Lviv blasts show Kremlin’s terror strategy endures – political analyst
The scene of the terrorist attack in Lviv. February 22, 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/Anastasiia Smolienko)
Political analyst Oleksii Koshel, speaking on Radio NV, commented on a series of explosions in Lviv and discussed who may be behind the terrorist attack on Feb. 22.
Oleksii Koshel
Twenty-six years ago, Vladimir Putin came to power in Russia.
To gain power — and to ensure that a candidate associated with the Federal Security Service won the election — the speaker said tactics involving terrorist attacks were used.
“Do you remember Buynaksk, Kashirskoye Highway, the deaths of up to 100 civilians?” he said, referring to the 1999 apartment bombings. “This became the pretext for launching the Second Chechen War and the foundation of the election campaign.”
According to the speaker, such methods will continue to be used as long as Putin remains in power. “In wartime and in peacetime, we must live and prepare for the fact that the risks of terrorist attacks — isolated or large-scale — and similar methods will always exist,” he said.
He added that nothing will change while Putin and the group associated with the Federal Security Service remain in power, and that society must simply be prepared for this reality.
“That is why, when we now talk about individual incidents, or when we talk about elections — elections are a separate issue altogether — I think the risk of terrorist attacks, bomb threats and false bomb threats at polling stations is the greatest danger,” he said.
“The security factor is the biggest threat.”
“At the same time, preventing this is extremely difficult,” he added.
“As the example of Israel shows, this is something we will likely have to live with for a long time.”
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