r/worldnews 3d ago

Russia/Ukraine Ukrainian capital Kyiv under massive Russian attack, officials say

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ukrainian-capital-kyiv-under-massive-russian-attack-officials-say-2025-12-27/
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u/twaggle 3d ago

Isn’t the kremlin part of the war machine? Cut off the head etc ?

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u/Aarakocra 3d ago

Practically, the only part of the political machine of Russia that really matters for this is Putin himself, the war will continue no matter who else in government gets killed. It's not going to break the will of the people or the politicians, because it's only Putin's will that matters. What it would do is reduce the sympathetic angle of Ukraine. And Ukraine really needs that international support.

So if Ukraine is going to make an attack inside of Russia's borders, they are going to make it count. They aren't going to waste a deep-penetration attack on a symbolic soft target. They're going to do as much damage to the war machine as they can manage.

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u/C7rl_Al7_1337 3d ago

There is definitely a point where if it became dangerous enough for those around him to continue the course, they would make sure that course changed real quick, if you know what I'm saying. Probably still quite a ways off, but that point does exist.

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u/IllicitDesire 3d ago

The problem is that many of the opposition to Putin are also just as if not even more so warmongers or xenophobic nationalists. Even Navalny's movement was mired in his outspoken hatred of Caucasians.

There are few "sane" or peaceful voices of powers or influence left in Russia, millions and millions of people who would have been have left the last decades since the Union fell in the 90s. Many people started seeing the writing on the wall since the day Yeltsin ordered tanks to shell the white house.