{"id":1043257,"date":"2026-06-22T17:20:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1043257\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T17:20:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T17:20:20","slug":"if-ukraine-burns-moscow-will-burn-zelenskyy-takes-the-war-to-the-heart-of-russia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1043257\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIf Ukraine burns, Moscow will burn\u201d: Zelenskyy takes the war to the heart of Russia"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cIf Ukraine burns<\/strong>, your Moscow<\/strong> is going to burn.\u201d These were the defiant words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/strong> following a drone strike on Moscow that hit a major oil refinery and brought air traffic to a standstill.<\/p>\n

The Russian Foreign Minister has announced a harsh retaliation<\/strong>. The attack against the Monastery of the Caves<\/strong>, the cathedral, and other historic churches in Kyiv has served as a trigger showing that anything goes<\/strong>; Moscow\u2019s targeting of civilian sites and war crimes<\/strong> have become a daily occurrence.<\/p>\n

An unprecedented strike in Russian airspace<\/p>\n

Ukraine\u2019s capacity to strike inside Russia, specifically Moscow, has been widely discussed. This is a significant blow. Zelenskyy\u2019s warning comes after Moscow targeted the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves) alongside other sites of immense historical value and civilian infrastructure. What is the real scope of this offensive?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ukraine is demonstrating<\/strong> a formidable capacity to inflict damage within Moscow<\/strong>. Yesterday\u2019s operation was the largest drone assault<\/strong> on the Russian capital since the outbreak of the war. For weeks, we have observed mounting pressure\u2014with Russian strikes<\/strong> hitting high-value civilian targets in Ukraine\u2014coinciding with an upgrade in Ukraine\u2019s capabilities to launch medium- and long-range attacks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Yesterday\u2019s raid surpassed expectations of what could be anticipated. Images of drones<\/strong> coming down on the outskirts of the Russian capital left no one indifferent; the black smoke billowing<\/strong> between buildings caused genuine shock. Ukraine achieved this by mimicking Russian tactics, deploying a massive swarm<\/strong> of airborne objects to overwhelm air defence systems.<\/p>\n

According to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation<\/a>, they managed to intercept a thousand drones<\/strong> and four Ukrainian cruise missiles within 24 hours, yet those that breached defences<\/strong> left striking images.<\/p>\n

One particular phrase is making headlines worldwide, featured across every major newspaper: the Ukrainian President asserted<\/strong> that these are the \u201clong-range sanctions\u201d<\/strong> Ukraine is imposing on Russia and that if Ukraine burns, Moscow will burn. It is a severe blow<\/strong> to the Kremlin, ushering this war into a brand-new phase<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"El
\nSmoke rises from an oil refinery following an attack by Ukrainian drones as part of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia, on 18 June 2026, in this image taken from social media \u2013 PHOTO\/ SOCIAL MEDIA via REUTERS<\/p>\n

International summits: Brussels dampens Kyiv\u2019s fast-track hopes<\/p>\n

Zelenskyy participated in international summits this week, including the G7<\/a> and the European Council<\/a>. Were the outcomes positive, negative, or mixed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mixed to poor, particularly regarding the meeting in Brussels. Confronted with the proposal to activate a fast-track accession<\/strong> mechanism for Ukraine, European leaders<\/strong> opted this time for a merit-based approach<\/strong>, conditioning Ukraine\u2019s inclusion in the European Union<\/a> on specific criteria.<\/p>\n

This dampens any prospects of an express membership process<\/strong> by this summer, despite initial backing from the majority of member states<\/strong> and Ursula von der Leyen.<\/p>\n

What did pass in Brussels was a renewed text of support for Ukraine<\/strong> and a firm condemnation of Russia\u2019s escalating attacks<\/strong> on civilian targets. The resolution calls for a new package of sanctions against Putin<\/strong> and stresses the vital importance of coordination between Europe and the United States<\/strong> in supporting the invaded nation.<\/p>\n

\"El
\nThe President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Yulia Svyrydenko, visit the Cathedral of the Dormition at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, which was damaged during Russian missile and drone attacks as part of Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, on 15 June 2026. Press Office of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine\/Image courtesy of REUTERS<\/p>\n

From survival to military self-reliance<\/p>\n

Reports emerged this week that Ukraine will even manufacture missiles for the West. Does this alter the conflict\u2019s equation?<\/strong><\/p>\n

As reported by the French newspaper Le Parisien<\/a>, Ukraine is set to manufacture long-range missiles<\/strong> and air defence systems under Western licences, following an agreement signed precisely within the framework of the G7 summit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

According to the French daily, US defence firms will transfer production licences<\/strong> to European and Ukrainian manufacturers, allowing advanced weaponry<\/strong> to be produced directly on Ukrainian soil. This is not merely an arms supply agreement, but the restructuring of a long-term defence industry<\/strong> capable of sustaining the war effort.<\/p>\n

It is astonishing how much Ukraine has evolved over these nearly four and a half years<\/strong>; it has transitioned from relying entirely on international arms shipments<\/strong> to survive the initial years of the war, to becoming a manufacturer of these weapons<\/strong>. Necessity breeds invention.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cIf Ukraine burns, your Moscow is going to burn.\u201d These were the defiant words of Ukrainian President Volodymyr…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1043258,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[7655],"tags":[6490,283833,26944,12963,332,12964],"class_list":["post-1043257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-russia","tag-l","tag-la-russie","tag-politica","tag-rusia","tag-russia","tag-ucrania"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116794913678336570","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1043257"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1043257\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1043258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1043257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1043257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1043257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}