Strikes on maternity hospital and miners’ bus: ISW explains Kremlin’s tactics
Russia continues to focus on attacks against civilian targets, aiming to sustain a multi-year campaign of pressure on Ukrainian society, according to a new analysis by the U.S. Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which outlines the logic and objectives behind such strikes.
Analysts emphasize that the Kremlin’s priority is not only to damage infrastructure but also to create a persistent sense of danger for civilians. This is why increasingly, objects without military significance are coming under fire.
According to ISW, on February 1, Russian drones attacked a number of civilian targets, resulting in significant casualties among the population. Notably, a maternity hospital in Zaporizhzhia was struck. The impact caused a fire in the gynecology emergency department, and at least six people were injured. ISW cites this as an example of tactics aimed at psychological exhaustion and demoralization.
On the same day, targets linked to Ukraine’s largest private energy company, DTEK, in Dnipropetrovsk region, were also hit. Ukrainian officials reported that four Shahed drones struck a DTEK bus transporting miners near Ternivka.
As a result of the attack, 16 people were killed and another 16 were injured. On February 2, the region declared a Day of Mourning, highlighting the scale of the tragedy for local communities.
The attack on the miners’ bus in Dnipropetrovsk was carried out by online-controlled Shahed drones.
Russia also attacked a service bus in Dnipropetrovsk region.
