Russia intensifies attacks against Odessa and Kharkiv and spreads panic among the civilian population

Russia intensified his missile attacks and aviation bombs against Odessa and Kharkiv, two of the largest cities in Ukrainein an attempt to sow panic among its civilian population, amidst information about the preparation of another major offensive.

“Terrorists have carried out more than 380 attacks against our cities and regions this week alone“, he wrote on his social networks. ukrainian presidentVolodymyr Zelensky, calling on Ukraine’s allies to deliver modern air defense systems to protect civilian lives.

His call comes after the devastating russian attacks against Kharkiv and Odessa This week.

The southern coastal city of Odessa was hit by ballistic missiles for three consecutive days, with six dead and thirty injured from the cluster munition attack on the busy coastal area on Monday.

In Kharkiv, located just 20 kilometers from the border with Russia, an aircraft bomb destroyed three private homes on Thursday and killed an 82-year-old woman. With the attacks that occur daily, nine people were injured in the last two days alone.

“There are no military objectives where they are attacking. They hit residential areas, infrastructure and do everything possible to make our lives worse.“, Oleksandr Gorovi, a businessman from Kharkiv.

Attempts to spread panic

“Russia is employing a new tactic, dropping glider bombs on residential areas in broad daylight to instill fear and terrorize residents”Maria Avdeeva, a security expert from Kharkiv, underlines on her social networks.

Although hundreds of thousands of people fled the second largest city in Ukraine In the first weeks of the invasion, when Russian troops were stopped just at the entrance to the city, life slowly recovered in Kharkiv after the successful counteroffensive in autumn 2022.

However, Russian attacks now threaten to undo fragile progress. The city streets are emptier than they were several months ago, says Avdeeva, while Russia combines his attacks with “an information offensive”.

The Kremlin’s goal is to make Kharkiv “uninhabitable” and forcing a large percentage of its approximately 1.3 million inhabitants to flee, according to Avdeeva.

“Moscow hopes this will demoralize Ukraine and pave the way for the city’s capture by Russian forces during an expected summer offensive”, writes for the Atlantic Council research center.

The constant danger of guided aerial bombs, against which the city’s air defenses cannot protect it, adds to the psychological pressure, as Russian officials openly talk about creating “a demilitarized sanitary zone” in Kharkiv and false calls for evacuation spread on social networks, alleges the expert.

Although Russia may be preparing an offensive against Kharkivmay not have sufficient forces and means to launch it, however, representatives of the Ukrainian army point out.

Determination to resist

For many residents, leaving the city is out of the question. “We are not so easy to scare. They’ll run out of missiles before they can panic us“Gorovi insists to EFE.

After the city was attacked last night by thirteen drones and four missiles, Gorovi is busy planting flowers near the partially reconstructed ruins of his company compound, hit by a Russian rocket more than two years ago.

“There must be flowers. We need something nice to counteract all this devastation“, he emphasizes, like many other residents who find relief in their daily tasks.

Although Odessa does not face the same risk of a ground offensive, it has also been the target of daily Russian attacks, from nearby Crimea.

Russia deliberately complements its pressure on the front line with the “terror against cities peaceful”, underlines Oleksandr Kovalenko, a military analyst from Odessa, on his social networks.

In your opinion, Russia It seeks to break the spirit of the residents and their will to resist, in order to force a peace treaty on the invader’s terms.

However, each attack against the city only increases hatred towards the attackers, he told EFE.