Russia's 'Most Powerful Attack' on Kharkiv and Retaliation for Ukraine's Air Base Strikes

Kharkiv Under 'Most Powerful Attack'

• 🎯 Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city, was targeted by what authorities described as the biggest drone attack since the war began.
• 💥 The assault involved 53 Iranian-designed Shahid drones, one rocket, and four guided aerial bombs, hitting both a civilian enterprise (possibly a factory) and a residential building.
• 💔 Three people were killed and at least 17 injured in the Kharkiv strikes, while two others died in a missile strike on a high-rise in Kherson.

Escalation and Retaliation

• ⚡ Russia has intensified its ground offensive in the Sumi region, northwest of Kharkiv, reportedly capturing two more villages.
• ✈️ These attacks follow Vladimir Putin's warning of retaliation for Ukraine's surprise strike on Russian air bases, dubbed 'Operation Spid'.
• ⚖️ The correspondent argues that Russia's retaliation is asymmetrical, targeting Ukrainian cities, unlike Ukraine's operation which focused exclusively on military targets.

Assessing 'Operation Spid'

• ❓ Ukraine's 'Operation Spid' was a reaction to Russia's continuous missile attacks on its cities since 2022.
• 📉 While Ukraine claimed 41 Russian planes were destroyed, experts suggest around 12-13 were destroyed and others damaged, with damaged planes potentially being irreparable due to lack of spare parts.
• 📢 Russia initially downplayed the impact, claiming only tires caught fire, but has since shifted to calling the Ukrainian operation a 'terrorist attack'.
• 🧐 The correspondent questions this label, stating that any definition of terrorism must include targeting civilians, which 'Operation Spid' did not do.