Ukrainian strikes expose vulnerability in Russian defenses
Vladimir Putin has remained silent for over a day following a series of incidents in Russia—initially in the Bryansk and Kursk regions where railway bridges were blown up, and then Russian strategic air force bases were subjected to an unprecedented strike by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Putin did not comment on the Saturday railway events, which resulted in seven people dead and over 100 injured. Let us recall that two bridges in the Kursk and Bryansk regions in Russia collapsed due to explosions. The Russian Investigative Committee determined that both cases were acts of terror.
The dictator is silent: A series of humiliating blows
The Russian dictator also did not comment on the attack on airbases in theMurmansk, Irkutsk, Ryazan, and Ivanovo regions, during which—according to the Security Service of Ukraine—at least 41 strategic bombers were destroyed.
On Monday, the Kremlin's press office published only congratulations from Putin on the occasion of the 70th anniversary of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Putin did not mention any of the recent events.
Laconic statement from the Russian Ministry of Defence
As reported by The Moscow Times, even the usually verbose Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev was silent, having twice threatened Kyiv and the West with nuclear war at the end of May.
State Duma deputies remain silent, and the Russian Ministry of Defence limited itself to a brief statement admitting only to "fires in several pieces of equipment."
The head of the Russian delegation for negotiations with Kyiv, Vladimir Medinsky, also did not comment on the incident. On Sunday evening, shortly after landing in Istanbul, he told the RIA Novosti agency that he is in "good spirits."
The attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on strategic air force bases was—as Professor of Strategic Studies at the University of St. Andrews, Phillips O’Brien, told "The Times"—"the most remarkable and successful operation of the war so far"
This is a big blow to Russian strategic air power, which is hard to overestimate. We do not know what the Russian reaction will be, however we can assume it will be violent, O’Brien said to "The Times".
