What are the Goals of Russian State Terrorism Against Ukrainians?

The recent assaults on civilians across various Ukrainian cities illustrate the objectives behind Russia’s campaign of state terrorism against the Ukrainian people. However, these are just a few among many instances that support the growing calls—already echoed by several parliaments and international bodies—for Russia to be formally labeled a terrorist state.

Russia’s deliberate strikes on civilian infrastructure, hospitals (such as the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital), and the energy sector are systematic. They serve no legitimate military purpose but are intended to spread fear among the population and destabilize the country. This terror-driven approach stems from Russia’s setbacks on the battlefield.

Dive into this topic with Petro Oleshchuk, political scientist, Ph.D, expert at the United Ukraine Think Tank, in his article for The Gaze.

Firstly, Oleshchuk explains that on April 13, 2025—Palm Sunday—the Russian military launched one of the deadliest assaults of its full-scale invasion. Two Iskander-M missiles struck the heart of Sumy, destroying a trolleybus, residential buildings, and a university. The attack killed at least 34 civilians, including two children, and injured over 100 others (The Guardian). This was another deliberate act in Russia’s ongoing campaign of state terrorism, designed to instill fear in Ukrainian society and pressure the country into capitulation.

That week alone, Russian forces targeted several Ukrainian cities. On April 9, 2025, missile strikes hit a residential area in Kryvyi Rih. The attacks on cities like Sumy, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Mykolaiv are part of a calculated strategy of terror.

A similar atrocity occurred on July 8, 2023, when a missile struck Kyiv’s National Children’s Hospital “Okhmatdyt.” The hospital was in the middle of surgical procedures when the missile hit, killing children and medical staff and destroying essential medical equipment. The attack drew global condemnation and became a grim emblem of Russia’s war against civilians.

Secondly, political scients argues that since 2022, Russia has carried out a sustained campaign of attacks targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure—including thermal power plants, substations, and hydroelectric facilities. During the winter of 2022–2023, this left dozens of cities without electricity, water, or heating. These strikes continued into 2024–2025 and clearly demonstrate the hallmarks of state-sponsored terror, aiming to provoke a humanitarian crisis and exert psychological pressure on civilians.

Russia’s large-scale missile strikes are not driven by military necessity but serve as a tool of blackmail. After repeated failures on the battlefield, the Kremlin has turned to terrorizing the civilian population as a way to “defeat” Ukraine. This approach reveals Russia’s strategic weakness and its loss of momentum in the war.

The goal of this terror is to break the morale of the Ukrainian people, to instill fear, and to erode their determination to resist. Yet, as recent years have shown, these tactics have only strengthened Ukrainian unity and resolve.

Finally, the expert summarizes that relentless attacks on civilians, strikes on hospitals, destruction of energy infrastructure, and blatant violations of international humanitarian law are all defining traits of a terrorist state. Russia is not merely breaking the laws of war—it is deliberately using terror as a tool of state policy.

These crimes are neither accidental nor driven by military necessity. They are part of a deliberate strategy aimed at dismantling Ukrainian statehood and subjugating the Ukrainian people through fear and violence.

For this reason, recognizing Russia as a terrorist state is not just a matter of legal justice—it is a moral imperative for the international community.

Read the full article by Petro Oleshchuk on The Gaze: What are the Goals of Russian State Terrorism Against Ukrainians?

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