Ukraine’s Momentum Appears to Be Fading as Russia Regains the Upper Hand in the War

Ukraine appears to have largely lost the momentum it held at the beginning of the year, as Russia subjects the country to a near-continuous campaign of drones and ballistic missiles. Moscow is exploiting what the article describes as Kyiv’s greatest weakness: its shortage of air defenses.

Russia appears to be changing the way it wages its air war. Instead of launching large waves of dozens or hundreds of drones and missiles at once, it is increasingly sending smaller groups toward Kyiv throughout the day. Each strike may be less destructive on its own, but together they keep the capital locked in a constant state of danger.

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Russia is really trying to make Ukrainians’ lives miserable.

The pressure is visible in daily life. Between Aug. 27 and Sept. 1, air raid warnings sounded 60 times in Kyiv, a record according to local authorities. The alerts lasted more than 52 hours altogether. Buses and trams stopped, metro stations became shelters, classes were suspended and shops closed as residents repeatedly abandoned their routines for safety.

The attacks are also hitting an expanding range of civilian and economic targets, causing major damage to Ukraine’s food distribution system and contributing to empty shelves in Kyiv. Patrick Bolder, a former lieutenant colonel in the Dutch air force and a defense specialist at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies, describes the tactic as psychological warfare. “Russia is really trying to make Ukrainians’ lives miserable,” he says. “This is pure terror against the population.” The article says Russia hopes to push the Ukrainian government toward a response, but the supplied text ends before completing that point.

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This is pure terror against the population.