Putin Will Only Use Russian Deaths at the Hands of U.S. Missiles to His Advantage

The Putin regime, of course, controls the Russian media and their narrative. There is already a "media blackout" on the true nature of the unprovoked invasion and the actual Russian casualty count.

Additionally, there is a strong narrative being pushed inside Russia that the war was started by Ukraine, as a U.S. proxy, so America could attack Russia. Any evidence Putin can twist to enforce this angle supports his propaganda.

Now U.S. missiles are killing Russian citizens inside Russia, something that has never occurred before. This will only play into his rhetoric and drum-up popular support for his regime, at a time when Russia is closer to the breaking point than ever before.

I also believe Zelenskyy will over-exaggerate Ukraine's plight in the war in order to garner sympathy, and ultimately more weapons, from the U.S. At the end of the day, it is to Ukraine's benefit to draw the U.S. into the war; Ukraine is losing thousands of men a month, so having allies commit troops will relieve that burden.

I think we should continue to support Ukraine with bi-partisan financial aid packages, military advising, and training. However, I do not think allowing Ukraine to use U.S. HIMARS to kill Russians inside Russia was a prudent move at this juncture.