Vindman on wave of attacks in Ukraine: Russia is a ‘one-trick pony’

Retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman on Monday called Russia a “one-trick pony” and knocked Moscow’s recent strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine.  

“Russia really is a one-trick pony. It cannot do anything on the battlefield. It’s getting defeated at every turn,” Vindman said in an interview on CNN’s “New Day.” 

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Vindman said, is scrambling to use his “limited means” to show Moscow’s force amid recent battlefield setbacks.  

“The only thing [Putin] could do in response is not on the military battlefield — he could terrorize the population. He could make it a miserable winter for the population,” Vindman said.

Vindman, who was born in Kyiv and came to the U.S. as a 3-year-old, served during the Trump administration as the director of European affairs on the National Security Council until February 2020. He was a key witness in former President Trump’s first impeachment trial.

Russia over the weekend launched a battery of strikes against Ukraine, hitting civilian areas in what appears to be a response to Russia’s recent losses. 

Already grappling with losing ground in Ukraine after a successful counteroffensive last month, Putin was outraged when an explosion crippled a bridge connecting Russia to the Crimean Peninsula and accused Ukraine of being behind the “terror act.” Ukraine has not taken responsibility. 

Vindman dismissed the idea that the Russian strikes have any significant strategic purpose.

“Terror campaign. All it is is a terror campaign,” the retired Army official said.