There’s no better organization or group of people to support than the Libertarian Institute - Dave Smith

Great news, matching funds has been extended. A very generous donor has pledged an additional $15,000 in matching funds.

Double the impact of your donation and Support the Libertarian Institute Today!

$31,572 of $60,000 raised

Russia Launches Massive Strikes Against Ukrainian Infrastructure

by | Oct 11, 2022

Russia Launches Massive Strikes Against Ukrainian Infrastructure

by | Oct 11, 2022

10october2022 ukraine map

Russia on Monday launched one of its largest barrages of missile strikes in Ukraine in its first major coordinated attack on Ukrainian energy and communication infrastructure across the country, marking a significant escalation of the war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the missile strikes targeted the “energy, military command and communications facilities of Ukraine.” The missile barrage came after the truck bombing of the Kerch Bridge, which connects the Russian mainland to Crimea.

A day earlier, Putin called the Kerch Bridge bombing a Ukrainian “terror act” and Ukrainian sources confirmed to US media that Kyiv was responsible.

Monday’s strikes targeted nearly every region of Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv, where missiles hit the city’s center. Other major cities that were targeted include Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, and Odessa.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said 11 key infrastructure facilities were damaged in eight separate regions including Kyiv, leaving parts of the country with no electricity, heat, water, or internet. So far, Ukrainian authorities have reported 11 people killed in the missile strikes.

Putin warned of a further escalation if Ukrainian attacks on Russian infrastructure continue. “If attempts continue to carry out terror attacks on our territory, Russia’s responses will be tough and by their scope correspond to the level of threats created for the Russian Federation,” he said.

Monday’s missile strikes marked a new approach for Putin in his war as Russia had previously avoided wide-scale attacks on civilian infrastructure, which is a standard tactic for invasions carried out by the U.S. military. For example, the initial phase of the 2003 invasion of Iraq started with a major bombing campaign against infrastructure, known as “shock and awe.”

The initial phase of Russia’s war did involve wide-scale missile strikes across Ukraine, but the targets were primarily military infrastructure. Russia had targeted energy infrastructure with strikes after Ukraine made gains in Kharkiv in September, but nowhere near the scale of Monday’s strikes.

The new phase of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine came after Russia appointed Gen. Sergei Surovikin as the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine on Saturday. Surovikin had previously led Russian forces in Syria.

The Russian Defense Ministry said Monday that the missile barrage was a success and that it hit all targets. “The goal of the strike has been achieved. All designated targets were hit,” the ministry said.

In response, President Biden condemned the strikes and said the U.S. would continue supporting Ukraine. “These attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes. Alongside our allies and partners, we will continue to impose costs on Russia for its aggression,” he said.

This article was originally featured at Antiwar.com and is republished with permission.

Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com. Follow him on Twitter @decampdave.

View all posts

Our Books

Shop books published by the Libertarian Institute.

libetarian institute longsleeve shirt

Our Books

cb0cb1ef 3fcb 417d 80d8 4eef7bbd8290

Recent Articles

Recent

TGIF: Say No to a Sovereign Wealth Fund

TGIF: Say No to a Sovereign Wealth Fund

Donald Trump wants to create a sovereign wealth fund (SWF). It's a bad idea if your standard is freedom, free enterprise, and free markets. That's not Trump's standard, but we already knew that. A sovereign wealth fund is a government-run investment program. Where...

read more
Contra Krugman (Redux)

Contra Krugman (Redux)

In a recent conversation with the Libertarian Institute’s Keith Knight, we broke down a 2012 article by everyone’s least favorite economist, the former New York Times pundit Paul Krugman. In it, Krugman makes all the familiar and mistaken arguments about why we...

read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This