A little over three weeks ago, I sat in a large conference room in Kyiv and listened to President Zelensky outline how his country, despite the heroic achievements of its armed forces and people, would need a continuing flow of military assistance from the west. 1/22 π§΅
2/ At the very top of his priorities was air and missile defence systems to βclose the skiesβ to use his exact words. The past 24 hours has again shown why President @ZelenskyyUa was so strident about this requirement.
3/ In the wake of the attack on the Kerch bridge, Russia unleashed a barrage of 84 missiles and 13 Iranian kamikaze drones on Ukrainian cities. While around half were shot down, many cities were attacked. Russia has done so again today.
4/ This is hardly a new act from the Russians. Since the beginning of this war, they have mastered the art of the atrocity.
5/ Shopping malls, train stations, parks, playgrounds, hospitals, theatres, cultural sites and residential areas are all fair game for the brutal yet clueless Russian military commanders. What conclusions might be drawn from this latest round of missile attacks?
6/ First, the west needs to speed up the delivery of air and missile defence systems to Ukraine. The recent announcement of the provision of the IRIS-T air defence system from Europe is welcome. But there is more than can be done.
7/ The US Patriot system should be deployed and the Israelis should be pressured to provide their anti-ballistic missile systems to defend Ukrainian cities. It is a world-leading system that will not only save Ukrainian lives but serve as a deterrent against Russian attacks.
8/ Second, military assistance to Ukraine needs to expand and speed up. The faster that Ukraine can beat the Russian Army, the quicker the humanitarian tragedy that is Russiaβs invasion can be ended.
9/ This aid must include long range missiles like ATACMs, main battle tanks and armoured fighting in their hundreds, lethal drones in their thousands, and training for tens of thousands of Ukrainian service personnel.
10/ The combined industrial and military might of the west is a vast overmatch for Russia. We just need the will to use this might to better help Ukraine regain its territory. Australia must be part of this effort.
11/ Third, Putinβs response to the Kerch bridge, shows how rattled he is personally, and how morally and intellectually insolvent his regime is.
12/ There are some who argue that this has been clear from the start; this is true. But, for those who still argue that Putin should be provided with some kind of honourable off ramp from Ukraine, these attacks provide further evidence of the bankruptcy of this argument.
13/ The only way Putin will pull his forces out of #Ukraine is if they are forced out. We should stop fooling ourselves that Putin can somehow be cajoled into a negotiated settlement.
14/ Fourth, these attacks were further evidence of the ineptitude of the Russian military. They are unable to beat the Ukrainian military, so instead they resort to murdering civilians in the streets.
15/ This has been a deliberate and systemic approach from the Russian Army throughout the invasion. There is something repulsive in a military culture that embraces such solutions.
16/ It is worth noting that this culture of killing civilians and mistreating Ukrainian prisoners of war is tolerated by the Russian state, the Russian people, and is encouraged on Russian state television. This is not just Putin.
17/ This is all the more reason why the Russians must be beaten in this war. The Russian Army, the Russian people and Putin must know that such wanton cruelty from states and their military forces has no place in the international system.
18/ The sad lesson of history is that sometimes awful violence is necessary to squelch out an even greater evil. Such is the case now with Russia. The only imperative now must be to thoroughly defeat the Russians in Ukraine.
19/ Finally, we should recognise that these attacks have done nothing to cower the people of Ukraine. Having been on the receiving end of a couple of rocket attacks myself on occasion, I know what a terrifying experience it can be.
20/ But, as a society, the Ukrainian people have remained resilient and defiant in the face of these aerial assaults from Russia. There is much our nations might learn from the response of the stoic and plucky Ukrainians to this invasion.
21/ The reality is that through this escalation, Putin has only hardened Ukrainian resistance, and probably western support for the defeat of Russia in this war. That is some strategy. End. smh.com.au
22/ Thank you to those whose images were used in this thread: @oleksiireznikov @DefenceU @nytimes @KyivIndependent @IAPonomarenko @JuliaDavisNews
@CinC_AFU @UAWeapons
@CinC_AFU @UAWeapons
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