Various analysts on Ukraine’s targeting of the Valdai residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed the reliance of such Ukrainian strikes upon the geolocation and satellite systems from NATO countries. For example, Russian military expert Andrey Marochko, interviewed by TASS on Dec. 30, stated: “The West is clearly involved in this provocation, since the tactical and technical characteristics of the drones launched by Ukrainian militants allow for targeting using geolocation and the NATO satellite system. Therefore, as always, I believe that Britain and the so-called Coalition of the Willing are involved here, as they provided the target coordinates and flight instructions for these drones.” He added that NATO oversees Ukraine’s senior officers and military-political leadership, so “without their approval, such actions are simply impossible.”
There was also commentary regarding how Moscow would respond. Hits against a Kiev government building were mooted, with the HUR or SBU headquarters—responsible for various wetworks and assassinations for several years—being mentioned. Others wondered how long Moscow could refrain from targeting those Western agencies outside of Ukraine that they knew had been involved. Another line stressed an enlarged mission for Russia’s military, taking, for example, all of the coastline, including Odessa.
