Ukraine’s Attack Removes Russia’s Last Restraints

Alexander Kots, a war correspondent for Komsomolskaya Pravda, has suggested what Russia's response to Ukraine could look like following an alleged attack on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Hands Completely Untied for Moscow

According to Kots, the attack effectively "unties the hands” of Russian authorities and the military. He stressed, however, that the final decision on the form and scale of retaliation rests solely with the president.

Kots shared his personal view on what such a response should look like, emphasizing that it must appear convincing and devastating rather than rushed. He suggested allowing the enemy a moment of false calm before striking.

Calls to Target Decision-Makers

The correspondent urged Russia to "stop holding back” and begin eliminating decision-makers on Ukrainian territory. He referenced terrorist attacks against Russian military personnel, bridge explosions, strikes on critical infrastructure, and attacks on civilian vessels at sea.

"War is underway, and all means apply,” Kots said, expressing his desire for precision weapons to strike senior Ukrainian military leaders and intelligence officials.

Among those he named were:

• Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate,
• Vasyl Maliuk, head of the Security Service of Ukraine,
• Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

(Budanov appears on Russia's official list of terrorists and extremists.)

Kots added that the list could easily extend further, arguing that finding disposable agents inside Ukraine may prove more difficult than similar operations conducted by Ukrainian intelligence services in Russia.

Testing New Weapons and a Turning Point

Kots also suggested that Russia could use a retaliatory strike to test new weapons systems that President Putin has said remain unused so far. He argued that real combat conditions offer the best proving ground.

In his view, the situation marks a pivotal moment in the special military operation, as the opponent has, by its own actions, removed the last informal constraints that Russia had previously observed.

On the previous evening, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov stated that President Putin informed U. S. President Donald Trump by phone about an attempted attack by Ukrainian armed forces on the presidential residence in Russia's Novgorod region. Ushakov said Trump reacted with shock and noted that the incident would influence Washington's approach toward Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.