The Institute for the Study of War said that Russia’s strikes on more than 20 Ukrainian cities could backfire and «deprive Putin of options.»
Russia’s campaign of airstrikes on Ukrainian cities early Monday could leave Russian President Vladimir Putin out of options due to a depletion of weapons, according to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank.
Russian missile and drone attacks hit more than 20 cities in Ukraine, killing at least 14 people, injuring nearly 100 others and damaging critical infrastructure in many areas. The attacks followed a massive explosion on Saturday that damaged the Kerch Strait Bridge, which connects Russia to the annexed Crimean peninsula and acts as a key supply line for the Russian military. While Ukraine has not taken responsibility, Putin has said that the airstrikes were in retaliation for the apparent attack on the bridge.
A Monday ISW assessment of the Russian offensive suggested that the retaliatory strikes could represent a new miscalculation for Putin. The report argues that the Russian military «wasted» vital weapons on civilian targets instead of using them on more strategically important military targets, potentially leaving them without the tools they need to defend against Ukraine’s ongoing southern and eastern counteroffensives.
