The massive strike on Kyiv overnight on May 24 was likely an attempt by Russian President Vladimir Putin to conceal perceived humiliation following the May 9 parade in Moscow and ongoing failures on the battlefield.
This is stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports.
“The Kremlin previously threatened to strike ‘decision-making’ centers in Kyiv City, including with an Oreshnik, if Ukrainian forces conducted strikes against Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, which Ukraine did not do. The Kremlin threatened to use Oreshniks in the days leading up to Victory Day, likely intended to obfuscate Russia’s weakness and its inability to reliably defend large portions of Russia’s airspace from Ukrainian deep rear strikes,” ISW noted.
The Institute’s analysts interpreted the Russian strike on Kyiv as part of Putin’s ongoing efforts “to erase his Victory Day parade humiliation”. ISW added that the attack was intended to demonstrate “strength” widely criticized parade.
“Russia’s strike completely violates the spirit of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire, which Ukraine abided by, and demonstrates Putin’s unfaithfulness to any agreements that do not heavily favor him,” the analysts emphasized.
