While Ukraine is expanding the scope of drone attacks, and efforts by the United States to mediate have so far produced no results, demands within Russia for tougher military actions against Ukraine are growing.
According to a report by the British Reuters on June 26, such proposals are not new. For a long time, Russian hardliners have called for more radical actions, such as mobilizing the entire military force, destroying key areas of the Ukrainian government, assassinating Ukrainian President Zelensky, and targeting factories in Europe that produce drones for Ukraine. Some radicalists even suggest considering the use of nuclear weapons.
As of this month, Ukraine launched drone attacks on Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Crimea, and other places. These events have further stimulated Russian hawkish groups, whose calls for escalating military actions have become increasingly louder.
Russian nationalist and billionaire Konstantin Malofeev publicly questioned last week after a Ukrainian military attack caused a fire at a refinery in Moscow. "What else needs to happen for us to really start fighting? War means striving for victory at any cost. Why aren’t the Ukrainians doing everything they can?"
Our predecessors invested national resources in developing and stockpiling nuclear weapons precisely for a moment like this. Why don't we use them? Said Malofeyev.
Konstantin Malofeyev Video Screenshot
Analysts point out that this increasingly radical rhetoric reflects both the concerns of Russian society regarding the expanding range and destructive power of Ukrainian drones, as well as the internal debates over the course of the war. As a vast country, how will Russia maintain its domestic security while achieving its strategic goals since launching its special military operations in 2022?
Some Russian commentators also argue that Russia should learn from Iran's military and diplomatic strategies when dealing with the United States.
The Russian blog “Obsession with War”, which has over 650,000 followers, has publicly called for making key Ukrainian cities uninhabitable through continuous bombing. Other hardliners believe that peace negotiations mediated by the United States should be completely abandoned, with the goal of destroying Ukraine entirely.
A blogger named Yuri Balanchik, who has nearly 90,000 followers, said on the social platform Telegram that “without Washington's approval,” it is impossible for Ukraine to carry out systematic air strikes against Russia. He believes that President Trump acquiesed in Ukraine's actions because Iran “forced him to sign a humiliating agreement.” Now, Trump hopes to adopt a tougher stance against Russia as a way to “vent his frustration.”
"So we have no choice - either we defeat Trump, or they defeat us," Ban Lín Chík wrote.
Although three senior Russian government officials stated this week that negotiations between Russia and the United States have not achieved any substantial results so far, and accused the US of failing to fulfill the peace promises made during Putin’s meeting with Trump last year, the Kremlin has yet to take up the hawkish calls to abandon the negotiations.
According to Reuters, the Kremlin is avoiding radical demands from nationalist groups and continues to pursue its current strategy. In April this year, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the addresses of several factories in European countries that produce drones for Ukraine. This was seen as a warning, indicating that these facilities could become targets in the future. Last month, the Russian Foreign Ministry also stated that it would carry out "systematic strikes" on military targets in Ukraine.
The report suggests that Putin himself seems confident in the current strategy. On the 23rd, he told graduates from military academies that the Russian army is close to taking control of Steninovka in the Donbas region. He also said that political forces within Europe that hold hostile views towards Russia may be replaced by “more rational” competitors in the future.
Those who hope for Russia to restore normal relations and suspend the so-called strategic defeat policy are becoming more numerous. Putin said, "In the end, everything will be alright."
