‘Putin Is Using Hitler’s Tactics’ – Ranking US Senator Slams Russian Attacks on Ukrainian Cities

The core idea is psychological as well as military. Shaheen said Russia has shifted from front-line fighting toward attacks on major Ukrainian cities and essential infrastructure. She argued that Putin wants to weaken civilians’ determination to continue resisting. The purpose is not only to damage buildings or equipment, but also to make daily life feel unsafe and uncertain.

The article points to Russia’s ballistic missiles and attack drones striking residential neighborhoods, transportation networks, and power infrastructure. Attacks on energy systems can leave people without electricity, heating, or other basic services, especially before winter. Shaheen compared this approach with Hitler’s bombing campaign against Britain, which sought to pressure civilians through sustained attacks on cities.

Russia was continuing these attacks when Shaheen spoke after meeting Zelensky. She called for stronger pressure on Moscow rather than Kyiv and said Putin responds only to strength. Her comments suggest that protecting civilian morale and infrastructure remains central to Ukraine’s ability to withstand the war.

The Blitz was Nazi Germany’s sustained bombing campaign against British cities during World War II. The article says it began in 1940 and describes it as a campaign aimed at urban areas rather than only battlefield positions. Its defining feature was repeated bombing that brought the war directly into civilian communities.

By striking cities, Germany attacked more than military forces. Bombing threatened homes, public services, transportation, and the sense of safety that civilians depended on. The pressure was intended to damage public morale and make continued resistance harder. Shaheen specifically linked Hitler’s attacks on British cities with attacks on energy infrastructure.

The Blitz matters in this article because Shaheen sees a similar pattern in Russia’s attacks on Ukraine. Russia has used ballistic missiles and drones against residential neighborhoods, transportation networks, and power systems. The comparison emphasizes how urban attacks can become a tool for psychological pressure as well as physical destruction.

The similarity is the choice of targets and the intended psychological effect. The article says Russia moved from what Shaheen called World War I-style front-line tactics toward attacks on metropolitan areas. She argued that these strikes aim to weaken civilian morale. The Blitz is presented as an earlier example of bombing cities to pressure a country’s population.

Russia’s current attacks have included ballistic missiles and drones against Ukrainian residential neighborhoods, transportation networks, and power infrastructure. Shaheen also highlighted energy systems specifically. These targets can disrupt ordinary life and make civilians feel that no place is secure. The Blitz comparison therefore concerns both physical damage and the attempt to make a society lose confidence.

The campaigns are not described as identical in size or duration. The article gives no detailed numerical comparison. It says the Blitz began in 1940, while Russian attacks were continuing ahead of winter, so the clear connection is strategy rather than matching scale.

Attacks on essential infrastructure spread harm far beyond the immediate blast area. When power plants are damaged, homes and public services may lose electricity and other basic support. Strikes on transportation networks can make travel, deliveries, and emergency response harder. Attacks on residential neighborhoods directly threaten families and can force people to live under constant fear.

The article describes Russia using ballistic missiles and attack drones against Ukrainian neighborhoods, transport networks, and power infrastructure. Shaheen said these attacks are meant to undermine morale. The mechanism is cumulative: repeated disruption makes ordinary life more difficult and can pressure civilians to lose confidence in their government or resistance.

The current campaign was continuing ahead of winter, when damage to energy systems could be especially serious. The article does not give a complete account of civilian consequences or specific outage figures. It does show that Russia is striking systems that communities need every day, rather than limiting attacks to military positions.

A precise comparison cannot be made from the article. It describes the Blitz as Nazi Germany’s sustained bombing campaign against British cities and says it began in 1940. However, it gives no number of raids, bombs, cities affected, casualties, or exact end date. Those missing figures prevent a reliable assessment of its total scale.

The current Russian campaign is also described without a numerical total. The article reports continuing ballistic-missile and attack-drone strikes against Ukrainian residential neighborhoods, transportation networks, and power infrastructure. It places these attacks ahead of winter, but does not state how many strikes had occurred, how long the campaign had lasted, or how much territory was affected.

The supported conclusion is therefore limited. Shaheen is comparing the campaigns’ method and purpose: attacking urban life and morale. The article does not establish that they were equal in size or duration. It only provides the Blitz’s 1940 starting point and the current campaign’s continuing status.

Steve Witkoff is identified in the article as a US envoy. He made the controversial comment during a meeting in St. Petersburg after Putin released Stephen Hubbard, an American detainee. Witkoff thanked Putin and said, “You are a humanitarian also, sir, and I salute that.” His words drew criticism because they appeared to praise a leader accused of major abuses.

Shaheen called Putin a war criminal and dictator responsible for killing thousands of Ukrainians. She rejected the idea that releasing Hubbard made him humanitarian, noting that Hubbard should never have been imprisoned. Republican lawmakers also condemned the description. Thom Tillis called it embarrassing and outrageous, while John Cornyn called Putin a “stone cold killer.”

Other lawmakers, including Don Bacon and Joni Ernst, likewise rejected Witkoff’s portrayal. Their response reflects the conflict between a diplomatic gesture and Russia’s broader conduct described in the article. The criticism was especially sharp because Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians were continuing.

Governments may attack civilian morale because wars depend on more than battlefield strength. A population that feels unsafe, exhausted, or unable to maintain normal life may pressure leaders to change course. Damaging essential infrastructure can also reduce a country’s ability to move people, provide services, and sustain resistance. The article presents this as the logic Shaheen sees behind Russia’s strategy.

Russia has attacked Ukrainian residential neighborhoods, transportation networks, and power infrastructure with ballistic missiles and drones. Those targets affect families and basic services directly. Shaheen said Putin shifted from front-line tactics toward metropolitan attacks to undermine morale. Her comparison with the Blitz shows how urban bombing can be used for psychological pressure as well as physical damage.

The article does not claim that attacks on infrastructure replace fighting at the front. It says Russia was using both a different urban focus and continuing strikes ahead of winter. Shaheen called for greater pressure on Moscow, arguing that Putin responds only to strength, rather than placing more pressure on Kyiv.