Nutcracker Strike on Lviv: Putin is blackmailing Europe and wants to break Ukrainians with cold.

According to ТСН: The strike of Russian troops on Ukrainian energy infrastructure during severe frosts demonstrates that the enemy is not interested in military facilities or industry. The main goal of Vladimir Putin is to create unbearable living conditions for Ukrainians, forcing them to capitulate. The successful strike of the 'Nutcracker' missile on Lviv can be seen as a clear signal to Europe.

In the expert's opinion, the Russian leader is aware of the economic difficulties in Russia, so he is also interested in ending the war, just like Ukraine or the USA, but his intentions are aimed at destroying Ukraine as a state.

'Putin hopes that his brutal strikes will force the Ukrainian population to realize that there is no alternative but capitulation. This is precisely related to the series of attacks on energy. The attacks will continue as long as Putin hopes that unbearable living conditions will make the population demand complete capitulation,' noted Portnikov.

He also emphasized Putin's plans to turn Ukraine into a liminal country, and eventually erase it from the political map of the world.

Strike with the 'Nutcracker' on Lviv Region

The expert highlighted the strike with the medium-range ballistic missile 'Nutcracker' on Lviv Region, pointing out the lack of military justification for this act. Likely, Russia is signaling European leaders in response to their decisive actions:

• freezing of Russian assets;
• financial assistance to Ukraine;
• discussion of deploying 'coalition of the decisive' troops on the territory of Ukraine.

'If Putin wants to force Ukrainians into capitulation through cold, then regarding European countries, Russia seeks to use fear as a weapon. This desire to demonstrate to Europe that Putin has weapons from which European countries will not be able to defend themselves,' explained the publicist.

Predictions for 2026

Portnikov warns about the movement of 'Nutcracker' carriers to Belarus and strikes near NATO borders, indicating readiness to expand the conflict. According to him, the presence of NATO troops in Ukraine is unacceptable for Putin, so he is ready to raise the stakes.

'These are the first steps towards the scaling of the Russian-Ukrainian war. At least in the form of hybrid warfare on the European continent, which may occur in 2026,' the expert concluded.

It should be noted that Russians claim to have delivered a massive strike on Ukraine, specifically with the ‘Nutcracker’ ballistic missile, in response to the 'attack from Kyiv on Putin's residence.' It was reported that the ballistic missile that hit Lviv was traveling at a speed of 13 thousand km/h, targeting critical infrastructure. On the night of Friday, the Russian army struck critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine, focusing efforts on Kyiv region. The Air Force confirmed that the Russian Federation launched ‘Nutcracker’ at the Lviv region.

These events highlight the crucial role of energy infrastructure in modern warfare, as well as the strategic importance of international community support for Ukraine. Given the threat of further armed conflict, the global community must remain actively engaged in seeking a peaceful resolution to the situation.