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Why Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s energy grid aren’t ‘revenge’ for Kyiv’s deep strike campaign

After its largest winter mass attack on Feb. 3, Russia’s Defense Ministry said the strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure were carried out “in response to terrorist attacks by Kyiv on civilian objects” in Russia. Some state media described the attack as “another act of retribution.”

It’s an old story — the first mass Russian strike on Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure in October 2022 was framed by Russian President Vladimir Putin as retaliation for Kyiv’s first successful strike against the