The Kremlin regarded the attack on the presidential residence as a terrorist attack and an attempt on his life. They stressed that Moscow reserves the right to take retaliatory measures - where and when it sees fit.
The doomsayers will say this is weak and shows how weak Putin is blah blah blah, but a direct response to kill this or that person in Kiev is going to be expected so the chance of an attack on the Rada or Zelensky succeeding is pretty low because they wont be where they appear to be so any actually attack on the places each is supposed to be will fail to get results.
However the warning has been issued so in a months time without warning the US Embassy could be hit down to the deepest basement level by a couple of Kinzhals or maybe a Kh-32 or three.
They can wait for a certain German minister to visit... the one that said it was OK for Kiev to strike targets in Russia perhaps...
They want to push Ukrainian officials to hide outside of Kiev so their PR gets damaged in Ukrainian public.
Sometimes the threat of an imminent attack is more stressful and damaging than the actual attack to the point where the final attack is a relief...
We already know Zelensky was a bunker bunny till assured by the Israeli politician that Putin didn't want him dead.... yet.
Of course when someone openly tries to kill you you might think a little different... ask Erdogan...
If there's something that Ukraine/NATO tried to ensure, it would be defense and mitigation against decapitating strikes.
Like HATO meetings 120m below ground...
Also keep in mind that gray eminence of Ukrainian politics, the hard right wingers such as Right Sector and alikes, would just replace the government and we're beyond NATO backpedaling the support.
Destroying the fake Jewish storefront and revealing the nazi sweatshop behind would be a good thing for Ukrainians to see who they are actually fighting for...
in hopes to push Russia to perform a strategically irrelevant airstrike wasting "civilian" infrastructure of the architecturally rich and Russian heritage important Kiev parts.
Only irrational nutters on the internet want Kiev leveled... The Russians have warned of a suitable response to a decapitation attempt... I would say another attack on HATO advisors or Americans in the US Embassy who are running the country called Kiev would be the ideal targets... Zelensky is irrelevant.
I tend to think Putin has stayed in power too long too, but then again, after a major collapse such as Russia suffered in the 90s, a strong long-term leadership is a necessity, and like GarryB said under Putin Russia has only really gone from strength to strength, and become richer too. So if it ain't broke, don't fix it?
Politicians overstay when things go bad and they remain in power as things get worse.
When things are good then why change something that is working... in this case the chances of getting someone better is unlikely, so it is most likely they wont be as competent as Putin so why change.
There are no term limits here in New Zealand for Prime Minister.
The people get to vote and the person they vote for wins.
I believe Putin would like to bring Odessa, Kiev and Minsk back into Russia, before leaving power. That way he will be remembered for ages.
I don't think the west will forget him for a while... and effectively he could have been a hero or a villain and the west chose to make him a villain so the west is going to break. If they had chosen to be partners then quite a bit of reform of the west and it could have been the force for good it pretends to be and everyone could be happy...
Instead the 1% rich keep getting richer till we get to the point where money doesn't mean anything and then they have the most to lose.
Didn’t they do that at the start? Until they were started dying en masse.
Some did, but to get elected into power Poroshenko and Zelensky both promised a bloodless peace negotiation... they had no intention of honouring.
The point is that the public voted for the peace candidate only to find there was no peace candidate... just like in most western countries... there are no imperial peace candidates... it is an oxymoron.
There is very little or no love for Russia in whole Ukraine, because even normie lives were destroyed. Those who can’t flee are even more anti-russian. Most don’t care or do not remember what they did in Donbas so they can’t reflect too.
They don't need to love Russia or Russians to want peace though.
Dictatorships might brainwash. But their main modus operandi is terrorisation and terrorism.
And until they are destroyed, they tend to be very effective, even in intimidating majorities.
The west is expert at such things... control media and government and the people think their views that are different are a minority so they stay quiet.
Not all of them obviously, but US spying is not focussed on Russia or China... it is focussed on their allies so they can properly control and manipulate them into doing what the US wants while giving them the illusion of freedom of choice.
Yes, land is Russian. People in central and western Ukr already too far gone. New generation of Ukrainians even more gone and doesn’t fit anywhere. Raised on lies and russophobia.
If they don't love it they can leave... I am sure the bleeding hearts in the west will give them all a house and nice car and a job.... NOT.
You must be dumb to think Russia is doing this war just for the love of russians in Ukraine. They seized the opportunity to bring back some big part of land even if the main motive was countering US ingerence in the country.
They had no intention of adding to the Russian federation, they went in there to stop Ukrainians murdering Ukrainians for the crime of speaking Russian and wanting good ties with Russia, and the evil of the west and the Kiev regime is what turned these Ukrainians into Ukrainian hating Russians.
Shell a population for 8 years and most will turn against you.
Is the current standard the 100mm + 30 mm auto cannons?
Yes.
I don't really understand why Russia does not say any object approaching Crimea with no transponder could be attacked. Russia has been attacked several times and air defenses are at a high alert level. Objects may be shot down without a challenge.
Totally agree, Russia has no way of knowing who is on board these aircraft or who is controlling these aircraft and with their Transponders off they are a danger to civilian and military air traffic including Russian drones.
Namely what everyone who has been following this situation since 2014 has long realized; that there is no Ukraine left to 'liberate'.
So the four regions of the Ukraine that the Russian forces have liberated that have voted to join the Russian federation don't want to be liberated?
Was the referendum question confusing?
What has been obvious to most people on this board over the past few years, and to many Russians too, is that the Ukraine is a nationalist hellhole and everyone reasonable has long left, and everyone still left on the sidelines finally went over to Ukrainian nationalism and radicalized when Russia launched its operation.
There are plenty of nutters on both sides but the vast majority of people most of the time couldn't care less as long as they have law and order and a good job and a nice house and a secure future for their family.
Dnepropetrovsk region is a stronghold of Ukrainian nationalist radicals, and Nikolayev and Odessa regions are solidly pro-Kiev too.
Not sure how you could possibly know that, but even if you are right who cares... the process of taking that territory back will involve killing many of those radical and the ones that run away solve the problem too.
Evidently however the war was destined to take place and Putin signed a trap for himself with the same Minsk agreement.
If it can be described as a trap then it is a trap for the west.... it is billions of dollars of western money funding Kiev... what chance they will get anything back from that... they are emptying their own arsenals of weapons and ammo... this isn't lend lease and they wont get that money back either, and with sanctions they are cutting themselves out of the Russian market... a market they made good money on because that is why they were there... there was no charity... they weren't there to help Russia... this was a new market they were trying to enter and dominate the way they do in western markets that are already decided, or because they missed out on dominating in western markets and agreements have already been signed... they can get the agreements and market share in Russia... but now they can't... and are having to sell their businesses in Russia to locals or Turkish or Indian or Chinese companies at bargain prices...
This is the west screwing itself big time and in the process turning the rest of the world against them...
Putin could never have managed this sort of result on his own.
And this S-E of the Ukraine then, where the opportunity is, what does it avail of itself? Pure territory?
Denying US companies from plundering the resources of Ukraine is enough...
What resources you ask.... why else would US businesses be there I reply...
Kinda disappointed that Russia has not passed any legislation in response to the ICC. For example an arrest warrant against ICC prosecutors that can be enforces anywhere and at any time including use of force.
A mirror of US laws regarding the ICC would be amusing, but a real challenge if the circumstances ever came about... The US might be happy using force in Europe, because they know Europeans are pussies and would never dare such a thing, but Russia knows those pussies are psycho and just might try something to test them.
They have been getting slaughtered for over a year and are still not running out of manpower
Well they are... but they are hiding it well... measures to recruit have become more drastic and desperate... and less successful.
How long before they start asking their western allies to send them fresh young expats...
So Zelensky is apparently being flown around in a USAF plane.
Hahaha... that actually makes him easier to kill if they wanted...
Then make the video and email it to Shoigu and Garisimov. Putting it out in public is f*cking retarded. And it completely f*cking reinforces all of the f*cking lies that the western media is making. Because of this stupid f*cking stunt, it will be impossible to argue that Russian casualties are not whatever the western media says they are, for the rest of time.
Or maybe he is trying to give the Orcs confidence so they launch their counter attack and don't just hunker down...
Sanctions? Yes. Who cares.
The only things they can sanction now will hurt them more than it hurts Russia.
Bakhmut is proof that russia cant do big arrow offensives not because it chooses not to, but because it would be too costly and they would always be defeated. 100+ dead per 200m isnt "muh efficient denazification"
200m is meaningless in this equation... 100+ dead for 50 nazis dead is too costly... 100+ dead for 10,000 Nazis dead and it is not good but how good do you think it will get?
If Wagner goes back home, Russia will loose. It's Wagner who is winning this war.
Not sure where you are getting your info from but I don't agree... there are other merc groups other than Wagner too.
Russia is not fighting for fun... if it costs more men then it costs more men... giving up now puts them back to 2014 where the west will just build up Kiev over the next few years and try again... probably more successfully once they have swallowed all their crow and mistakes.