What many in the West perceived as a strategic blunder is increasingly seen in Moscow as a costly but necessary and ultimately successful gamble. As the all-out war in Ukraine enters its fifth year, Russian political elites remain convinced that their leader, Vladimir Putin, did not make a grave error by launching it in February 2022. Instead, they are looking back with a sense of achievement, and they have good reason to believe that the war is ending on their terms, perhaps even soon.
Sometimes you want to speak frankly, but the situation does not allow it. For example, until this morning we had several air defense systems without missiles. Today I can say this openly, because today I have these missiles. Continuous missile packages are needed. Today, thank God, early this morning we received a serious package. It is now in Ukraine, and I can talk about it.
Russia said Friday it has used the new Oreshnik ballistic missile along with other weapons in a massive strike on Ukraine. Ukrainian officials said four people were killed and at least 22 wounded in the capital overnight. Russia didn't say where Oreshnik hit, but Russian media and military bloggers said it targeted a huge underground natural gas storage in Ukraine's western Lviv region.
