Continuing brutality: on Russia and the Ukraine war

Russian missile strikes on Ukraine on Monday, which killed at least 38 people, are another example of the brutality of the ongoing invasion that began on February 24, 2022. Among the civilian facilities hit, according to Ukrainian authorities, was the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv, where at least two people were killed. Russia claims it attacked military and industrial bases and blamed Ukraine’s missile defenses for the damage to the civilian facilities, but such claims cannot be trusted as Russia’s ongoing bombings in Ukraine have targeted both military and civilian facilities. Monday’s attack came on the eve of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington, where member countries are expected to make decisions on long-term commitments to Ukraine, including €40 billion in annual military aid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was in Warsaw on Monday, where he signed a new security pact with Poland that authorizes the NATO member state to shoot down Russian missiles and drones in Ukrainian airspace. The Russian attack could be a message from the Kremlin to NATO and Poland, but the attacks on civilian centers only expose the callousness of Russia’s war leaders.

Russia has made gradual territorial gains in recent months. Its troops have advanced in Kharkiv Oblast and captured several villages. Last week, Ukrainian forces were forced to withdraw from a neighborhood of Chasiv Yar, a strategically important mountain town in Donetsk. But the lack of dramatic successes, even in the face of Ukraine’s weakness, raises questions about Russia’s capabilities. While Ukraine has struggled to hold the front line, it has taken the drone war to the Black Sea and mainland Russia. It has disabled Russian ships, repeatedly attacked Russian energy depots with drones, and attacked Russian border regions, resulting in civilian and military casualties. Two and a half years after the war began, neither side seems able to find a military solution. For Ukraine, it seems virtually impossible to expel Russian troops from the captured territories. Russia should also recognize that its aggression has rejuvenated NATO, its arch-enemy, which has grown since the war began and promised long-term support to Kyiv. One practical way is to bring both sides to the negotiating table. Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Monday that world powers should help him with talks. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed India’s support for dialogue in Moscow. Russia’s partners should convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that these senseless attacks on Ukraine must stop and be ready for serious dialogue. Ukraine’s allies should also put pressure on Kiev to be more open to ending the war through talks.