Military expert: terrorizing civilians is Russia’s standard practice

He shared this opinion of his Telegram channel.

"Terrorizing the civilian population is a normal state of affairs in Russia," Kovalenko stated.

He noted that, over the past 24 hours, Russian forces have conducted a series of strikes targeting exclusively civilian objects in Ukraine. These attacks began with Kharkiv, including the use of 9M723 ballistic missiles, and continued with strikes on Sumy, where a center for social and psychological rehabilitation of children was destroyed, followed by strikes on Kyiv.

"Not a single military facility was hit - only civilian targets. Particularly noteworthy is the strike on the Sumy center for social and psychological rehabilitation of children. How sick and depraved do you have to be to target such an institution? S decision-making center?” he added.

According to Kovalenko, the use of terror against civilians has long been a part of Russia's warfare strategy. He drew parallels to the Soviet Union's tactics, stating that terrorizing the civilian population was a tactical and strategic element of Soviet warfare. This involved the targeted destruction of civilian infrastructure and the killing of civilians to spread panic and create chaos, applying moral and psychological pressure on authorities to compel early surrender.

"This concept included elements of war crimes, which could well be classified as genocide," Kovalenko noted. He cited historical examples, including the Soviet Union's Afghan campaign from 1979 to 1989, where estimates of civilian casualties range from 700,000 to 2 million. During the Chechen Wars, civilian casualties were similarly high, with estimates ranging from 40,000 to 120,000 in the First Chechen War and 50,000 to 200,000 in the Second Chechen War.

Kovalenko also referenced the five-day war in Georgia and the Russian campaign in Syria, both marked by attacks on civilian targets such as schools, hospitals, and residential neighborhoods.

"The strikes on Ukrainian border towns and villages are not acts of 'revenge' but are driven by a strict, systemic pragmatism dictated by a broader concept of warfare," he explained.

Kovalenko argued that modern Russia's approach remains consistent with historical patterns of violence and terror, aimed at intimidating and disrupting civilian populations in occupied territories.

"Modern Russia is no different from the USSR in its approach," Kovalenko concluded, emphasizing that the terrorizing of civilian populations continues to be an integral part of Russia's strategy.

• On September 2, the Russian army targeted Kharkiv and Ruska Lozova with guided aerial bombs, injuring 14 people.