Ukrainian Armed Forces Officer: Only Strikes On Moscow Will Stop The Attacks On Kyiv
- 6.10.2026, 13:36
Russia must understand the cost of every strike on the Ukrainian capital.
Russia has begun systematically attacking bridges across the Dnieper River in Kyiv. Not only logistics infrastructure but also civilian facilities in the capital—used daily by thousands of people—have come under fire.
Why is Russia deliberately targeting bridges used by civilian traffic? The website Charter97.org discussed this with military expert Oleksiy Hetman, a reserve major in the Ukrainian National Guard:
— The Russian occupiers justify this by claiming that military vehicles are allegedly moving across these bridges, and in this way they are trying to disrupt logistics. They claim that the left bank will be left without everything necessary to conduct combat operations. In reality, they are trying to create problems in Kyiv in order to destabilize the situation as much as possible. There is other evidence of this as well. For example, they launch “Shaheds,” which supposedly attack military targets, but they do so throughout the day to keep the air raid alert going in Kyiv for 15–18 hours.
This is an attempt to destabilize the situation in the city. During an air raid alert, government offices, clinics, and many other facilities that people need—even stores—are closed.
Therefore, to believe the Russians’ stories is to disrespect yourself. This is an attempt to put pressure on the population in order to destabilize the situation from within. There is no other explanation here.
— What threat do these strikes pose to Kyiv and Ukraine as a whole? Could the Kremlin try to “cut off” the capital or even the entire country along the Dnieper River?
— They do have that dream: to completely destroy all the bridges across the Dnieper to separate the left and right banks of Ukraine. Let them keep dreaming. They’ll try, but they won’t succeed. First, we’ll defend them more actively. Second, they have virtually no way of doing so. They may want to, but war is war.
— Strikes on bridges were described as a kind of red line. How might Ukraine respond? And how important are the Crimean Bridge and other key Russian logistics facilities in this context?
— There is no red line. What kind of red lines are we talking about after five years of full-scale war? The Russians are conducting military operations as they see fit. Especially since Putin said there’s no need to adhere to the rules of war. Putin called on his armed forces not to adhere to the rules of war, which means committing war crimes.
There are rules and traditions of warfare. Any deviation from them constitutes war crimes. In other words, Putin has called on his armed forces to commit war crimes. They’re doing everything they possibly can. What other “red lines” are there? Five years of war—what other red lines are there?
The Crimean Bridge no longer plays the same role as it did at the very beginning. If we need to destroy it, we’ll destroy it. For some reason, everyone is fixated on this Crimean Bridge. Will things be any easier for us in Kyiv if it’s gone? We need to minimize the damage from Russian attacks and reduce the Russians’ desire to attack our capital. To do that, we must deliver the strongest possible retaliatory strikes.
The fact that happened last night—strikes on Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other major cities—is a symmetrical response to Russian actions. It will make them think twice about whether or not to attack, for example, Kyiv.
A strike on Kyiv is a strike on Moscow. A powerful strike on Kyiv is an even more powerful strike on Moscow. These are elements of deterrence and a symmetrical response.
There are no other options. Reach an agreement: “Let’s not do this,” “let’s be nice and gentle”? Once again: this war has been going on for five years. A war of annihilation. A full-scale war.
What arguments, what red lines? Strike as hard as possible. Inflict maximum damage on the enemy. During war, there should be no love for the enemy, only hatred. There must be hatred for the enemy and a desire to inflict maximum damage on him. When an army is guided by this logic, it leads to victory. Any other logic— “Let’s hug, let’s kiss, we’re brotherly nations”—leads to defeat.
Once again: during war, one must feel hatred toward the enemy, not tolerance. Unfortunately for us, this has already sunk in for many Ukrainian citizens. I wish this would sink in sooner for our European partners, who continue to engage in some sort of peace-loving, peacemaking talk: “Let’s make sure there’s no escalation.” What escalation are they talking about?