Russia’s air-power strategy is bound to backfire

In the rapidly shifting Ukraine war, the growing failure of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ground game is causing him to seek asymmetric [Bloomberg]( Follow Us [Get the newsletter]( [Putin’s Air-Terror Campaign Against Ukraine Is Already Failing]( — James Stavridis In the rapidly shifting Ukraine war, the growing failure of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ground game is causing him to seek asymmetrical responses. Most visibly, he is turning to what is essentially a terror-bombing campaign against the civilian population of Ukraine. Photographer: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images Much like the V2 blitzes Nazi Germany directed against British cities in World War II, these missile attacks will accomplish very little tactically. Instead, they will heighten the already enormous anger and resolve of the Ukrainians and likely cause US and European supporters to accelerate arms deliveries. These may include some weapons previously held back to avoid escalation between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. I led a major air campaign over Libya in 2011, Operation Unified Protector. The mission, assigned to NATO by the United Nations Security Council, was to create a no-fly zone to keep the dictator Moammar Qaddafi from using his air and ground firepower to massacre his political opponents. We launched over 25,000 air sorties, dropped nearly 10,000 precision-guided weapons, and closed the skies over Libya. But ultimately, to depose the Qaddafi regime, the rebels had to create an effective ground force, which they eventually did. What I observed is that air power — even massive air superiority — cannot ultimately take and hold ground. Putin will discover the same thing. Read the [whole thing](. [The Rich Are Living in a Different Economic World]( — Andrea Felsted [The Federal Reserve Owes the World a Mea Culpa]( — Bill Dudley [The Car Industry Is Facing a Big Affordability Crisis]( — Chris Bryant [Putin’s Response to Crimea Bridge Attack Shows How Much It Hurt]( — Clara Ferreira Marques [Don’t Cancel Your Colonoscopy Just Yet]( — Lisa Jarvis [San Francisco’s Empty Train Cars Spell Trouble for Public Transit]( — Justin Fox [Zuckerberg’s $1,499 Headsets Won’t Help Meta]( — Parmy Olson [Enjoy the Social Security Bump Now. You’ll Pay Later.]( — Allison Schrager [Putin Is Already Attacking NATO, Just Not All At Once]( — Andreas Kluth This is the Weekend Edition of Bloomberg Opinion Today, a roundup of the most popular stories Bloomberg Opinion published this week based on web readership. Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Opinion Today newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Bloomberg.com]( | [Contact Us]( [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( | [Ad Choices]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington, New York, NY, 10022