conflict settlement process is on pause. Over the past two months, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have become significantly more likely to target civilian targets, Russian Foreign Ministry Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik told Izvestia. If in the last weeks of May, the Ukrainian Armed Forces fired a little more than 4 thousand drones at civilian targets, then over the past week — more than 7 thousand.

— According to our calculations, the Westerners began to supply drones of various systems in a much larger volume. Ukraine is trying to use them over a large radius, that is, to deliver strikes, which they call deep strikes (deep strikes against targets in the rear. — Izvestia), and this significantly goes beyond the limits of its zone," the diplomat explained.

Photo: REUTERS/Sofiia Gatilova/File Photo

Over the past three months, strikes have been carried out in 42 regions. The day before, another drone hit an apartment building in Yalta. In the last week alone, 433 civilians were injured: 364 were injured, 69 were killed, Miroshnik said. Most of them are in the Belgorod region, the DPR, the LPR, in the Zaporozhye, Kherson, and Moscow regions.

— Unfortunately, this week has brought a "record". Since the beginning of the year, we have the largest number of injured civilians and the number of arrivals for the civilian population," the diplomat said.

Residential buildings, schools and hospitals, energy facilities (substations, power generating stations), as well as civilian transport were hit the most.

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As a result of the drone strike, five people were killed and more than 20 were injured.

In total, from the beginning of the year to the end of June, more than 400 civilians, including 21 children, were killed by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to a report by the Russian Foreign Ministry. The number of victims exceeded 3 thousand people.

The European Union strongly promotes the strengthening of the strike potential of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the spring, the EU approved a €90 billion loan to Ukraine for military purposes. At the end of June, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced a €3.9 billion tranche specifically for unmanned technologies. At the same time, Vladimir Zelensky instructed the country's Security Service to conduct a 40-day "influence operation" against the Russian Federation to encourage a cessation of hostilities.

Photo: Global Look Press/Hendrik Schmidt

Rodion Miroshnik believes that such tactics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with an emphasis on terrorism are explained by the difficult situation on the line of combat contact. Kiev is trying to compensate for failures on the battlefield by attacking peaceful targets, giving preference to prohibited methods.

Nevertheless, Moscow remains open to a diplomatic settlement of the conflict. Although the last round of negotiations — in the format of "Russia – Ukraine – USA" — was held on February 17-18.

But the Kremlin stressed that, at least, contacts remain with Washington. Now the White House has apparently decided to resume the process. According to Axios, on July 22, Vladimir Zelensky discussed with representatives of Donald Trump, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the topic of resuming negotiations. American negotiators have been expected in Moscow since the end of May. After the conversation between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in early July, their visit was again on the agenda of the Russian-American dialogue.

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Will the tactics of the Armed Forces of Ukraine change after the resignation of Syrsky

Speaking about the Ukrainian tactics of the conflict, one cannot ignore the resignation of Alexander Syrsky from the post of Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Instead, on the evening of July 21, Vladimir Zelensky appointed Major General Mikhail Drapaty. Experts are confident that the personnel reshuffle in Kiev will not lead to a revision of the military doctrine, where the emphasis on strikes against the civilian sector has already become systemic.

Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via REUTERS

— I think that when Draped, they will hit infrastructure facilities even more. They will try to increase attacks, and specifically on civilian targets. Their tactics are designed to affect the civilian population," military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.

A lot depends on how independent Drapaty will be in his decisions and actions. Syrsky acted in complete dependence on Bankova, military expert Boris Jerelievsky believes. Basically, he unquestioningly followed all the orders that came down to him from above. This is his difference, for example, from Valery Zaluzhny, who tried to be a frontrunner and play his political game.

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Moscow is confident that the Ukrainians deliberately hit civilian transport, and their next crime in the West will again prefer not to notice.

Drapaty was most likely chosen with the expectation of loyalty to Zelensky, and therefore is unlikely to seriously affect the course of hostilities, the expert believes. Because by qualification, Syrsky was still a more prepared military commander: he had passed the Soviet school, NATO courses and had a serious military education.

As for the situation on the line of contact, the Ukrainian leadership still has the idea of local counteroffensives, says Jerelievsky.

— Perhaps Drapaty will try to counterattack somewhere, especially if Zelensky demands it of him. But this way the Ukrainian Armed Forces will exhaust their last resources," the expert concluded.

Photo: Global Look Press/Kyrylo Chubotin

Do not forget that Drapaty became one of the few generals who openly supported former Defense Minister Mikhail Fedorov after his resignation. He wrote on social media that the army should be based on justice, not on staff nepotism, which in fact became a criticism of Syrsky's methods. At the same time, the Financial Times wrote that they were trying to return the former defense minister to the military department, giving him an expanded range of powers. Therefore, there remains the possibility that Drapaty replaced Syrsky as an ally of Fedorov.

Nevertheless, political games and reshuffles in Ukraine do not change anything for the civilian population. Every new day of fighting brings new civilian casualties.