Russia unleashed a massive air assault on Ukraine’s cities on the day French Defence Minister Catherine Vautrin visited Kyiv. The February 7 assault was a repeat of Moscow’s similarly powerful attack on the day of NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte’s visit days earlier, on February 3. Beyond punishing Ukraine for strengthening its defence ties to the West, the attacks had a progressive character, said St Andrews University history professor Phillips O Brien. “The first attack focusses on the east, particularly Kyiv and towns/cities near the front. Then a few days later, having extended and exhausted Ukrainian air [defence], the Russian assaults moved westward,” he wrote on Substack. Sunday’s attack involved 408 drones and 39 missiles. Kyiv downed all but 26 drones and 24 of the missiles...