On December 29, Russia launched yet another massive missile attack on Ukraine, which was preceded by that of Iranian-made kamikaze drones. The previous such strike took place on December 15: Putin is deliberately increasing the interval between missile launches, hoping to inflict the greatest possible damage on Ukraine by firing more deadly weapons: Russia is now combining drone and missile strikes in an attempt to knock out Ukrainian infrastructure. The infrastructural terror of Ukrainian cities constitutes genocide of Ukrainians, and this must be recognized at the level of western parliaments.
After October 10, Russia unleashed a new phase of its war on Ukraine – a “war on infrastructure” that aims to make the lives of Ukrainians unbearable by depriving them of essential utilities. During each shelling, Ukraine suffers losses amounting to billions of hryvnias as its energy system is being pummeled. For each barrage, Russia employs 50 to 80 missiles so there is already a certain shortage. Now, right before the missile attack, the Russians launch Iranian drones, including to scout Ukrainian air defense positions. The first wave of missile launches are usually «dummies» carrying no warheads, so their purpose is to deplete Ukrainian air defenses of ammunition. Dozens of Ukrainians have already been killed by Russian missile strikes, including three in the latest one on December 29. Putin does not hide that his goal is to destroy Ukraine, while Kremlin propaganda is fueling anti-Ukrainian sentiments among Russians. The same thing happened in Nazi Germany at the end of the 1930s: then Goebbels was diligently justifying the Holocaust, which resulted in the bloodiest genocide of the 20th century.
Russia is working on the issue of getting ballistic missiles from Iran. If they succeed, Ukraine will face a major threat as its armed forces actually lack capabilities to effectively shoot down ballistic missiles. The immediate supply of modern missile defenses is the key to saving the lives of tens of thousands of Ukrainians. What Russia is doing in Ukraine is genocide. Putin loathes Ukrainians and would do anything to destroy them as a nation: kill them with missile strikes, expel them to Europe as refugees, or deport them to Russia. In fact, Putin launched the largest war crime of the 21st century. The toughest possible sanctions must be imposed on Russia, while Ukraine must get from its partners all the weapons they require: under the current circumstances, this is the only real chance to save Ukrainians from the genocide unleashed by Putin.