War spreads: On the evening of July 28, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said that it had attacked a command post or control center in Ukraine’s Dnipro region with missiles capable of hitting precision targets. Russia carried out this attack in response to Ukraine’s attack on the command post in the Taganrog region of Rostov province.
Russian authorities claimed they shot down the missile, but it crashed into buildings in the city. It also has an art museum. The missile used by the Ukrainians is a modified version of the S-200 air defense missile. Made capable of land attacks.
Just a day before the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the Dnipro command post. There he participated in the award ceremony with the Chief of Army Staff of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny. In Ukraine, he met several high-ranking military officers, including the head of military intelligence.
Russian intelligence continues to follow Zelensky very closely. His arrival at the Dnipro command post and his meeting with Ukrainian generals, commanders, and military intelligence chiefs indicate that attack.
According to Ukrainian media, the target of the Russian attack was a building near the Nipro command post. But observers say that Ukraine’s defense missile crashed into the building to prevent a Russian missile attack.
Some videos and photos show Russian missiles hitting Ukrainian command posts. It also shows some damage. It is not known how much damage was done in this attack. According to the news, people are buried under the rubble. Local residents have been requested to donate blood from the hospital. As a result, it is understood that the number of casualties is not low.
It is not yet known whether the Ukrainian army commanders were at the command post when the missile struck.
Ukraine has now launched an attack on Russian territory. As a result, the war has now spread beyond Ukraine’s borders. Ukraine carried out another round of drone attacks in Moscow last week. Russia claims they shot down the drones (although they caused damage on the ground).
However, the attack on Russia’s Taganrog command post is the most significant incident from Russia’s perspective. Because the attack targeted an army camp where General Valery Gerasimov and other high-ranking military officials had gathered earlier. Did Ukraine have special intelligence that Russian military officers would gather there? It is also not clear whether any army commander was injured in the attack by Ukraine.
Ukraine’s counteroffensive operations are ongoing and both sides are suffering heavy casualties. But the level of damage in Ukraine is much higher. US and British military planners planned this counterattack. Its purpose is to surprise the Russian forces through a surprise attack. While Ukraine has made some modest gains in this campaign, Russia has largely been recapturing it.
The Russians see that Ukraine has sent their best-trained and most experienced troops to participate in the counter-offensive. They show a very high level of professionalism. The moral standards of these troops trained by NATO are also very high. However, they need to reassess how losing the best troops in an operation of low strategic importance is ultimately benefiting the Ukrainian government.
Washington’s biggest concern now is whether the war will soon spread beyond Ukraine. Poland could be a potential hotspot for war. Russian and Polish—both sides actively engaged in the provocation. Russia has sent troops of the Wagner Group to Belarus, while Poland has sent armored vehicles to the border between Belarus and Ukraine.
If war escalates in Europe, NATO is in a bad position to support new wars. NATO is running short of troops, ammunition, armored vehicles, and air defense systems.
Russia is now in the final stages of large-scale military deployment. This incident proves that they are preparing for a large-scale war. Russia has been saying since the beginning that they are at war with NATO. Their claim will gain a solid foundation if war with Poland breaks out.
In short, this war may soon turn into a more brutal one. As Ukraine moves out of territory, the war could spiral out of control. Europe is not prepared for a war that could spread to its territory. Some efforts and steps are needed to avoid a major crisis.