Russia Launches First Major Strike on Ukraine Since U.S. Cut Off Aid and Intelligence

Russian forces launched their first major missile strike against Ukraine since the United States cut off military aid and intelligence sharing for the nation, Reuters reported on Friday.

• Russia launched 67 missiles and 194 drones during the overnight attack, the Ukrainian Air Force said.
• They targeted civilian areas, including energy and gas infrastructure.
• Local officials reported that eight people were injured in Kharkiv and two more, including a child, in Poltava.

Cut off: Four days earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump had announced that he would freeze all military aid to Ukraine. The Trump administration followed up by announcing that the U.S. would no longer provide Ukrainian forces with intelligence, and it urged the United Kingdom to do the same.

Without intelligence from the U.S., Ukraine’s ability to intercept missiles and drones is greatly diminished.

Determined: This strike makes apparent that Russian President Vladimir Putin has no intention of making peace with Ukraine. He is determined to do whatever it takes to revive the glory and power of the collapsed Soviet Union. If that means decimating Ukraine, he will.

Warning: Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry warned in 2017 of the perils of Trump negotiating with Putin:

The closer our president and our nation gets to Putin, the further it gets from what is good and what is right—the further it gets from God! That is deadly dangerous!

This caution from eight years ago has returned to the foreground, as President Trump is again expressing confidence that he can negotiate with this brutal dictator.

Though Trump’s efforts may be noble in their intention, the Bible warns that until Americans turn to God in repentance, their attempts to establish peace will fail.

Learn more: Read Mr. Flurry’s article “Should Donald Trump Trust Vladimir Putin?”