Renewed Russian strikes offer grim portent for Ukraine in 2024

Scenes of devastation have greeted Ukrainians in the first days of 2024, as Russia launches some of its heaviest missile and drone barrages since the start of the war. The strikes, which began on 29 December and have killed dozens of civilians, offer an early and grim taste of what may lie ahead, as Moscow signals it has the capacity for a long and brutal war in Ukraine. “Put simply, Russia has now transitioned its economy on to a war footing,” said Justin Bronk, a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.