Precision Strikes To Bombing Cities: How Russia's Ukraine Attack Changed

The Russian invasion of Ukraine that started on February 24 appears to have widened from an offensive led by precision strikes on military elements to frequent rocket attacks and bombings with unguided munitions on key cities, reports by local media indicate.

On Day 1 of the invasion, local media and individuals on the ground had shared visuals of Russian Kalibr cruise missiles flying fast and low over Ukrainian towns and cities as they zeroed in on their targets, all of them infrastructure and equipment key for the Ukrainian military's proper operations, such as airfields, warehouses and barracks. The missiles flew over densely populated areas then.

The armoured Russian ground-attack aircraft Sukhoi-25, also known as the "Frogfoot", was seen attacking Ukrainian ground forces like tanks and infantry on Day 1 and the three-four days that followed.

The Russian offensive, however, seems to have changed from sending small groups of infantry supported by tanks, armoured personnel carriers and attack helicopters to an all-out offensive by a large number of troops, aided by bombings and frequent rocket barrage on the capital Kyiv and the second-largest city Kharkiv.

These urban centres have Ukrainian government buildings amid lakhs of civilian homes. The reports that are coming in indicate the Russian rocket attacks are targeting large areas in the city, which would likely end up hitting homes.

Satellite images taken on Monday show a Russian military convoy north of Kyiv that stretches for about 64 km, substantially longer than the 27 km reported earlier in the day. This indicates the days of Russian precision strikes on Ukrainian targets may well be over, as the large ground force is likely to encircle Kyiv for a full sweep.

Kyiv has already repulsed several assaults.

Dmitri Alperovitch, Chairman of the US-based Silverado Policy Accelerator that analyses global policies, tweeted that most military analysts are "completely bewildered" by the Russian invasion strategy. "Despite mobilising a huge force with overwhelming advantage in fires, airpower, ground forces, EW (electronic warfare), etc... they decided not to use most of them and instead engage in suicidal small unit fights," Mr Alperovitch tweeted on the early stages of the Russian invasion.

Some analysts say the Russians wanted to first soften the Ukrainian forces, who are equipped with anti-tank missiles supplied by the West, and send in a much larger force equipped with the latest weaponry in the later stage. The 64-km-long Russian convoy near Kyiv appears to support this theory.

An Indian student lost his life in Kharkiv today when Russian soldiers blew up a government building, where he was standing in a queue for food.

Ukraine has said 352 civilians have been killed, including 14 children, since the invasion began. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said Russian shelling on Kharkiv is a "war crime".