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Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, likes to see himself as some sort of modern-day Peter the Great. In reality, he's acting more like a 21st century Adolf Hitler; ruling through terror, creating enemies across the globe, and pursuing a brutal and bloody invasion that has caused tremendous loss of life, with countless innocent civilians paying the price for one man's ruthless quest for power. Now, several years into the conflict, just like Hitler, Putin is beginning to see that this war is not at all turning out the way he had hoped. And he's becoming increasingly desperate,
making the exact same mistake that sealed the Nazi leader's fate, over 80 years ago. On September 7, 1940, Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe began a sustained eight-month-long aerial bombing campaign against the United Kingdom. Known as the Blitz - a shortened version of the German word "Blitzkrieg," meaning "lightning war," - the campaign involved intense nightly strikes on London, as well as other cities, ports, and industrial centers across the United Kingdom, such as Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Liverpool, and Coventry. On a daily basis, countless British civilians - men, women, and children - would be forced to flee to makeshift "Anderson" and "Morrison" shelters
in their own backyards, or seek safety in the likes of London Underground subway stations, while hundreds or even thousands of bombs rained down from the skies above. The Blitz was one of the most aggressive aerial campaigns in recorded history, and it was easy to see why Hitler and his close ally, Hermann Göring, the Commander-in-Chief of the Luftwaffe, had decided to orchestrate it: they wanted to break Britain's spirit. They believed that if they dropped enough bombs, destroyed enough homes and other structures, and laid waste to enough of Britain's cities and people, the country's morale would eventually plummet and the population would turn
against Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his government. They also specifically targeted industrial centers where much of Britain's wartime production infrastructure was situated, in the hopes of crippling the country's ability to manufacture weapons, vehicles, and other supplies for the war. In short, they wanted to make life as difficult as possible for both the British civilian population and its military, hoping that the pressure would eventually prove too much to bear. And, with France effectively conquered and Britain broken, Nazi Germany's western flank would be relatively secure,
allowing Hitler's forces to focus their efforts eastward, towards the Soviet Union. Unfortunately for him - and fortunately for the rest of the world - the plan didn't work. It was incredibly effective in terms of causing widespread devastation and loss of life - more than 43,000 civilians were reportedly killed in the Blitz, with over 100,000 injured and more than a million houses either damaged or destroyed, with the majority of those being in London - but it wasn't actually effective in terms of breaking Britain's morale or forcing the country to wave the white flag.
Instead, what actually emerged from the Blitz was a renewed sense of spirit, unity, and dogged determination among the British people. Many lost their homes and businesses, or saw friends, family members, and neighbors wounded or killed in the blasts, but instead of turning on their own government or giving in, it simply made them more eager to support the war effort and ensure that the Nazis were defeated. Countless heroic stories emerged from the time, with regular people stepping up and doing their bit to help one another.
People like George Roxburgh, who worked a night shift at the offices of the Daily Telegraph newspaper in London during the Blitz. One night, the bombs caused a huge fire to break out at the building. Instead of fleeing for his life, George did everything he could to save the structure. He was in his mid-40s, asthmatic, and not particularly strong, but somehow found the internal courage and fortitude to carry a heavy fire hose across the roof of the blazing building, navigating swirls of smoke and piles of
rubble in order to eventually put out the fire and prevent it from spreading any further. His story was one of so many others - countless tales of people rising up in the face of adversity. Some were trained professionals, like rescuers, medics, firefighters, and bomb disposal crews. Others were just regular civilians doing whatever they could to help out. Even 57 consecutive nights of bombing in London wasn't enough to dampen their spirits. Those who survived the Blitz were more united than ever, and the British military
was also more motivated than it had ever been to conquer its enemies by any means necessary. And so, from 1942 onward, the British Royal Air Force actually copied the Germans' playbook and pursued a policy of "de-housing" the German people: obliterating factories, roads, railways, and homes in order to give the enemy a taste of its own medicine. Both sides suffered heavy losses during these aerial campaigns, but the biggest takeaway is that neither one of them actually achieved its stated aim: the Blitz didn't break Britain, and the British "de-housing" campaign didn't shatter German morale, either.
Tens of thousands of people lost their lives and the wider world learned a valuable lesson: bombing campaigns can cause extraordinary amounts of damage and devastation, but bombing cities and civilians is not a proven way to win a war. In fact, it can actually have the opposite effect of what you're hoping to achieve: galvanizing your enemy's people, rather than weakening them. Fast forward several decades, and it seems that Vladimir Putin either forgot that fact or simply felt that he was the exception to the rule, because from day one of the war with Ukraine, Russian forces have carried
out brutal bombardments on numerous Ukrainian towns and cities, including the capital, Kyiv. As the war has progressed, these bombings have only intensified, and Russia has transitioned from an early reliance on big bombs and missiles towards more frequent use of heavy-duty jet-powered drones, like its latest Geran 4 and 5 models, for example. These formidable unmanned assets can reach speeds of up to 375 miles per hour-with the Geran-4 reaching 310 mph and the newest Geran-5 flying even faster-bypassing large parts of the Ukrainian air defense network and blowing up the likes of schools, hospitals, shops,
offices, docks, and residential buildings. Time and again, the Ukrainian population has been forced to suffer the effects of these merciless attacks, and Russia has shown a blatant disregard for the sanctity of life, history, and culture, even going as far as targeting churches and religious complexes, with hundreds of years of history behind them. We saw this earlier in 2026, for example, in June, when Russian drones and missiles struck a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kyiv, made up of various monasteries and churches, some of which dated back to the 11th century, placing priests and nuns in the crosshairs of
Putin's vicious war machine - an act that was condemned as "a crime against humanity, against history, against Christianity" by the head of Ukraine's Orthodox Church. More recently, in late September, historic Kyiv was struck once more, with jet-powered drones striking the 19th century National Academy of Sciences, killing at least one person and causing others to leap from windows in fear for their lives as flames soon spread throughout the building. Early October saw another large-scale strike on the Ukrainian capital, involving 130 drones and close to 50 cruise missiles.
Residential buildings, industrial facilities, and infrastructure were all targeted and damaged, with at least 20 people - including children - being killed. For those in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, like Lviv, Odesa, and Kharkiv, these kinds of attacks have unfortunately become the norm. Since 2022, local populations have had to adapt, always making sure they know where the exits are when they enter a building, constantly keeping one eye on their phones for any incoming missile alert messages and listening out for the increasingly familiar sound of air raid sirens ringing out around them, letting them
know that they may have only a few minutes to find shelter or risk losing their lives. It's not uncommon for several sirens to ring out each day, with 76 in Kyiv alone during one particularly bad week from late August into early September, and many people suffer from sleep deprivation as their daily and night-time routines are repeatedly interrupted by Russian aggression. Surveys from earlier on in the conflict revealed that less than half of Ukrainians were getting regular sleep, and Putin has no doubt been banking on his bombing runs to break the country's spirit and, eventually, trigger some sort
of widespread rebellion or uprising against President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government. But just like the Nazi bombs never broke the British, Russia's attacks aren't breaking Ukraine's resolve, and there's data to prove it. Before we look at that data in depth, if this is the kind of insight you want more of, make sure you're subscribed to The Military Show. We break it down like this every week. Just like Hitler and Goring in the 1940s, it's clear that Putin believes that his country's bombs, missiles, and drones are key to winning this war.
He evidently intends to make the most of the fact that Ukraine's air defenses have been weakened somewhat by a shortage of interceptor missiles, combined with the fact that Russia's drones are now moving faster than ever, making them much harder to target and take out compared to previous models. By bombing towns and cities and disrupting every single aspect of civilian life, Putin wants to make it increasingly painful and challenging for Ukrainian people to even exist. Or, as Peter Dickinson, UK journalist and researcher, puts it: Putin wants to "make much of the country unlivable." And there's no doubt that Russia's attacks throughout 2026 have been quite impactful.
More drones and missiles have managed to strike their targets, with the number of people killed in July rising by 70% compared to the previous year, and large numbers of civilian buildings - like schools, offices, supermarkets, data centers, fuel stations, and business centers - wiped off the map. Eager to push what he clearly feels is a valuable advantage, Putin has even reportedly ordered his military leaders to abandon the rules of war, according to Zelenskyy. Speaking from a bomb shelter in early October, Zelenskyy claimed that Ukrainian intelligence agencies had obtained information that the Russian president had essentially given the green light
for air strikes on any and all targets, including schools filled with classrooms of children and working hospitals trying to treat ill and injured patients, adding that the enemy's intention is "to pressure people" and instill fear through relentless attacks. Russia responded in predictable fashion, with Kremlin spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, stating that "Russia's Armed Forces do not strike schools or hospitals," despite huge amounts of evidence to the contrary, with the Ukrainian Education Ministry documenting over 4,700 Russian attacks on educational institutions and the World Health Organization also verifying strikes on over 3,000 healthcare facilities since the war started. On a more positive front, Zelenskyy also shared news that new high-speed
interceptor drones are in the testing phase and could launch by the end of the year, which could dramatically improve Ukraine's ability to withstand Russia's attacks. In the meantime, the Ukrainian people aren't giving Putin what he wants. They're not giving in. Surveys show that 62% of the entire Ukrainian population remains ready and willing to fight Russia as long as it takes to achieve victory, and almost 8 in 10 Ukrainians believe that they will win this war in the end. Those are not the numbers of a people in turmoil. If Putin's strategy was working, we'd expect to see large parts of the Ukrainian public growing increasingly fearful, angry, frustrated, and fatigued by the war, with many simply wanting it over and done with,
even if that meant accepting defeat and handing over parts of their country to the enemy. But that's not what's happening. Even when awful attacks occur on a near daily basis, like a recent strike on a civilian bus that led to at least 30 fatalities, the people remain defiant. And those surveyed aren't Ukrainians who left the country behind and are living relatively safe lives in other nations; they're people who are still living in cities like Kyiv - people who have had to endure drone and missile strikes on a daily basis for several years now,
people who have more reason than anyone to want the war over, as they have most likely lost at least one person, be it a friend or family member, already. According to Putin, these people should be broken. Their morale should be in the gutter. But it isn't. What's more, when the same survey was conducted in 2025, it had almost the exact same result, meaning that even after a whole extra year of warfare, the people's minds haven't changed. If we go back to 2024, the result was a little higher, with 73% of people agreeing that they should fight until victory is achieved.
But even though the figure has dropped a little since then, the data shows that the majority of people are just as determined as ever. The fact that such a strong majority of the Ukrainian public also believes that they'll win the war is also an incredible indicator of the country's overall mood and morale as the war moves closer to its fifth anniversary. Unlike Russia, which uses propaganda, censorship, and state-owned media to control public opinion, Ukrainian people are free to visit different websites and get their news in various ways,
and so many of them strongly believe that their nation will defeat its enemy. Going further, 41% of the people believe that the most likely outcome of the war will involve Ukraine preserving its statehood and independence, but possibly having to cede some territories to Russia, with 23% believing that Ukraine can get all of its land back, including Crimea. So, while many Ukrainians recognize that they might not get the perfect end result they want, they still wholeheartedly believe that victory is within their reach, even while suffering heavy bombardments.
These people have endured so much. With every passing week, they see more of their surroundings blown to bits by Russian munitions. They watch as homes, businesses, and places of peace and education are obliterated. But none of it is enough to make them give up, and there are no signs to suggest that is going to change, any time soon. So Putin can carry on sending his missile salvos and drone swarms over the border and into Ukrainian territory, but just as Hitler was forced to eventually accept that the Blitz wasn't working,
he will someday have to face the facts that this strategy is not the war-winner he wishes it was. And it's not just Ukrainians who are remaining defiant in the face of Russia's aerial aggression. After Russia's Foreign Ministry warned foreign nationals, including diplomatic personnel, against remaining in Ukraine any longer, the embassies of numerous allied nations - including Germany, Italy, Spain, and Sweden -all responded as one, stating that they reject Russia's intimidation and will continue working in Ukraine, no matter what: "We are staying in Kyiv," the embassies wrote, following on from similar statements made by France, Poland, Estonia, and the EU,
with EU Ambassador to Ukraine, Katarina Mathernova, stating unequivocally that all 25 EU member states with Kyiv-based embassies will maintain their presence in the Ukrainian capital. She stated that Moscow was attempting to push European countries to reduce their support for Ukraine, but its efforts were actually having the opposite effect: with Europe feeling more determined than ever to help Kyiv defend itself. The same story is playing out in multiple ways: every time Putin thinks he's scaring or intimidating his enemies, all he's really doing is strengthening their resolve.
Whenever he thinks Ukraine or Europe are about to break, they hit back even harder than before. He wants the world to think that Russia is operating from a position of strength, but in reality, it appears to be more desperate than ever before. Because even though Ukrainian cities are suffering, Russia is suffering, too, arguably in far greater ways than its opponent. It has suffered 1.5 million casualties, with troop losses now outnumbering recruitment, and has been forced to rely on North Korean soldiers and African mercenaries just to replenish its ranks.
Its front line progress has been excruciatingly slow, with the Russian Army capturing just 28% as much land in the first six months of 2026 as it managed in the same period of 2025. And its economy is in ruins, with severe labor shortages, chronic fuel shortages, widespread rationing, a 21% surge in petrol prices since January alone, and major damage to some of its most important infrastructure, including dozens of oil refineries, terminals, and fuel depots. While Russia is busy trying to kill innocent people, Ukraine is focusing its efforts on
the targets that deal the most damage to Putin himself, undermining his authority, smashing his legacy, and making him appear smaller and weaker than he ever has before in the eyes of not just the wider world, but the Russian people, too. And as long as the Ukrainian people can continue to dig in and defy the odds, and Kyiv's military can continue to hit Russia where it hurts the most, it will continue to be Ukraine - not Russia - that has the best chance of winning this war, at last. It's not only in Ukraine where Putin's plans are failing. Check out this video to see how the Russian president's attempts to weaken the NATO alliance have completely backfired. Or,
watch this one to learn about Ukraine's incredible new tank, which Russia was made to pay for! Don't forget to subscribe to the channel for more in-depth military news and reports, and consider becoming a member for full access to all of our content.
