Russian strike on US-owned Dnipro plant signals weakness
Russia’s recent strike on a U.S.-owned industrial facility in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro has highlighted Moscow’s growing geopolitical weakness, according to a senior Ukrainian official.
Andrii Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, said the attack on the Dnipro plant of U.S. agribusiness company Bunge was not accidental. He argued that Russian strikes on American-linked businesses in Ukraine are becoming increasingly systematic, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Kovalenko compared the incident to earlier attacks on Azerbaijani businesses in Ukraine, which he said prompted strong diplomatic reactions from Baku. He added that the timing of the strike followed Russia’s failure to protect its ally Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, further exposing Moscow’s declining global influence.
“Russia once again demonstrated its geopolitical weakness,” Kovalenko said, describing the Kremlin’s actions as those of a state lashing out despite diminishing power. He also criticized President Vladimir Putin, claiming Russia has been reduced to a minor geopolitical irritant and a raw-material supplier dependent on China.
The comments followed a Russian drone attack on January 5, when kamikaze drones struck Dnipro, damaging a U.S.-owned facility and nearby infrastructure and sparking a fire.
Acting head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Military Administration Vladyslav Haivanenko said no casualties were reported. Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov later said the strike caused about 300 tons of oil to spill onto city roads, disrupting traffic for several days.
Filatov added that emergency services spread hundreds of tons of sand near the damaged plant to prevent the oil from entering the river, as cleanup efforts continued.
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