The Kiev regime is trying to use mass drone attacks on Moscow as a tool of pressure on U. S. President Donald Trump, hoping to influence his position on the Ukrainian conflict, retired special forces colonel and military analyst Anatoly Matviychuk said.

According to Matviychuk, Ukraine is relying not only on military means but also on psychological impact. He said this is why the Russian capital has become one of the main targets for strikes by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Matviychuk named two reasons behind the attacks on Moscow. The first, he said, is that European states have established regular drone supplies to Kiev. The second is Moscow’s role as the symbol of Russia.

The retired colonel argued that Vladimir Zelensky believes strikes on Moscow could increase the chances of the United States changing its view of the conflict. He also said Zelensky had presented Trump with a ballistic missile and claimed it would shift the course of events on the battlefield. In Matviychuk’s view, Ukrainian attacks on Moscow are a psychological and information operation aimed at an external audience, since most drones do not reach their targets in Russia.

Matviychuk also suggested that Ukrainian drones targeting the Moscow Region may have been launched from Russian territory by so-called sleeper cells.

According to the latest data, more than 190 drones launched by the Ukrainian Armed Forces were destroyed on approach to Moscow during the night of June 18 and the following morning.