Kyiv — the capital of Ukraine, and the historic center of ancient Kievan Rus’ — was set afire early this morning by Russian ballistic missiles and drones.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had launched the attack at Ukrainian military targets, writing on Telegram:

“In response to the actions of the Kyiv regime, supported by Western curators, this morning a group strike with long-range precision weapons was launched against the SBU [Ukrainian Security Services] command post, the Kyiv Luch design bureau, which designs and manufactures Neptune missile systems, Olkha ground-based cruise missiles, and the positions of the Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. The strike targets were achieved. All objects were hit.” [Maria Kostenko and Sophie Tano, CNN, December 20, 2024.]

Reality check:

— “In response to the actions of the Kyiv regime . . .”?!! Vladimir Putin just can’t seem to get it through his thick skull that he started this . . . not Ukraine. Someone really needs to impress upon him the fact that Ukraine’s strikes against Russia are responsive, not offensive. But the only people in Russia with the courage to speak the truth are dead or in prison.

— The “strike targets” were not achieved, and “all objects” were not hit. What were hit — and not by the missiles and drones directly, which in fact were shot down, causing damage from the falling debris — were several foreign embassies, an office building, gas pipes, an historic church, and a building under construction, among other civilian structures. One fatality and numerous injuries were reported. [Id.]

The whole of Ukraine was under general air-raid alert for several hours. Included in the attacks on Kyiv, Kherson, and several other regions around the country were hypersonic Kinzhal missiles and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles.

Hours later, Ukraine responded with a missile attack on the Kursk region of Russia, where at least five people have been reportedly killed and 26 others injured. [Id.]

* *. *

All of this comes just one day after Putin held his annual, tightly-controlled press conference, at which he suggested a “high-tech duel” over Kyiv, “to prove that Russia’s new hypersonic ballistic missile, dubbed Oreshnik, cannot be shot down by Western-supplied air defenses.” [as reported by RFE/RL, December 20, 2024.]

“It would be interesting for us . . . Let’s conduct this experiment, this technological duel, and see the results. I think it would be useful for both us and the Americans,” Putin said. [Id.]

To which Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky responded that, if Putin thinks Ukraine will negotiate with him under the current circumstances, he is “an old pipe dreamer,” living “in a different world,” “in his own bubble.”

“People are dying,” Zelensky continued, “and he thinks it’s ‘interesting’ … Dumbass.” [Id.]

*. *. *

Well, that about sums it up for me.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
12/20/24