As the two-week mark approaches for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the stakes for both sides in the ground battle appear to be rising, with potentially disastrous consequences for Ukrainian civilians and increased hurdles for the country’s so far remarkably successful defense.
On Sunday, President Vladimir Putin reiterated that the war will continue until Ukraine adopts his demands and ceases resistance, putting a damper on hopes for a peaceful settlement. Putin has stated that Ukraine must “demilitarize,” and that his goal is to depose the current government.
The stakes in the conflict appear to be escalating for both sides after Putin upped the alert state of his nuclear forces and his troops showed a willingness to risk radioactive spillage by seizing nuclear power plants in live firefights.
In its attempts to conquer Kharkiv and Mariupol, Russia has increasingly used indiscriminate firepower, which some military analysts interpret as a warning to neighboring cities not to resist. The widespread employment of artillery and multiple launch rockets by an army with the world’s most lethal arsenal of such weapons would result in a significant increase in civilian mortality. There has also been evidence of the deployment of cluster bombs, which are prohibited in civilian situations in most countries. Moscow claims to be targeting solely military assets.
