Russia waging 'psychological warfare' on Ukraine with 'relentless, calculated terror'

In a week in which Moscow unleashed yet another major missile and drone attack on the country's capital, a Ukrainian MP has urged the world to wake up and take notice of the "relentless, calculated terror" and "psychological warfare" Vladimir Putin is inflicting on a nightly basis. And Inna Sovsun told the Express she and others who live in Kyiv are bracing themselves for the horrifying prospect of Russia launching 1,000 drones a night in the near future.

Raids overnight on Wednesday killed at least two people and caused fires across Kyiv, a day after the heaviest drone attack so far in the more-than-three-year war, Ukrainian officials said. In another tense and sleepless night for Kyiv residents, with many of them dashing in the dark with children, pets and blankets to the protection of subway stations, at least 22 people were wounded, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Regional Administration.

As a resident of the city, Ms Sovsun, 40, who also served as Ukraine's deputy Minister of Education and Science from 2014 to 2016, is no stranger to the chaos the conflict has brought to both her and her young son.

She told Express.co.uk: "Our security services are tracking Russia's expanding drone production and warning of increasing frequency and scale in attacks. The evolution is clear: from 10 drones per night to hundreds - and possibly soon, thousands.

"When over 700 drones fly toward your capital in one night - that is not just military targeting. That's psychological warfare. These attacks aim to paralyse civilian life, damage critical infrastructure, and create constant fear.

"Yes, there are military targets, but the noise, the chaos, the explosions near homes, hospitals, schools - this is terror. Relentless, calculated terror. It's about destroying not just objects but our sense of safety, stability, and normalcy."

The situation was being exacerbated by the fact that Russia was continuing to circumnavigate Western sanctions, Ms Sovsin emphasised.

She explained: "Despite multiple sanctions packages, Russia still obtains critical components - semiconductors, optics, electronics - through third countries and shell companies.

"Some of these parts originate from Western firms, and make their way through complex supply chains involving nations that are not enforcing sanctions strictly. We need better tracking, secondary sanctions, and real accountability for those enabling Russia's war machine, knowingly or not."

Additionally, the country was vulnerable to aerial attack, as the multiple drone bombardments demonstrated, which was why President Volodymyr Zelensky and his government continue to emphasise the importance of the West provide surface-to-air missiles and other materiel.

Ms Sovsun said: "We don't just need more - we need coverage. Kyiv is relatively well protected, but other regions in Ukraine still live in constant fear because air defense is limited.

"Russia exploits these gaps. It targets infrastructure and civilians where we can't fully defend ourselves."

There were still "critical systems" - such as Patriots or SAMP/T - which "some partners" were hesitatant to send, Ms Sovsun pointed out.

She said: "We understand concerns about national stockpiles, but we also know that helping Ukraine now is the best way to prevent this war from reaching further. If Ukraine falls, those systems will be needed in European cities, not just ours.

"The US 'pause,' whatever the reasoning, is deeply felt on our side. In Ukraine, delays cost lives. Missed weeks mean destroyed homes. A 'pause' may be logistical on paper - but here, it means funerals. The urgency is real. The time to act was yesterday."

Asked to explain to people in the West how she and others in her position were coping with the reality of life in a warzone - sleeping on the floor as explosions light up the night sky - Ms Sovsun said: "You adapt - because you must. But 'coping' isn't the right word.

"People are exhausted, children wake up screaming, elderly neighbours spend nights in stairwells. We go to work, pass legislation, try to keep life going - all while missiles fly overhead.

"Imagine your child learning the difference between the sound of a Shahed and a cruise missile before they can read. That's what this war is. That's what people abroad need to understand."

Posting about Wednesday's attacks on Telegram, Mr Zelensky offered a similar take on the situation, saying: "This is a clear escalation of Russian terror: hundreds of Shahed drones every night, constant missile strikes, massive attacks on Ukrainian cities."

June brought the highest monthly civilian casualties of the war, with 232 people killed and 1,343 wounded, the UN human rights mission in Ukraine said Thursday, as Russia launched 10 times more drones and missiles than the same month last year.

At least 13,580 civilians, including 716 children, have been killed and more than 34,000 wounded since Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor began on February 24, 2022, the UN added.