Ukrainian drones have targeted Moscow for the second night in a row, forcing temporary airport closures as the Russian capital prepares for a major military parade marking the end of the second world war that is expected to draw world leaders.
The consecutive attacks came before the annual 9 May victory parade, which this year commemorates the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union and its allies’ victory over Nazi Germany.
Vladimir Putin tried to call a three-day ceasefire for the 8-10 May anniversary; however, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, characterised the idea as self-serving and pointless unless it lasted 30 days in line with a US proposal that the Russian president has ignored.
That’s exactly the right way. The people in Moscow need to realize this isn’t as far away as their leader would have them believe. Without giving them a whole bunch of martyrs but by scaring them. Even in a despotic regime demoralizing the general public is quite effective.