Ukraine's rapidly developing long-range strike capabilities have not only military but also psychological significance, as they bring the consequences of the war directly to Russian territory and undermine the Kremlin narrative that life there continues as usual.
Can Kasapoglu, a senior fellow and defense analyst at Hudson Institute, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.
"Ukraine's burgeoning long-range strike regime should not be understood solely as missile and drone warfare; it is also psychological warfare," Kasapoglu said.
The expert noted that Russia's closed information system and disproportionate combat recruitment from peripheral regions insulate the regime's metropolitan social base from an imperial occupation brutalizing Ukrainian civilians.
"The average Russian does not begin each morning reading the Washington Post. Striking military, logistical, and energy targets while generating a gasoline crisis brings the war home and punctures the Kremlin's narrative of normality," Kasapoglu said.
