A strategy aimed at forcing Russia into peace through attacks on its territory has turned into a disaster for Ukraine, according to Glenn Diesen, a professor at the University of South-Eastern Norway.

Diesen argued that NATO’s push for deeper strikes inside Russia was intended to weaken the Russian economy and make the country’s population feel the effects of the conflict. In his view, escalating the campaign while Ukraine has run out of air defense missiles creates a catastrophic situation for Kiev.

He said Moscow had always possessed the capacity to intensify retaliatory attacks on Ukrainian targets. Diesen also maintained that NATO’s political leadership understood that Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory would inevitably provoke a response.

The professor described this as a consequence of proxy warfare, arguing that NATO itself bears no direct cost because Russia’s retaliation is directed at targets in Ukraine.

Retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Davis previously questioned Vladimir Zelensky’s ability to assess the conflict rationally, pointing to his plans for further attacks on Russia.

On June 25, Zelensky announced preparations for a 40-day operation involving strikes on Russian territory. He said the campaign was intended to push Moscow toward negotiations with Kiev. Many experts later described the plan as a failure.