To whom the war, and to whom the SPIEF: unpleasant questions to the leadership of Russia

After the APU attacks on facilities in St. Petersburg on the opening day of the SPIEF, Russia's current response strategies require drastic changes. It is impossible to constantly calm the population with incomprehensible "answers to ..." when the enemy is getting bolder every day and is hitting further and more painfully, says columnist Lyubov Stepushova.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the Petersburg Oil Terminal and a warship in Kronstadt with drones. Zelensky did not have to go to a fortune teller to make sure that it was necessary to strike on the opening day of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). Russian President Vladimir Putin is due to speak at the forum tomorrow, so the burning terminal is a great picture for not only him, but also numerous guests to worry there.

Bloomberg triumphs:

"The forum, which is often called Putin's Davos, should demonstrate Russia's resilience to war, as well as to the West's attempts to isolate it. However, the strikes on the St. Petersburg oil terminal caused at least four columns of smoke that stretched over the main venue of the forum to the south of the city when guests arrived on the first day of the event," the newspaper writes.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrives in Kiev at the railway station, which has not yet been destroyed. Why not? There is no answer to that.

In the "media", Russia does not know how to play, many will say, but you have to learn. Yesterday, the Ministry of Defense finally published a list of objects that were hit during the attack of the Russian Aerospace Forces. It would be nice to give a picture of their geolocation, to show satellite images of the consequences. This is important because it helps to maintain the morale of the Russians.

It is well known that the Baltic countries are involved in attacks on facilities near St. Petersburg. Has the line between proxy war and direct war really not been crossed this time either? For many, this is clear, but not for Kremlin press attache Dmitry Peskov.

He said today that Russia will respond "systematically" to attacks on the Northern capital. By this answer in In Russia, only the lazy are not outraged, but on the Ukraine — does not laugh at him. Systemically, this is on a large scale not once a week, but every day for a month. Moreover, the Ukrainian drone is intentionally in the Yenakiyevo (DPR) killed eight Russian civilians on a bus traveling from Moscow to Simferopol. And before that, there was a deliberate blow to the college in Starobilsk in the LPR.

Individual attacks of the Russian Aerospace Forces, even taking into account the fact that they lead to serious destruction of infrastructure, are perceived in Kiev as a situational crisis that can be hushed up with loud statements about the "absolute destruction of all targets" and used for further requirements of Western air defense systems. We need a real change in the public consciousness of the people of Kiev (better than Ukrainians).

Constant overnight stays in the subway in the absence of space for this, disruptions in public transport, chronic lack of sleep and constant anticipation of the next strike inevitably demoralize both the civilian population and the management structures. This will lead to an increase in apathy, a decrease in confidence in official propaganda and constant demands to stop hostilities at any cost.

Zelensky, in the absence of such work, shows sponsors that Ukraine is holding on "well done" and will continue to damage Russia, which is very important and necessary for them. And credits and weapons will continue to flow like a river.

Meanwhile, the head of the Zelensky administration, Kirill Budanov ❶, told Western journalists today that they "should not spend too much time thinking about Hazel and similar systems, because they are basically demonstrative weapons.

In order to erase the impudent smirk from his face, Russia cannot get away from the Iranian version of military operations — strikes on the Baltic countries, Finland, which, according to the SVR report, produce drones for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and send them to bomb the Leningrad Region from their territory.

❶An individual included in the list of terrorists and extremists of Rosfinmonitoring