Europe, Russia , Power & Security Ukraine defense minister: We can win if West helps us close our skies to Russian attack

The day before I interviewed Ukraine’s defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, Russian missiles slammed into a business district in the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia, far from the front line or any military target.

Among the 23 dead was Liza Dmytrieva, a blond 4-year-old with Down syndrome whose mother proudly posted a video of her pushing a pink stroller just before the strike. That video went viral, as have photos of the overturned, blood-smeared stroller.

The attack on Vinnytsia was one of a stream of Russian missile attacks on malls, schools, hospitals, theaters, and other public places in cities, suburbs, and villages since I arrived in Ukraine earlier this month. I have seen smashed shopping centers in Kyiv, nine-story apartment buildings in Chernihiv with front walls sheared off, and bombed university buildings in Mykolaiv. This is Vladimir Putin’s signature method of warfare.

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