ISW: Putin Has Two Objectives

• 16.06.2026, 8:53

The Kremlin is trying to create the illusion of control.

On the night of June 15, the Russian terrorist army carried out yet another series of large-scale strikes on Ukrainian territory. With these massive attacks, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is pursuing two main goals: to break the Ukrainians’ will to resist and to mask his own weakness

Civilian infrastructure in Kyiv, Dnipro, and Kharkiv came under massive rocket and drone fire. This is stated in an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

The attacks damaged residential, energy, and religious infrastructure in Ukrainian cities. According to reports from Ukrainian officials, the wave of Russian terror claimed lives and led to widespread destruction. Across Ukraine, at least 11 people were killed, and at least 53 others were injured.

The strike was most devastating in Kyiv. In the capital, there were at least 5 fatalities and 35 injuries. Targeted strikes on civilian facilities were also recorded.

What the Kremlin is aiming for

ISW experts analyzed the Kremlin’s motives and concluded that, by organizing massive strikes on the Ukrainian capital, Putin is pursuing two key objectives.

The Kremlin continues to believe that regular terror against the civilian population and Kyiv’s critical infrastructure will force Ukrainian society and the country’s leadership to make concessions.

The Kremlin is also trying to mask its own weakness. For Putin, the massive attacks on Ukraine serve as a kind of “smoke screen.” In this way, the Russian dictator is trying to hide the Russian military’s inability to ensure the security of its own territory—including the Russian capital—from long-range strikes by Ukraine.

ISW experts concluded that the demonstrative brutality of the strikes on Kyiv is intended to compensate for the internal vulnerability of Putin’s regime and create the illusion of control against the backdrop of obvious failures in the defense of Russia itself.