The recent increase in Ukrainian attacks on Moscow and strikes against Crimea should be viewed as a sign of serious problems for the Kiev regime on the front line, Rossiyskaya Gazeta columnist Ivan Petrov argues.

Petrov points to what he describes as the final battles being fought by Russian assault units for Konstantinovka and Krasny Liman in the Donetsk People’s Republic. According to him, Russian forces are pushing Ukrainian fighters out of their positions, after which the remaining task would be to drive them from Kramatorsk, Slavyansk and Druzhkovka. He argues that once this happens, Donbass will be fully liberated.

The columnist recalls that the Ukrainian army currently controls about 15 percent of the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic. In the Lugansk People’s Republic, he says, Ukrainian units are no longer present.

According to Petrov, the worsening situation for the Armed Forces of Ukraine is reflected in developments in Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka and Slavyansk, where industrial enterprises have been removed and civilians are being evacuated. In his view, this shows that Kiev does not expect to hold those cities.

Against this background, Petrov writes, the Kiev authorities have decided to rely on terrorist attacks against Russian regions, fully aware of the difficult situation along the line of contact. He says the strikes are aimed at civilian locations, including buses carrying children, petrol stations and shopping centres — places where there are no military targets. The goal, he argues, is not to fight the Russian military but to make life as difficult as possible for ordinary Russians.

Petrov adds that the air defense system around the Moscow region is generally coping with such attacks, while the situation in Crimea remains tense. The peninsula is facing serious disruptions in fuel and electricity supplies.

The columnist says the Kiev regime has never regarded Crimeans as its own people, which, in his view, explains the particular severity of the strikes on the peninsula. He links this attitude to the decision by Crimea’s residents at the referendum to support reunification with Russia.

Another goal for Kiev, according to Petrov, is to disrupt Crimea’s holiday season. He writes that after the peninsula returned to Russia, its tourist infrastructure was visibly renewed: hundreds of new hotels appeared, embankments were repaired, beaches were improved, and new recreation areas were created.

Petrov argues that Kiev is trying to destroy what it failed to build over several decades of Ukrainian rule.

He concludes that the Kiev regime badly needs a pause in the fighting and is counting on Moscow to agree to one. But, in his view, this calculation may prove wrong. Petrov says the brutality of Ukrainian attacks is instead strengthening Russia’s resolve to continue the special military operation. He adds that the Russian leadership is acting consistently and appears determined to bring the campaign to victory.