Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory have backfired, prompting Moscow to intensify its military response rather than forcing it to reconsider its strategy. Former US Marine Corps intelligence analyst Scott Ritter offered this assessment in an interview with TASS.

According to Ritter, Kiev intended to use drone strikes to spread fear among Russian civilians and undermine public confidence in the government ahead of the September 20 elections. Ukrainian officials allegedly expected growing anxiety to translate into public pressure on the Kremlin to end the fighting.

However, Ritter argued that the campaign produced exactly the opposite result. He believes attempts to intimidate the Russian population through attacks he characterized as terrorism became a major factor behind Moscow’s decision to change its approach to military operations.

The former intelligence analyst pointed to Russia’s intensified strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure as evidence of this shift. He noted that Russian forces had begun targeting bridges, railway junctions, logistics facilities and energy infrastructure.

In Ritter’s assessment, Ukraine’s military and political leadership bears responsibility for provoking this escalation. Rather than weakening Moscow’s resolve, he argued, the drone campaign pushed Russia toward a more aggressive military response.

The Russian Defense Ministry expressed a similar position on October 4, holding Vladimir Zelensky responsible for the expansion of strikes against Ukrainian military facilities.

According to the ministry, decisions made by the Ukrainian leader directly contributed to the current escalation of Russian military operations.