Well, that didn’t take long: Peskov denied; Lavrov threatened; and now Putin has delivered.

Following up on Kremlin spokesman Peskov’s denials of any Russian military incursions into NATO airspace, and Foreign Minister Lavrov’s not-so-veiled threats of recriminations if any Russian aircraft were shot down — you know, the aircraft they deny are up there — Vladimir Putin hit Ukraine last night with the third-largest air attack in the history of his war of attrition against the sovereign nation he continues to claim as his own.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that some 500 drones and 40 missiles were fired at several regions. Their targets included what were clearly civilian buildings: an industrial bakery, a tire factory, a medical facility, a kindergarten, private houses, and apartment buildings. In Kyiv, four people were killed, including a 12-year-old girl, with dozens of others injured. [RFE/RL, September 28, 2025.]

(Note: A later report stated that nearly 600 drones were detected. – BBC, September 28, 2025.)

In the southern city of Zaporizhzhya, dozens of people, including children, were injured when 41 apartment buildings, 22 houses, and several other structures were damaged by the attacks, according to the area’s regional Governor, Ivan Fedorov. [RFE/RL, op.cit.]

The Russian Ministry of Defense has, of course, claimed the attacks were aimed against Ukrainian military infrastructure, and that they do not target civilians.

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Earlier today, I posited that the recent fly-overs of Russian drones and warplanes in NATO airspace might be intended as an incitement for a Western response that would in turn give Moscow an excuse to escalate a conflict with one or more NATO countries, thereby allowing Putin to withdraw troops from Ukraine and quietly wind down operations there.

But today’s new development leads me to think I was initially on the right track but may have taken a wrong detour.

As President Zelensky said following last night’s attacks:

“This vile attack took place practically as the UN General Assembly week was concluding, and this is exactly how Russia declares its real position.” [Victoria Butenko, et al., CNN, September 28, 2025.] [Bold emphasis is mine.]

Perhaps, conversely, the invasions of Polish, Romanian, Estonian and Danish airspace are a red herring to draw Western defenses away from Ukraine, while Putin increases his efforts there toward a final victory.

Or it could be something entirely different — something so diabolical it might never occur to me.

As I indicated this morning, attempting to plumb the depths of Putin’s psyche is like trying to swim through mud — the harder you struggle, the more deeply you become mired in the muck.

And if the experts can’t do it, why do I even try?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
9/28/25