According to the team of US President Donald Trump, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is still preparing a response to the Ukrainian operation "Cobweb", as a result of which more than 40 Russian strategic aircraft were destroyed or damaged at the airfields.
Points of attention
- Potential combined air attacks using different means could be part of Putin's strategy for future retaliation.
- Limited room for significant escalation exists for Russia, according to experts, amidst the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Putin will continue to take revenge on Ukraine
As US intelligence agencies managed to find out, a real "retaliatory strike" from Russia for the SBU's "Website" operation is still ahead.
Although the Kremlin said that this response was carried out on Friday night, it is likely that this is not the end of the revenge.
The possible timing of such a strike is still unknown, according to one of the interlocutors, it could potentially be "in the coming days" and it could be an "asymmetric" strike, in the sense that it would not be similar to what happened during Operation "Website".
According to another insider, it is quite possible that this will be a combined air attack using various means.
There is also a high probability that Putin will further escalate by attempting to target something symbolic for Ukraine — for example, government institutions.
Russia — given what it has already used against Ukraine — does not have much room for significant escalation, says expert Michael Coffman of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
