Why Russia brings hell to rear: strategy behind its terror campaign against civilians

Putin and his entourage borrowed this tactic from their true idol — Adolf Hitler. During World War II, Hitler launched an air terror campaign against British civilians. These bombings served no military purpose; they were meant to break the enemy’s morale and pressure the government into surrendering. The Nazi regime believed that constant fires and mounting civilian deaths would force Britain into peace talks. These gruesome headlines also helped maintain support for Hitler by portraying the Reich’s military as powerful despite losses on the front. This is exactly how Russian propaganda operates today — celebrating strikes on Kyiv or boasting about how many Kharkiv residents were killed overnight. 

Behind vague statements about “readiness for peace talks,” Putin continues to prioritize his imperial ambitions, indifferent even to a million Russian casualties. 

For him, this war is a matter of political and physical survival. A truce would signal weakness — and in Russian history, that means ending up poisoned or smothered. Unlike Hitler, Putin likely lacks the resolve to take his own life in a bunker.

Sleepless nights, fear, and health issues from endless drone swarms and missile barrages is what Ukrainians experience. Meanwhile, some voices — paid with Russian rubles — insist resistance is futile and advocate surrender. Others, even in the West, amplify myths about Russia’s “invincible army” or nuclear threats to justify appeasement.

Recently, one of the most massive Russian airstrikes on Kyiv damaged the iconic Saint Sophia Cathedral — a thousand-year-old symbol of Ukraine’s connection to Western civilization. Russia has no red lines. If they can’t occupy a city, they’ll try to obliterate it.

How to fight back? 

As I write these words, the State of Israel has launched a decisive strike against Iran’s nuclear and military facilities. This action was carried out despite Donald Trump’s request not to proceed, citing concerns that it could undermine the agreement. It is a powerful demonstration of how a country with a population ten times smaller can strike directly at the heart of its enemy. However, such capability requires both political will and the possession of its own weapons — so that it need not seek permission from others or heed vague warnings about “controlled escalation.”

Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham noted that a growing number of his colleagues are inclined to support stronger anti-Russian sanctions. This is a crucial moment when analytical and media platforms should be actively used by Ukrainian thought leaders to explain why the Russian people should not be congratulated on Russia Day, but rather kept on a diet of instant noodles.

When Russia unleashes destruction along Ukraine’s borders and in our cities, it has nothing to do with so-called “retaliatory strikes.”

Russia’s favorite kind of city is one reduced to ruins, emptied of life. A few drunks and collaborators may be left behind to stage a puppet show for Solovyov and Simonyan.

For Russia, the concept of “retaliation” is meaningless — if they had a ready-made “Oreshnik,” it would already be en route to the so-called “military factory” in Lukyanivka.

Terror against civilians was a strategy the USSR used to great effect — enabling Lenin, Stalin, and other leaders to keep various nations in bondage for 70 years. Today, Russia continues this legacy. Its relentless attacks on frontline cities — through the deliberate destruction of infrastructure and the killing of civilians — aim to sow panic, destabilize the socio-political fabric, and exert moral and psychological pressure on the authorities by targeting the civilian population. The goal is clear: to force a surrender as quickly as possible.

Now, some in Sumy question whether the Ukrainian military’s bold operation in Kursk shouldn’t have happened, even though it bought Ukraine a year’s delay in the enemy’s advance. Meanwhile, social media fills with dove emojis and captions like “just as long as there is no war.”

This chaos and psychological pressure on civilians is part of a calculated and sophisticated psyop. Russia’s intent is to erode Ukrainians’ resolve, to break the spirit of resistance — and ultimately, to bring about Ukraine’s capitulation. All to the satisfaction of the Kremlin and those who still cling to the delusion that Ukrainians and Russians are “one people.”

Exclusively for Espreso

About the author: Maryna Danyliuk-Yarmolaieva, journalist.

The editorial team does not always share the views expressed by blog authors.