Russian air strikes reported on Ukrainian cities

[1LoverofGod]

Russian strikes have hit Ukraine's north-eastern city of Kharkiv and Lviv in the country's west, the mayors of the two cities say.

The mayor of Kharkiv reported a "massive missile attack" on the city, while his counterpart in Lviv reported two strikes.There were no immediate reports of casualties.
There are also reports of Russian drone strikes in the port city of Odesa earlier.

Kharkiv's regional military administration said Russia had "made about 10 strikes on the city". Kharkiv is less than 40km (25 miles) from the border with Russia, while Lviv lies in the far west of Ukraine, just 70km from the Polish border.
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[Margery]

Putin is pushing ahead with a greater show of force than usual. It's probably related to his re-election campaign needs. The whole strong man thing that Russians love in a leader. But his silencing of Navalny by putting him in an Arctic Gulag where information going in and out can be tightly controlled suggests that this might be Putin's moment to deal with Ukraine and other domestic problems. The war has gone on for too long, and it's cost Putin a lot. He has intensified the attack.

BBC said this: Ukraine war: At least 30 killed in biggest Russian bombardment yet

"Ukraine's air force said it had never seen so many missiles launched at once.

Kyiv's air defences have drastically improved in recent months, but on Friday they were overwhelmed.

An Air Force spokesperson said Russia used hypersonic, cruise and ballistic missiles, including X-22 type, which are difficult to intercept. "We've never seen so many targets hit simultaneously," he added."

"So why did Russia do this now?

Its missile stockpiles aren't what they were, but Moscow has shown it still wants to continue its tactic of suppressing Ukraine's population, in the hope that not feeling safe will lessen their appetite for this war.

It's also been a week when Ukraine destroyed a major Russian landing ship in occupied Crimea, and the US delivered the last of its approved military packages to Ukraine worth $250m.

However, that is relatively small change compared to the $50bn aid package currently blocked by political disagreement in the US Congress."

So Russia sees an advantage- the appetite for the West to support Ukraine is down as the war drags on, Ukraine destroyed a major Russian ship, and the US delivered the last of it's approved military packages to Ukraine. If Russia forces them to use that up defending themselves and no more is coming in the near future, it's time for a death blow.