Zelenskyy confirms ordering missile strike on Moscow in response to Russian bombings

During a press conference held in Kyiv this Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially confirmed that he personally ordered the airstrikes against the Russian capital, Moscow. Zelenskyy stated that the operation was a direct response to the Russian military's recent, intense bombardments of civilians in Ukrainian cities, and revealed that Ukraine deployed both FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles and ballistic missiles in the joint strike.

Since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine war in 2022, Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukraine's civilian infrastructure and residential areas with artillery, missiles, and drones, resulting in numerous civilian casualties. International human rights organizations and the United Nations have repeatedly condemned these actions as constituting war crimes, calling on both sides to comply with the Geneva Conventions to protect civilians. Faced with ongoing harm to civilians, the Ukrainian government has experienced mounting pressure on both military and diplomatic fronts to respond to Russian aggression with more formidable deterrent measures.

As Ukraine's head of state, Zelenskyy is not only the country's supreme leader but also the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Constitution of Ukraine, the president has the authority to directly command major military operations when national security is severely threatened. Following the conference, Zelenskyy explained that the attack on Moscow was "a clear signal sent to the Russian side at minimal cost," conveying that any attacks against civilians will be met with retaliation. The FP-5 Flamingo is a long-range cruise missile developed by the United States, characterized by high precision and low observability, while ballistic missiles provide rapid strike capabilities; their combination demonstrates that Ukraine has achieved a high degree of maturity in weapon system integration.

The international response to this move has been mixed. Officials from the United States and multiple European Union member states expressed concern, warning that such cross-border attacks could escalate the conflict and calling on all parties to exercise restraint. Meanwhile, several Eastern European countries praised Ukraine for demonstrating its "determination for self-defense." The Russian side condemned the action as "aggression against Russian territory" and threatened to take "harsher retaliatory measures," with the Russian Ministry of Defense announcing that it would strengthen air defense and intelligence monitoring in the capital to prevent similar operations from recurring.

For Taiwan, the case of a Ukrainian president directly ordering long-range missile attacks on an adversary's capital provides a practical reference for how national leaders can utilize limited long-distance weapon resources for deterrence and response when facing external security threats. Taiwan similarly faces military pressure from the mainland in its defense planning. How to enhance self-defense efficacy through long-range precision weapons without directly provoking the opponent's territory is worth learning from Ukraine's operational decision-making and international response. Furthermore, this incident also serves as a reminder to Taiwan that amid a changing international security environment, it must continuously strengthen intelligence, missile defense, and diplomatic communication to safeguard regional stability and its own security.