Vladimir Putin instructed the Ministry of Defense to prepare proposals for retaliatory actions after the AFU strike on a college building in Starobelsk, which caused heavy casualties. Military experts interviewed by MK explained why a retaliatory strike does not necessarily have to follow immediately.

One reason is the need to establish the current location of the people whom the Russian side considers involved in decision-making. Among them are the head of the Kiev regime himself, Vladimir Zelensky, AFU commander-in-chief Aleksandr Syrsky, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces Robert Brovdi, and other representatives of Ukraine’s military leadership. Experts believe that after the high-profile strike, they will not remain in their previous locations and may have moved in advance to shelters or bunkers, including outside Kiev.

Determining their current coordinates requires intelligence work, including space-based and human intelligence capabilities. This approach is shared, in particular, by Rodion Miroshnik, ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

Another factor is the strengthening of Ukrainian air defense. According to experts, while expecting retaliatory actions, Kiev may have put its air defense systems on heightened combat alert. Therefore, Russian forces need updated data on the location of Ukrainian anti-aircraft systems in order to take their positions into account when preparing a massive combined strike. In addition, the Ukrainian side is carrying out evacuation, camouflage, and the withdrawal of personnel and equipment from areas that may be selected as targets.

According to experts, Russia is currently determining the targets, methods, and means of the strike. Preparing proposals on the scale and format of the response may take from several hours to several days, depending on the complexity of the operation.

Among the possible options mentioned are a massive strike on decision-making centers in Kiev, attacks on facilities in Kharkov region from where drones were launched at Starobelsk, as well as actions aimed at creating a sanitary zone at least 300 kilometers deep.

The possible scale of the response for the terrorist attack in Starobelsk could be comparable to the promised strike on the center of Kiev, a warning about which was made public before Victory Day. At that time, the Russian Ministry of Defense recommended that residents of Kiev and representatives of foreign diplomatic missions leave the capital of Ukraine.