Russia's regular bombardments of Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities are now being met with counter-punches in Russia’s capital city.
For Muscovites, after 15 months of Vladimir Putin’s war rhetoric and assurances that his “special military operation2 wouldn’t affect them, this is a decidedly different phase.
For Kyivans, by contrast, it is a welcome new element. They now know they can play offence, not just defence. While Moscow still has considerable ammunition at its disposal – it is not a level playing field between the two nations in that regard, even with Western backing – this will boost Ukrainian morale and sap that of Russia, accordingly.
Moscow will scream many a hypocrisy: murder, terrorism, call for revenge. But its bark is always worse than its bite. They can’t do worse than they are doing now without “going nuclear” and that would be disastrous for everyone.
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Denne historien er fra May 31, 2023-utgaven av The Independent.
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