Recently, Ukraine's attack on Belgorod in Russia caused controversy. This border town has been a target of Kiev since the first months of the war. However, as a rule, military facilities were bombed. The so-called Belgorod actions were daring. Russian troops fighting on the side of Kiev crossed the border of the aggressor country and temporarily occupied several small border towns. In the context of these events, there was talk of Moscow's embarrassment by being surprised on its own territory. Alternatively, about the threat of escalation of the conflict, which, however, did not happen.
By attacking the enemy on their own territory, Ukrainians finally broke a certain taboo. They proved that attacking Russia does not automatically lead to Putin using nuclear weapons and starting World War III. However, on December 30, 2023, another taboo was broken in Belgorod region. And this time the image effects are negative not for Moscow, but for Kyiv. 14 people died and 108 were wounded as a result of the Ukrainian bombing of the center of Belgorod. All dead and wounded are civilians. In the following days, the attacks were repeated. The Ukrainians did the same as the Russians. So they fired first into enemy territory, knowing that civilians would die. They then announced that their target was military facilities. They blamed the enemy's anti-aircraft defense for the deaths of civilians.
When Russia allowed surprise on its territory, its image as a powerful empire that controlled every meter of its sphere of influence suffered. When Ukraine kills civilians, its image as an innocent victim, only defending itself against aggression, suffers. And it certainly won't help him retain Western support. Moreover, we must remember who started this war. The attack on Belgorod is in retaliation for the much more frequent and massive bombing of Ukrainian cities since the beginning of the war.
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