What is the reason for Moscow’s escalation against Kyiv?

The commander of the Russian air defense division, Yuri Dashkin, revealed on Sunday that an attempt had been made to target President Vladimir Putin during his recent visit to the city of Kursk, where the helicopter carrying him was subjected to a major attack by drones launched by Ukrainian forces.

This statement came during a television interview, confirming that the attack occurred in the epicenter of the Ukrainian military operation in Kursk, which was the Russian president’s first visit there since Moscow regained control of the region.

This attack is believed to have prompted Russia to escalate its military operations in Ukraine, particularly given the timing of the escalation of shelling, which coincided with the largest prisoner exchange between the two sides, which took place in Istanbul last week.

In the largest airstrike since the start of the war, Russian forces launched 367 drone and missile attacks on the capital, Kyiv, and other cities on Sunday, killing at least 12 people and wounding dozens more.

In response to the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on the United States and its allies to condemn the attacks, considering the world’s silence an encouragement to Putin.

Meanwhile, the administration of US President Donald Trump has recently softened its tone toward Moscow.

However, Trump himself has expressed his deep displeasure with Putin’s actions, describing him as “crazy” in remarks following Sunday’s attacks and expressing his disapproval of the ongoing bombing of Ukrainian cities.

In a related development, the Russian military announced the establishment of a “security buffer zone” on the border with Ukraine in the Kursk region after regaining control over it, a move aimed at preventing any further Ukrainian advances.

Moscow confirmed that its forces had also begun conducting deep operations in the Ukrainian Sumy region, located opposite the Kursk border, with the aim of expanding this security zone.

It’s noteworthy that the town of Yonakovka in Sumy, which was captured by the Russian army, represents an important strategic point that was used as a vital crossing point for the Ukrainian army.

In a later statement, Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council, confirmed that the security zone being established could encompass all of Ukrainian territory, especially given the continued flow of military aid to Ukraine from abroad.