Russian missile attacks have killed at least one person and injured more than ten in the hometown of Volodymyr Zelensky, mere hours after the Ukrainian president declared that his forces were "returning the conflict" to Moscow.
Interior Minister Igor Klymenko announced Monday that two missiles struck a residential structure in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih.
Russia, Ukraine Exchange Attacks
The Russian strikes are a response to numerous Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory and occupied Crimea, which Zelensky characterized last night as the "natural process" of war "returning to Russia."
Russia announced on Sunday that it had shot down Ukrainian drones aimed at Moscow and the Crimean peninsula, causing damage to two office structures in the capital and temporarily closing an international airport.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, one drone aimed at Moscow was shot down on the city's periphery, and two others were suppressed by electronic warfare and crashed into an office complex early on Sunday. No injuries were reported.
Until several drone assaults this year, Moscow and its environs, located approximately 500 kilometers from the Ukrainian frontier, were rarely targeted during the conflict in Ukraine.
Per Daily Mail, the primary targets of Ukraine's aerial attacks have been military targets, ammunition depots, and supply lines. However, a growing number of drone assaults launched from Ukrainian soil target Russian civilian centers.
Following the attacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a warning that Russia would soon be at war.
Vladimir Putin has stated that he does not reject the possibility of peace talks with Ukraine, with the Russian president stating on Saturday that an African initiative could serve as a foundation for peace in Ukraine but arguing that it would be difficult to implement a ceasefire while Kyiv was on the offensive.
The statement followed last week's Russia-African summit, at which several African leaders urged President Vladimir Putin to end the conflict in Ukraine. Zelensky, on the other hand, has rejected the notion of a ceasefire at this moment because it would leave Russia in control of nearly one-fifth of its country and give its forces time to regroup after 17 grueling months of conflict.
Three Ukrainian drones reportedly attacked Moscow yesterday, injuring one person and temporarily closing one of the four airports surrounding the capital. Officials described the incident as a "terrorist attack attempt by the Kiev regime."
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Putin Protcts Himself From Another Wagner Uprising
Meanwhile, to defend himself from another Wagner uprising, Putin is establishing a network of mysterious private military corporations across Russia. A new measure that elevates the draft age for the Russian military mentions the intentions for private military companies or "special enterprises."
The action is intended to combat subversion and internal threats, according to a statement by the chairman of the Duma's defense committee, Andrey Kartapolov. It occurred weeks after the Wagner insurrection, which exposed Putin's defense weaknesses, as per The Insider.
The group's fighters encountered little opposition when they seized control of the city of Rostov-on-Don on June 23, then advanced on Moscow before rebel leaders struck an agreement with the Kremlin to end the rebellion.
While Putin has not punished Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mutiny, he has undertaken a search for suspected traitors in the Russian military and appears to be concerned about future internal challenges to his authority.
Putin's militias, according to the report, would be commanded by regional governors, would operate at Putin's direction, and would be armed by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In the aftermath of a succession of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russian cities, one of the militias' primary functions will be to defend against internal attacks.
Russia's faltering invasion of Ukraine has revealed that Putin's hold on power may not be as strong as was widely believed, and former intelligence officials told Insider that Putin could be ousted from power if he suffers additional significant setbacks in Ukraine.
