Israeli military expert David Handelman, known to the public of both Russia and Ukraine for his analyzes related to the war, told HotNews.ro about the proximity of the Kremlin’s attacks to the borders of Romania and Moldova and the probability that the territories of the two countries will be struck at a certain time.

David Handelman is an Israeli citizen, blogger and military analyst, known in the Russian Federation for his Russian-language analysis of the war in Ukraine. The blogger publishes on the site his own view of the war and explains from a military point of view what is happening on the battlefield.

David Handelman gave several interviews to Ukrainian and international mass media.

On the proximity of the war to the borders of Romania and Moldova: Russia can only accidentally strike the territories of the two, it is not interested in attacking other states

The expert says that the proximity of Russia’s attacks to Ukrainian ports really endangers the territory of Romania and the Republic of Moldova. But, the analyst states, if drones or missiles hit these territories, these hits will be accidental and not intentional.

“Russia is not currently interested in the territory of Moldova or Romania,” explains David Handelman, who at the same time does not exclude the element of unpredictability, because no one believed that “Russia needs a war in Ukraine.”

“In the case of the attack on Reni (a Ukrainian port on the Danube, located a few kilometers from Galati), it was close to Romania. But it is less likely that in the near future Russia will carry out strikes aimed specifically at the territory of other states.

The strikes may be accidental, because now we are talking about Ukrainian targets, which are only a few hundred meters from the borders.

But, apparently, we should not expect deliberate targets on the territory of the Republic of Moldova and Romania, because Russia does not need something like that in principle. And if there are accidental strikes, even Russia will try to hide them,” the military expert claims.

About drone attacks on Moscow: So far they have not caused real panic, Ukraine will need more powerful weapons, which it does not have

David Handelman. PHOTO: Screenshot from own YouTube channel

As for Ukraine’s attacks on Moscow and other cities on the territory of the Russian Federation, David Handelman predicts that they will continue, as their goal is psychological and informational pressure.

“I must remind you, as General Zaluzhnyi said last September, that Russia is waging this war the way it is waging it because of impunity.

Drone attacks on Russia, especially Moscow, are one of Ukraine’s strategic priorities. The main goal is to transfer the war to the territory of Russia, to convey to the Russian population the idea that the war is not somewhere, far away, but right here.

For this reason, we see more and more attacks, both on other regions and on Moscow. Drones are used as a military strategy in these cases, as they are less visible and fly at a low altitude. For this reason, it is difficult to detect them.

Secondly, if we are talking about Moscow, then if these drones have already flown into the territory of the city, then wherever they go, they cause damage. But the main effect that Ukraine expects from these attacks is still psychological and informational. We are not talking about real battles (with great destruction). The psychological effect is already being felt,” says David Handelman.

The expert also states that for more visible results, Kyiv needs a different type of military equipment.

“At the moment, there is no real panic (in Russia). This probably requires a much stronger influence, much stronger means and much greater destruction. Ukraine does not yet have such powerful means of striking at such long distances.

Since the beginning of these attacks, the air defense of the Russian Federation has been strengthened. Some drones do shoot down, others are too small and fly too low, as I mentioned,” the analyst adds.

About Ukraine’s counteroffensive: This should end in September-October, when the rains begin

Regarding the end of the war started by Russia in Ukraine, David Handelman claims that everything will become clear in this regard in the fall. Basically, everything will depend on the success or failure of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Its goal is to change the situation at the front and strengthen Kyiv’s position in future negotiations.

“Ukraine’s counteroffensive continues. Whether this counteroffensive will be successful or not remains an open question. Several factors are important here: some are purely geographical, others are related to the weather.

In September-October, when the rainy season begins, the counteroffensive should end. But the question is whether it will end successfully or not. The course of the entire war will depend on this.

The bet of the counteroffensive is to change the strategic situation at the front. This is also necessary if the war ends, but also if negotiations on a cease-fire begin, and Ukraine will have a much stronger position in this case,” says the Israeli analyst.

He says that there won’t be any serious changes at the front until autumn, then we need to analyze what will happen next.

“There is another option, that certain negotiations will begin, but even in this case, a lot depends on the success of the counteroffensive,” says David Handelman.

In this context, we note that a few days ago, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba confirmed that negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow will become possible only after the withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

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