Russia launched renewed strikes in the regions of Kyiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian officials said on Thursday, adding that a missile was shot down in the Dnipropetrovsk region. There have been no reports of casualties.
However, Ukrainian officials said five civilians have been killed and 11 more were injured in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours. Three were killed and three injured in the Donetsk region, one was killed and one injured in the Zaporizhzhia region, and one was killed and seven injured from a mine blast in the Kharkiv region.
Putin has repeatedly threatened to use nuclear weapons. Any nuclear attack would be met with severe consequences. For now, a show of strength from NATO in terms of what it's capable of is the best form of deterrence.
In this current political environment, anyone who promotes compromise and de-escalation is attacked for allegedly appeasing Putin and making the world more dangerous. However, history has shown de-escalation is the only way out of this mess — people who argue the opposite are profoundly misguided.