Russia launched new strikes on Ukrainian cities on Monday, a move some analysts see as part of President Vladimir Putin’s new strategy to turn the tide of the war in Ukraine in Moscow’s favor.

After Russian troops retreated from the Ukrainian capital for several months at the end of March, Kyiv has again been the target of Russian attacks, this time by kamikaze drones, after Moscow’s armed forces fired cruise missiles at it last Monday. .

But, like last week, new attacks by Iranian-made drones were aimed at several cities of Ukraine, not only at its capital.

Russian forces attacked energy infrastructure in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk and Sumy, causing serious power outages.

“Hundreds of settlements are without electricity,” said Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmyhal.

“All night and all morning, the enemy terrorized the civilian population. Drones and kamikaze missiles attacked all of Ukraine,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said.

Will Putin launch a systematic attack on Ukrainian cities?

For former Belgian army colonel Roger Hausen, these new attacks are part of the Kremlin’s “new strategy” in response to Ukrainian counterattacks.

By attacking Ukraine’s energy and economic infrastructure, Putin “sends a double signal: He shows Ukrainian citizens that he can make their lives miserable, and it shows the Ukrainian government that Russia still has plenty of resources to wreak havoc on the country,” the officer explained. quoted by La Libre Belgique.

Nicolas Gosse, a defense and security researcher and analyst, told the Belgian press that in this way Vladimir Putin hopes to undermine the morale of the troops by “creating an atmosphere of terror”.

Although almost 8 months of war since the beginning of the “special military operation” on February 24 have not yet broken the determination of Ukrainian soldiers, Colonel Hausen believes that we may witness changes in the coming months.

According to him, changes can come “when it starts to get really cold, when food becomes less, when people have no income due to the destruction of the economic infrastructure, and when the situation becomes really catastrophic.”

Concerns about the further escalation of the war in Ukraine

The Belgian colonel expects the Kremlin to continue its strikes against the Ukrainian population in the coming weeks, if not months, if Moscow’s arsenal allows it.

Journalists of The Washington Post wrote on Sunday, citing several sources in the security services of the United States and other NATO member countries, that Tehran and Moscow reached an agreement to supply the Russian armed forces with Iranian missiles, and not just kamikaze drones, as they received. so far

Some analysts have also recently said that Russia’s missile stockpile may have been underestimated before the war, but opinions are divided, while others say the proposed Iran deal proves just the opposite, that Moscow must import missiles to maintain its capabilities.

“The escalation lasts only a good week. The Russians will continue to mint this coin,” says Hausen.

Also on Sunday, Israel’s Diaspora Minister Nahman Shai said that it is time for Ukraine to receive military aid from Israel if Iran sends new weapons to Russia.

“This morning it was reported that Iran is transferring ballistic missiles to Russia. There is no longer any doubt on whose side Israel should be in this bloody conflict. It’s time for Ukraine to also receive the military aid provided by the US and NATO countries,” Shai wrote on his Twitter page.

On Monday, the Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev, reacted to his statements, warning Israel against a “very reckless” step.

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