The images coming out of Moscow in recent days speak for themselves: Ukrainian drone strikes on targets in Moscow have brought the war to the heart of state power and exposed the limits of Russia’s air defenses. The Kremlin’s narrative of a controlled “special military operation” has been significantly undermined. President Volodymyr Zelensky describes the strikes as an “absolutely fair response.”JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. But are these developments more than symbolic? Is the war at a turning point? Political scientist Gustav Gressel is cautious on this point. Are the strikes something new? Gustav Gressel: The attack is clearly a signal to Moscow – and that was its purpose. Before May 9, Russia issued strong threats about any disruption to its Victory Day parade, even warning it could destroy Kyiv. The message was: “We can do this, you can’t.” A ceasefire and prisoner exchange followed, though the exchange turned out to be smaller than expected. Shortly afterward, Russia once again resumed strikes on Ukraine. From Ukraine’s perspective, there is also concern that Russia is pursuing a strategy of sustained terror strikes to wear the country down. Ukraine knows defending against such attacks will become harder over time, so this strike signals: “Mass attacks on us don’t come for free; we can do that too.” In other words, Ukraine is showing it can escalate as well. So far, Russian responses remain largely focused near the front line. It remains to be seen how the situation evolves.