With a stunning cross-border offensive that has seen Ukraine’s forces seize hundreds of square miles of Kursk and deliver strikes across several regions, Volodymyr Zelensky has made it clear – Russia can terrorise Ukraine with impunity no longer.
In the week since Kyiv’s troops first surged across the border, leaving Russian generals reeling and the fragility of the Kremlin’s defences exposed, nearly 200,000 Russians have been forced to flee their homes under a state of emergency.
The audacious attack could put Kyiv in a more favourable bargaining position ahead of potential ceasefire talks and may also force Moscow to draw troops away from other key battles on Ukrainian soil, giving defenders time to regroup, re-equip and hopefully regain the initiative.
It has undoubtedly served as a major optics win for Zelensky on the world stage, displaying the enduring capabilities of his armed forces before his Western backers while simultaneously serving Russian President Vladimir Putin a slice of humble pie.
Now, Kyiv’s troops in Kursk will require considerable support to ensure continued success as Ukraine’s drone operators and missile units seek to hit key locations in Kursk and Belgorod from which Russia has launched punishing strikes across the border.
But should Zelensky and his army chiefs – perhaps emboldened by their success in Kursk and the recent delivery of more Western weaponry and F-16 fighter jets – decide to add insult to Putin’s injury, here is a list of possible targets that would really move the needle in Kyiv’s PR campaign.
The Ukrainian offensive in Kursk has displayed the enduring capabilities of Zelensky’s armed while simultaneously serving Russian President Vladimir Putin a slice of humble pie
Kursk Nuclear Power Plant
The Kursk nuclear plant has thus far remained untouched since thousands of Ukrainian troops surged across the border to begin their offensive in Russia’s Kursk region last Tuesday.
But the Soviet-era NPP resembles a critical part of Western Russia’s energy infrastructure and is located just 20 miles from the fighting raging in the region.
Russia’s National Guard, or Rosgvardiya, said this morning that it had taken additional measures to guard the nuclear plant as Kyiv’s troops continue their advances.
Rosgvardiya said it intends to pay special attention to countering Ukrainian drones, given the widespread aerial attacks on Russian military positions and key infrastructure in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.
Constructed in the 1970s, the plant boasts four RBMK-1000 reactors and two modern VVER-510 reactors under construction.
The RBMK-1000 was also used at the infamous Chernobyl plant, but Kursk’s reactors have been subject to continuous upgrades and safety improvements, with two now in shutdown due to their age as the new-generation reactors draw closer to completion.
An attack on the plant could have significant consequences for thousands upon thousands of Russian citizens reliant on its power – though Ukraine is unlikely to be able to seize the plant on the ground and would likely seek to strike with drones.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi last week called on both Kyiv and Moscow to ‘exercise maximum restraint’ in order to avoid a nuclear accident, warning that an attack on the NPP would have ‘the potential for serious radiological consequences’.
The IAEA has also conducted several visits to Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Enerhodar which was seized by Russia in the early days of the war and has sustained damage amid various strikes and battles.
The Kursk nuclear plant has thus far remained untouched since thousands of Ukrainian troops surged across the border
Rosgvardiya said it intends to pay special attention to countering Ukrainian drones, given the widespread aerial attacks on Russian military positions and key infrastructure in the Kursk and Belgorod regions
Constructed in the 1970s, the plant boasts four RBMK-1000 reactors and also has two modern VVER-510 reactors under construction
Kerch Bridge
The 12-mile-long Kerch Bridge constitutes the only direct link between the transport network of Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
Stretching over the Kerch strait separating Crimea from mainland Russia, the structure was a flagship project for Putin, who opened it himself for road traffic with great fanfare by driving a truck across in 2018.
The structure was built, at a reported cost of $3.6 billion, by a firm belonging to Arkady Rotenberg – a close ally and former judo partner of Putin – and since the start of the war has been crucial for the supply of fuel, food and other products to Crimea, where the port of Sevastopol is the historic home base of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
It also became a major supply route for Russian forces in Ukraine’s southern Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions.
In recent months the bridge has been used less frequently by Russia following a slew of small-scale attacks, but these have failed to fully disrupt the flow of goods and hardware in and out of Crimea.
One resounding strike of the Kerch Bridge would scupper Russian supply efforts to and from Crimea but would also represent a significant blow to Russian morale and the Kremlin’s highly orchestrated propaganda drive around the success of the so-called ‘special military operation’.
A vehicle runs down the 19 km road-and-rail Crimean Bridge passing over the Kerch Strait and linking southern Russia to the Crimean peninsula in Kerch on May 15, 2018
A helicopter drops water to stop fire on Crimean Bridge connecting Russian mainland and Crimean peninsula over the Kerch Strait, in Kerch, on Oct. 8, 2022
October 08, 2022: Black smoke billows from a fire on the Kerch bridge that links Crimea to Russia, after a truck exploded, near Kerch
In recent months the bridge has been used less frequently by Russia following a slew of small-scale attacks
Putin’s Palace
The Gelendzhik Palace, rumoured to be worth roughly £1billion, is just one of Putin’s opulent private residences across Russia.
But its proximity to Ukraine and Crimea means it could constitute a legitimate target for drones and missile strikes.
Located on the cliffs overlooking the Black Sea in its namesake resort, the Gelendzhik Palace is seen as one of Putin’s most decadent private villas-cum-bunkers and was tied to the Russian President in a stunning investigation conducted by the Anti-Corruption Foundation founded by the late Alexei Navalny.
Covert images snapped at the property along with 3D renderings based on building schematics revealed a fully kitted out gym and spa, an arcade room with slot machines and a dance mat, a theatre and even an underground ice rink.
The palace also featured an ‘entertainment room’ complete with a stripper pole and hookah lounge – though those accoutrements are said to have been ripped out and refitted with a personal chapel.
Meanwhile, blueprints of the incredible property published online by a now-defunct Russian construction company truly cemented the palace’s status as a shadowy lair fit for a James Bond villain.
The schematics show an intricate network of secret shafts buried deep underground the structure, as well as two survive and escape tunnels that could support VIP occupants for weeks.
Gelendzhik is located just 85 miles from Crimea and is well within the range of Ukrainian drones and missiles.
Last summer, a drone fired by Kyiv’s troops struck an oil refinery in Krasnodar some 80 miles away from the palace.
An aerial view of the Gelendzhik palace, a property located along Russia’s southern Black Sea
The palace is part of a huge complex located on the Black Sea coast near Gelendzhik, Krasnodar Krai, Russia
The Gelendzhik Palace is seen in this from drone footage released by Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, with the exit hatch for the second tunnel shown bottom right
Covert images snapped at the property along with 3D renderings based on building schematics revealed a fully kitted out gym and spa, an arcade room with slot machines and a dance mat, a theatre and even an underground ice rink
Before being jailed, Navalny claimed in 2021 to be in possession of leaked floor plans of Putin’s lavish property on Russia’s southern Black Sea coast which have been used to draw up artists’ impressions of the palace’s interior
A swimming pool inside the high-ceilinged £1billion getaway near the Black Sea
As part of the makeover, Putin had a gilded altar installed with decorative marble columns
The Kremlin
Undoubtedly the largest and most dangerous target of all is the very seat from which Putin rules over Russia – the Kremlin.
Sitting on the banks of the Moskva river, the official residence of the Russian President is a massive fortress of towering red-brick walls encasing a 70-acre complex made up of various palaces, cathedrals and government buildings.
The Grand Kremlin Palace, with its distinctive green and gold roof, was once home to the Tsars and is now used for state ceremonies, while Cathedral Square features several historic Russian Orthodox churches.
The Assumption Cathedral, with its golden domes, is particularly significant as the coronation site of Russian rulers, and the Armoury Chamber is home to a host of priceless artefacts.
It is believed that the Kremlin also hides untold miles of subterranean tunnels, bunkers and command and control centres.
In May 2023, a pair of drones carrying a small quantity of explosives attacked the Kremlin – while Putin was not present – and were shot down.
One of them exploded in a small ball of flame but caused little to no damage and no one was injured, but Moscow’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin immediately introduced a blanket ban on drones across the city.
Ukraine never took responsibility for the attack, but Russian and US officials said the drones were likely piloted by a Ukrainian unit or pro-Ukrainian dissidents inside Russia.
The incident, though shocking, ultimately had little impact.
But any serious attempt to strike the Kremlin by Ukraine would certainly trigger a major escalation, resulting in Moscow launching a barrage of retaliatory strikes on Kyiv – at the very least.
Winter view of the Grand Kremlin Palace and The Kremlin embankment in centre of Moscow
A general view on the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, August 12, 2024
Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko speaks during the Summit of Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) at the Grand Kremlin Palace, May 16,2022, in Moscow, Russia
Computer renders of a private residence in Mansurovo, Kursk, said to belong to Dmitry Medvedev
The sprawling estate, surrounded by security and high fencing, is said to feature a massive 16,000 square-foot main house along with a sport complex, helipads and a swimming pool
Medvedev Manor
An unlikely but nevertheless plausible target for a rogue Ukrainian drone or missile – and one that would guarantee a major humiliation for the Russian top brass – is the Kursk estate of former president and prime minister Dmitry Medvedev.
Medvedev was considered a moderate and fairly Western-friendly politician during his stint in power, but since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has made a complete about-face to become one of the most hawkish members of Russia’s elite.
Now the deputy chairman of Russia’s security council, Medvedev regularly delivers venomous tirades directed at Ukraine’s Western supporters – particularly the UK – and has routinely advocated for strikes on NATO countries.
Like many other Russian politicians and oligarchs, Medvedev enjoys the use of several dachas, villas and properties across the country, but his residence in Kursk – has suddenly come under threat amid the unexpected Ukrainian offensive.
The complex, located in Mansurovo in Kursk, is officially owned by an agricultural company of the same name owned by Medvedev’s former classmate and Gazprombank director Ilya Eliseev.
But an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Foundation claimed it is effectively Medvedev’s private residence and is simply administered by Mansurovo.
The sprawling estate, surrounded by security and high fencing, is said to feature a massive 16,000 square-foot main house along with a sport complex, a swimming pool and helipads.
