Russian forces deliberately carried out a massive strike against Ukraine ahead of the NATO summit in an attempt to achieve informational effects.
This is according to a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Ukrinform reports.
The analysts noted that Russia's Ministry of Defense claimed that Moscow would not ignore Western supplies of drones, missiles, and ammunition to Ukraine and would increase the number and intensity of Russia’s strikes against Ukraine in response.
The report points out that Russia has repeatedly launched large-scale attacks on Ukraine ahead of major international events, including the U.S.–Russia summit in Alaska in August 2025 and multiple bilateral US-Ukrainian, US-Russian, and European-Ukrainian talks in 2025 and 2026.
"The Kremlin likely aims to deter Ukraine’s Western partners from agreeing to continue or increase their support for Ukraine at the NATO summit out of fear of Russia escalating its strike campaign against Ukraine," the analysts said.
