[Microwind] Putin's walking is beautiful, not dull, while the U.S. government shut down, airstrikes on Ukraine Kiev overnight, Ukraine is blind, Zelensky said, this time the Russian army faced massive airstrikes on Ukraine, used the head of high-speed hypersonic missiles to be airstrikes in many regions.
At three o’clock in the morning in Kiev, the night sky was torn apart by a sharp air defense alarm, followed by intense explosions in different parts of the city.
Ukraine President Zelensky later confirmed that the Russian military used a variety of weapons, including the Dagger hypersonic missile, to strike multiple regions in Ukraine.
The timing of this action coincided with the partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government due to budget problems. This detail quickly became the focus of external interpretation of the incident.
The Russian airstrike demonstrated a sophisticated tactical design. In the sequence of the attack, hundreds of suicide drones were the first to take off to the Ukrainian air defense network in a dense squadron. These relatively inexpensive drones formed a lot of light on the radar screen, and one of their core tactical purposes was to force the Ukrainian army to consume millions of dollars in high-end interceptors such as "patriots".
This consumption strategy of "expanding with small amounts" aims to gradually weaken Ukraine's most precious air defense resources. Immediately afterwards, the Russian military launched dozens of missiles, including the Dagger hypersonic missile.
With its flight speed of more than Mach 10 and powerful maneuverability, the "Dagger" missile has become a "sharp knife" that breaks through the air defense network and is specially designed to attack high-value targets that are closely protected. This combination of drones and missiles has both quantitative saturation and qualitative penetration, forming a well-defined attack system.
The target selection of air strikes also revealed clear strategic intentions. According to information released by Ukraine officials, the government building in central Kiev was hit directly in the attack. This was the first time that the building had been hit in this way since the outbreak of the conflict. The symbolism goes far beyond the physical damage itself. In addition, Ukraine's energy facilities and military enterprises have also become key targets.
Large-scale power outages occurred in Kiev and surrounding areas after the air strikes, and subways were suspended. Some hospitals had to rely on backup power for emergency work. This attack on infrastructure is intended to weaken Ukraine's war potential.
Analysts pointed out that the reduction in power supply would directly affect the production of ammunition and the speed of repair of front-line equipment, the effect of which is no less than launching an offensive on the frontline.
The considerations behind choosing to launch an air strike of this scale at a node where the U.S. government is partially closed are intriguing. Although Ukraine emphasized that U.S. military assistance has not been interrupted, Russia's move seems to focus more on psychological games. During the shutdown of the U.S. government, the staff of many agencies responsible for coordinating aid to Ukraine was reduced, and decision-making efficiency was inevitably affected.
Through this action, Russia sent a signal to the outside world: Western support is not indestructible, and its internal political disputes may become the "weakness" of its commitments. The psychological impact of this attack on the West's "reliability" may be more profound than the military strike itself and is intended to shake the confidence of Ukraine and its allies.
In the face of the fierce Russian offensive, Ukraine also launched retaliatory actions. The Ukrainian army used drones to attack the Irsky refinery in Russia and the dispatch station of the Druzhba oil pipeline. These goals are directly related to Russia's energy economy and military fuel supply.
Continued drone strikes have reportedly crippled about 17% of Russia's refining capacity. This mutual attack mode of "you fight my energy, I fight your refinery" shows that the conflict has spread from the traditional battlefield confrontation to the deeper economic and logistical fields. Both sides are trying to find each other's weaknesses and weaken each other's sustained combat capabilities by striking asymmetric targets.
This large-scale air strike was not only an isolated military operation, but also a microcosm of the new stage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It combines multiple elements such as hypersonic weapons, drone fleet operations, psychological warfare and logistics warfare, showing the complex form of modern warfare.
At three o’clock in the morning in Kiev, the night sky was torn apart by a sharp air defense alarm, followed by intense explosions in different parts of the city.
Ukraine President Zelensky later confirmed that the Russian military used a variety of weapons, including the Dagger hypersonic missile, to strike multiple regions in Ukraine.
The timing of this action coincided with the partial shutdown of the U.S. federal government due to budget problems. This detail quickly became the focus of external interpretation of the incident.
The Russian airstrike demonstrated a sophisticated tactical design. In the sequence of the attack, hundreds of suicide drones were the first to take off to the Ukrainian air defense network in a dense squadron. These relatively inexpensive drones formed a lot of light on the radar screen, and one of their core tactical purposes was to force the Ukrainian army to consume millions of dollars in high-end interceptors such as "patriots".
This consumption strategy of "expanding with small amounts" aims to gradually weaken Ukraine's most precious air defense resources. Immediately afterwards, the Russian military launched dozens of missiles, including the Dagger hypersonic missile.
With its flight speed of more than Mach 10 and powerful maneuverability, the "Dagger" missile has become a "sharp knife" that breaks through the air defense network and is specially designed to attack high-value targets that are closely protected. This combination of drones and missiles has both quantitative saturation and qualitative penetration, forming a well-defined attack system.
The target selection of air strikes also revealed clear strategic intentions. According to information released by Ukraine officials, the government building in central Kiev was hit directly in the attack. This was the first time that the building had been hit in this way since the outbreak of the conflict. The symbolism goes far beyond the physical damage itself. In addition, Ukraine's energy facilities and military enterprises have also become key targets.
Large-scale power outages occurred in Kiev and surrounding areas after the air strikes, and subways were suspended. Some hospitals had to rely on backup power for emergency work. This attack on infrastructure is intended to weaken Ukraine's war potential.
Analysts pointed out that the reduction in power supply would directly affect the production of ammunition and the speed of repair of front-line equipment, the effect of which is no less than launching an offensive on the frontline.
The considerations behind choosing to launch an air strike of this scale at a node where the U.S. government is partially closed are intriguing. Although Ukraine emphasized that U.S. military assistance has not been interrupted, Russia's move seems to focus more on psychological games. During the shutdown of the U.S. government, the staff of many agencies responsible for coordinating aid to Ukraine was reduced, and decision-making efficiency was inevitably affected.
Through this action, Russia sent a signal to the outside world: Western support is not indestructible, and its internal political disputes may become the "weakness" of its commitments. The psychological impact of this attack on the West's "reliability" may be more profound than the military strike itself and is intended to shake the confidence of Ukraine and its allies.
In the face of the fierce Russian offensive, Ukraine also launched retaliatory actions. The Ukrainian army used drones to attack the Irsky refinery in Russia and the dispatch station of the Druzhba oil pipeline. These goals are directly related to Russia's energy economy and military fuel supply.
Continued drone strikes have reportedly crippled about 17% of Russia's refining capacity. This mutual attack mode of "you fight my energy, I fight your refinery" shows that the conflict has spread from the traditional battlefield confrontation to the deeper economic and logistical fields. Both sides are trying to find each other's weaknesses and weaken each other's sustained combat capabilities by striking asymmetric targets.
This large-scale air strike was not only an isolated military operation, but also a microcosm of the new stage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. It combines multiple elements such as hypersonic weapons, drone fleet operations, psychological warfare and logistics warfare, showing the complex form of modern warfare.