**Russia’s Escalating Drone Strikes in Ukraine: Trump’s Two-Week Deadline Passes with No Action**
The deadline set by US President Donald Trump for Russia to show its commitment to peace in Ukraine has come and gone, but the Kremlin’s escalating attacks on civilians have been met with silence from the White House. Despite Trump’s earlier statements hinting at new sanctions against Russia if they didn’t show a desire to end the war, no action has been taken.
In fact, since Trump imposed the two-week deadline on May 28, Russia has increased its drone strikes on Ukraine. On June 1, Russia launched 472 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys, followed by an even larger attack on June 9, where 479 drones and 20 missiles were launched against Ukrainian cities.
The numbers are staggering. In March alone, Russia launched over 4,000 drones at Ukraine, which is the largest monthly number of drone attacks during the full-scale invasion. If this intensity continues, the figure could reach nearly 7,000 by the end of June.
“This is terrorism against the civilian population aimed to create a sense of doom, war-weariness, and to put pressure on the authorities,” Rodion Rozhkovskiy, co-founder of Liveuamap, told the Kyiv Independent. “Russia’s disregard for human life is staggering.”
Meanwhile, Trump has excused Russia’s escalating attacks, saying that Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb, a clinical strike against legitimate military targets, gave Putin a reason to bomb Ukrainian cities. But this ignores the fact that Russia’s drone strikes indiscriminately target civilians, which is illegal under international law.
The US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has also failed to condemn Russia’s actions, instead releasing a statement on June 12 to mark Russia Day. “On behalf of the American people, I want to congratulate the Russian people on Russia Day,” he said. This lack of condemnation has emboldened Russia to continue its attacks.
For those living in Ukraine, especially in cities under near-nightly bombardment by Russian drones and missiles, a brighter future seems far out of reach. “Lately, every attack instills a huge fear that does not disappear until the air alarm is over,” said Kyiv resident Oleksandra Pshenychna, 20.
Russia’s disregard for Trump’s statements and threats long predates his two-week deadline. Data on Russian drone strikes clearly indicate that Moscow has launched larger drone attacks on civilians than it did during the presidency of Joe Biden.
Trump’s search for a peace deal has seen a flurry of diplomatic meetings around the globe, severe pressure on Ukraine, and a reluctance to force any concessions from Russia. But this approach has only emboldened Russia to continue its attacks.
With Trump failing to respond to Russia’s escalating drone strikes, the Kremlin has little incentive to stop. All signs point to Moscow’s defense industry increasing its ability to launch ever-larger mass attacks. “They are using all they can use — if they could use more, they would use more,” said Rozhkovskiy.
Russia is also building new launch sites and will soon be able to deploy over 500 long-range drones a night to attack Ukraine, according to a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR).
The lack of action from the White House has serious consequences for Ukraine. For those living under near-nightly bombardment by Russian drones and missiles, the future looks bleak.
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