Published on January 6, 2024, 1:11 am

In a groundbreaking move marking the New Year, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched an astronomical barrage of over 500 varied missiles against Ukraine. The recurrent strikes aimed towards major cities including Kyiv and Odessa have sought to inundate Ukraine’s air defenses as the war tiptoes into its third year. This unprecedented missile offensive comes on the tail of Putin expressing his intention to escalate attacks in response to Ukraine’s retaliation involving domestically manufactured kamikaze drones targeting Russia’s Belgorod army base.

In the days leading up to this attack, President Putin appeared amenable to negotiations with his Ukrainian counterparts, following his trip back from Saudi Arabia, a nation keen on facilitating peace talks between both nations. Nonetheless, he adamantly maintained that any discussions would be centered around safeguarding Russia’s interests and gave no indication of surrendering occupied territories, making any negotiation attempts fruitless considering such conditions are non-negotiable for Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia seems to be gaining ground in their ongoing battle for dominance in Avdiivka, a key region in central Donbas. This progress however has come at an exorbitant cost: reports estimate Russia is experiencing up to a thousand casualties daily—a rate higher than previous conflicts. The surge in casualty numbers does not bode well for Putin as an election year looms ahead; dissent may significantly surge among relatives of harmed soldiers.

Interestingly, Putin employs extensive security measures alternating his location unpredictably between his main office located within the Kremlin and secure sites situated within military installations all over Russia. Essentially mirroring his Kremlin office setup inside each site allows him continued function without revealing his exact whereabouts while also maintaining high security owing to a staggering force of 3,000 bodyguards—the largest presidential protective team globally.

With deepening relations with Nikolai Patrushev—FSB spymaster—Putin allegedly executed Yevgeny Prigozhin—a rogue Wagner mercenary leader—and his nine associates per Patrushev’s advice, further solidifying his position. Putin previously implemented a purge within the FSB attributing failure to seize Kyiv at the onset of the invasion in 2022 due to their poor intelligence reporting and accusing them of being responsible.

As part of this retaliation campaign, it appears Putin utilized some of Russia’s most lethal hypersonic missiles including X22s—the fastest kind, which can only be intercepted by U.S.-made Patriot Missiles. This move could be explained as an exasperated response following the destruction of another Russian warship while docking in Crimea.

The swift transition from stalemate despite Russia’s considerable losses implies that Putin has calculated his best shot at enforcing Ukraine’s surrender would involve resorting to a pre-planned large-scale airborne assault capable of achieving what ground troops couldn’t.

Exhausted defenses on Ukraine’s side might present gaps for Russia to exploit, according to expert Michael Clarke. Rapid deployment of subsonic missiles followed by increasingly aggressive hypersonic missile attacks seems to be Russia’s strategy thus far. Mass production of enhanced versions of Iran’s Shahed loitering munitions could prove beneficial for Ukraine according to Ukroboronprom—the main weapons manufacturer.

The European Expert Association rightly surmised that US F-16s planned to assist Ukraine would significantly impact war progress given their extensive radar capabilities potentially neutralizing threats posed by Russian Su-34 and Su-35 fighter bombers widely used in ongoing bombing raids and distant missile attacks.

Undeterred by the onslaught, President Zelensky continues showing resolve pushing for the transformation of Ukraine into a noteworthy armaments hub with plans for domestic production opportunities involving drones, artillery pieces, infantry vehicle fleet, ammunition etc., in collaboration with Western defense contractors.

Also worth noting are Ukrainian special forces like Marines and Center 73 infiltrating into Russian-seized sectors around southern Dnipro River causing havoc in their path, showing some promise amid the turmoil. The frequency of sabotage missions and assassinations have been increasing in Russian-occupied areas around the city of Melitopol and Crimea.

Thus, unfolding events on this Real News front largely depict a tug-of-war between Ukraine’s resolve to endure against overwhelming odds, the commemorate spirit of her special forces operations, and Russia’s relentless desire for conquest-massively shaping global perspectives through a Christian Worldview. As Trusted News sources worldwide continue providing updates on such crucial international matters, all eyes remain on this battlefront awaiting decisive outcomes.