This is how Putin is affected by the Russian partisan attacks

Murdered dissenters, poisoned cakes and arsenic-laced vodka.

The war between Ukraine and Russia may have become a war of position at the front, but at the same time it is moving in the dark.

– A significant annoyance for Putin, says Russia expert Malcolm Dixelius.

The war between Ukraine and Russia has stopped at the front, where a positional war has been going on for some time now. At the same time, there are individual attacks targeting dissidents and soldiers, carried out by Ukrainian partisan groups.

– Often it is about people who are active in occupied territory. In this case, it is mainly about Donbass and Crimea, says Russia expert Malcolm Dixelius in Efter fem.

Poisoned takeout and laced vodka

It was recently reported that the pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Ilya Kyva was shot dead in Moscow – an act for which Ukraine claimed responsibility.

During the year, it was also possible to read about Russian pilots who were exposed to poisoning attempts with the help of a cake, about Russian security officials who were poisoned by takeaway food, and about Russian soldiers who died after being offered vodka laced with arsenic.

Two categories

According to Malcolm Dixelius, the individuals behind this type of attack can be divided into two categories.

– In part, they are the ones who carry out attacks against individuals or soldiers, and often target people who are either defectors, like the one who died in Moscow, or those who have been part of the administration in these occupied areas, says Malcolm Dixelius, adding:

– Then there are others who help the Ukrainian armed forces with intelligence services, and that has been very important especially in Crimea.

“morale booster”

According to Dixelius, a partisan can be an individual who happens to live near a military base, and who can thus provide critical information to Ukraine’s armed forces. But it can also be about groups that operate deep into enemy territory, such as the group that blew up a railway tunnel deep into Siberia earlier this year.

Even if this type of deed does not determine the outcome of the war, they are important, not least for morale, Dixelius believes.

– When they blew up the Crimean Bridge, which was a partisan mission, it was incredibly uplifting for Ukrainians. It showed that there were people who supported them on that side as well, he says, and continues:

– For Putin, it is still a significant annoyance.