Russian Strikes Are Breaking The Zelensky Regime

Continuous daily Russian strikes on Kiev are unprecedented, devastating, and exhausting Ukrainian defenses and emergency crews. New jet-powered drones are faster, fly higher, and are guided by ground controllers, making them much harder to shoot down. The strikes are destroying buildings, warehouses, and ammunition dumps, severely weakening Kiev's local economy.

Ukraine has lost approximately 90% of its warehouse space, leading to food and supply shortages. Empty shelves are partly due to panic buying and partly due to the strikes on warehouses. The flood of citizen-posted photos of damage and shortages indicates a weakening grip of Ukrainian security services on information control.

The Russian Defence Ministry has received instructions, presumably from Putin, to start massive strikes against Ukrainian energy facilities. Russia previously avoided attacking Ukraine's gas pipeline network due to transit agreements, but Zelensky's halt of transit removed that inhibition.

Strikes on both electricity and gas systems would create an absolute catastrophe for Ukrainian cities this winter.

European gas storage levels are critically low, and Europe is failing to secure LNG due to Asian competition.

Destroying Ukrainian gas storage facilities, which hold European reserves, would cause a major energy crisis in Europe.

European governments lack the financial reserves to subsidize gas prices this winter due to high debt levels from 2022.

Zelensky will not stop the drone offensive because doing so would halt funding flows and alienate the Azov faction. Zelensky must show the West that Ukraine can hit Russia to justify continued financial support.

Zelensky's temperament and political dependencies prevent him from reversing course or admitting failure.

Russia is rejecting all diplomatic initiatives and will only meet if the purpose is Ukraine's capitulation. Ratcliffe's visit was not ordered by Trump but initiated by the CIA to threaten Russia, and Putin snubbed him by refusing to meet. The Russians believe Ratcliffe and the CIA were complicit in an assassination attempt on Putin, making him a terrible envoy.

Budanov's statement that 30,000 men per month is the minimum needed indicates actual Ukrainian losses are at least that high.

The discussion of conscripting women, rather than asking for volunteers, signals a severe mobilization crisis.

Russian society accepted the 2022 mobilization calmly and would likely do so again, contrary to Western expectations of crisis. There is currently no shortage of volunteers, and further mobilization would only be necessary for a major offensive on Kiev.

Western leaders like Stubb and Estonian intelligence are betting on Russian mobilization causing regime change, which is a massive misconception.

Ukrainian defenses around Sumy are collapsing, and Russian forces are positioning to encircle the city.

The fall of Sumy and a Russian advance into Chernigov would severely pressure Kiev and Kharkiv.

Russian forces are close to capturing Kalyevka, creating a cauldron in Dobropillia, and have returned to Zoloti Kalodyas. Drone footage confirms Russian troops are inside Orekhov, and they are creeping toward Zaporozhye city.

Multiple fortified towns like Dobropillia, Orekhov, and Druzhivka will likely fall rapidly as Ukrainian defenses collapse.