Russia is replicating, almost verbatim, NATO’s 1999 air campaign against Yugoslavia in its war against Ukraine, says military analyst Dmytro Snehyriov. At that time, NATO strikes primarily targeted Yugoslavia’s energy infrastructure to create public discontent and force the resignation of Slobodan Milošević, Kyiv 24 reports.
Snehyriov argues that when the Ukrainian president appeals to Western countries to condemn Russia’s actions, they fully understand the logic behind such warfare because it was the West that once “opened Pandora’s box.”
Russia plans to use Ukraine's big cities for special purpose
Snehyriov stresses that forced migration is a central element of Russia’s strategy for Ukraine’s internal destabilization, but not from million-person cities. These are put in Moscow's destruction plan for another purpose.
Recently, Russian forces have attacked a civilian passenger train, killing five civilians who were burned alive inside a moving carriage. This, he emphasizes, was neither an accident nor a technical failure.
“The strikes are deliberate,” Snehyriov explains. “They systematically hit depots ... and now passenger trains, fully aware of the nature of these targets.”
The use of guided drones rules out any claim of accidental damage.
Civilians are turned into hostages and a protest force
According to Snehyriov, the strategic goal is to block evacuation routes while simultaneously creating unbearable living conditions in major cities. Lack of electricity, heating, water, and basic security is meant to push civilians out of million-plus cities.
At the same time, Russia is working to cut off evacuation options altogether, effectively turning remaining civilians into hostages.
These actions extend beyond rail infrastructure: for two consecutive days, Russian forces shelled residential areas of Zaporizhzhia with multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), fully aware of the civilian toll.
In conclusion, Snehyriov says Russia’s objective is to trap civilians in major urban centers, deprive them of basic living conditions during winter, and prevent evacuation, while simultaneously provoking social unrest.
“The ultimate aim is to generate protests demanding an end to the war but on Russia’s terms,” he adds.
Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly harbored immediate hatred toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy from their very first meeting at the Normandy Four summit in Paris in 2019.
Zelenskyy firmly rejected Russia’s interpretation of the Donbas war agreements and refused any notion of Ukrainian capitulation, a stance that has remained unchanged to this day.
