Putin isn’t avenging — he’s shifting blame to Ukraine

Putin has no way to take revenge on Ukraine, neither for the burned strategic bombers, nor for the Crimean Bridge, nor for the destroyed Iskanders. Revenge is possible only for the side that has been attacked.

Ukraine has been taking revenge on Putin and the Russians since 2014. For the annexation of Crimea, for the killings of Ukrainian servicemen, and for the tortured civilians. The Crimean Bridge is revenge, Olenya is revenge, Belaya is revenge.

But the missile strikes on Kyiv, on residential buildings, are not revenge, but ordinary terror by the aggressors, which began in 2014 and has been going on for twelve years now.

The only person who benefits from pushing the “revenge” narrative is Putin. This is how the war criminal shifts responsibility for Ukrainian civilian casualties from himself to the Ukrainian military. Because if it’s “revenge” for the actions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, ordinary people may start to believe that the military should stop resisting so that Shaheds don’t fall on their heads.

So, along with your outrage over the attacks, don’t forget to check your sources. If they write about “Putin’s revenge” and post clickbait headlines that push this false Kremlin narrative, change your sources. They’re either information looters or enemies.

This is not revenge. This is terrorism by a crumbling empire. Condolences to the families of the dead, and strength to the wounded.

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About the author. Serhiy Marchenko, labor market expert and blogger.

The editorial team does not always share the opinions expressed by blog or column authors.