Recent Strikes Show Russia Has Shifted Missile Tactics, Deliberately Targeting Civilians

Russia is altering its missile strike tactics against Ukraine and may escalate further, stated Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the President's Office, in a comment to RBK-Ukraine.

Podolyak noted that Russia has the capability to target the entire territory of Ukraine, regardless of the location of social, civilian, military, or critical infrastructure objects.

"In other words, Russia has enough missiles to hit anywhere in Ukraine. The issue is that no matter how much you report potential attacks or ballistic missile directions, whether it’s Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Poltava, or Kharkiv, the time frame is measured in seconds, not minutes. It’s about a minute and a half, two minutes, and so on. This can only be prevented by completing our missile defense system, a comprehensive system, especially in the eastern and southeastern regions," Podolyak said.

He added that to protect against ballistic missiles, air defense needs to be based on Patriot or NASAMS systems, which are effective against this type of missile.

According to Podolyak, with these systems, the interception rate could be increased to 90-95%.

"We are seeing a change in Russia's missile tactics. They no longer disguise their actions. They strike at city centers, educational institutions, and medical facilities. This has been evident in Poltava, Lviv, Sumy," he added.

Podolyak emphasized that Russia deliberately targets densely populated areas, city centers, and social facilities to induce shock among the population.

"Therefore, today we must acknowledge that, unfortunately, Russia will escalate its aggression in relation to international law and the civilian population of Ukraine, as there are no other tools available to Russia to influence the situation," Podolyak concluded.