---
title: "\"The enemy's primary target is Kyiv, always\": Kovalenko explains why Russia focuses on demoralizing the rear"
description: "Former Center for Countering Disinformation head Andrii Kovalenko stated that Russia's main tactic is pressuring the rear and Kyiv through threats to children's safety and living comfort rather than energy strikes."
date: 2026-10-17T14:55:33.933Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/kovalenko-russia-rear-pressure-kyiv-demoralization
tags: [ukraine, russia, kyiv, defense-strategy, kovalenko, rear-pressure, civilian-safety, shelters]
author: "Alexander Buran"
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# "The enemy's primary target is Kyiv, always": Kovalenko explains why Russia focuses on demoralizing the rear

![Andrii Kovalenko in a studio in front of a microphone discussing Russian tactics and the situation in Kyiv](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/17/kovalenko-rossiya-davlenie-na-tyl-i-kiyiv-demoralizatsiya/kovalenko-rossiya-davlenie-na-tyl-i-kiyiv-demoralizatsiya-1.webp)

## Key Points

- Kovalenko called pressure on the rear and Kyiv the main tactic of the Russian invaders
- The expert believes that threats to children's safety and living comfort are more effective for demoralizing society than strikes on energy infrastructure
- Kyiv lacks a sufficient number of mobile shelters, and schools cannot ensure the educational process due to a lack of space in shelters

Andrii Kovalenko, former head of the Center for Countering Disinformation and a lieutenant in the Ukrainian Defense Forces, analyzed the key tactics of the Russian invaders on RBC-Ukraine's podcast "TSE BAZA" and pointed out that the main vector of pressure is directed at the rear regions and, above all, the capital. According to him, in the worldview of Russian commanders, a key task is precisely to "terrorize" Kyiv, making the city a priority target throughout the entire conflict.

### Pressure on the rear as an instrument of psychological impact

Kovalenko stressed that threats to comfort, education, and children's safety directly affect parents' morale. Any restrictions in this area can push citizens toward migration, which entails changing living conditions and losing jobs. According to the military expert, such a process can cause deep demoralization among a significant number of citizens, which will directly affect public sentiment—both regarding the state's political course and society's readiness for further resistance.

### Energy is not solving the objective: emphasis on living comfort

"Basic energy infrastructure alone cannot achieve this. But things related to the living comfort of people and children can significantly impact moods," Kovalenko stated. Thus, the expert distinguishes between two types of strikes: the destruction of energy infrastructure, which causes economic damage but fails to achieve a psychological effect, and systemic pressure on citizens' daily lives, which works toward long-term demoralization.

### The priority of children's safety and the shelter problem in Kyiv

That is why, according to Kovalenko, ensuring comfort and maximum possible safety for children is a priority task for the Ministry of Education, specialized agencies, and local authorities responsible for bomb shelters. He drew special attention to the fact that Kyiv lacks mobile shelters, and schools cannot fully ensure the educational process due to a lack of space in existing shelters. "Something needs to be done about this," the defense forces lieutenant stressed, calling it a critically important condition for keeping people in the city.

### Context: the strategy of retaining the population

Kovalenko's statements fit into a broader discourse on how the state and local authorities should adapt protection infrastructure to changing enemy tactics. The expert essentially points to a systemic gap: if the enemy purposefully strikes points related to daily comfort and children's safety, the response must include not only military protection but also civil infrastructure—from mobile shelters to the repurposing of school premises. Without this, in his logic, Russia achieves its goal of gradually exhausting society's resistance resource through everyday pressure.

## Fact-Check & Sources

- [Главная цель врага - тыл и Киев: Андрей Коваленко объяснил, на что делает ставку Россия](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/golovna-meta-voroga-til-i-kiyiv-andriy-kovalenko-1792232224.html) - Primary source. Full text of Kovalenko's statement on the "TSE BAZA" podcast.
- [Стратегия России: давление на тыл и Киев как инструмент деморализации](https://novosti.ua/society/rossiya-delaet-stavku-na-demoralizatsiyu-tyla-i-kieva-kovalenko) - Reprint of the same statement with minor stylistic edits. The facts match the primary source.

## FAQ

### Who is Andrii Kovalenko and in what context did he make these statements?

Andrii Kovalenko is the former head of the Center for Countering Disinformation and a lieutenant in the Ukrainian Defense Forces. He made these statements on RBC-Ukraine's podcast "TSE BAZA".

### Why, according to Kovalenko, do energy strikes fail to achieve Russia's main goal?

Kovalenko argues that destroying energy infrastructure causes economic damage but does not cause a psychological effect of demoralization. In his estimation, pressure on living comfort and children's safety is much more effective.

### What specific problems in Kyiv did Kovalenko call systemic?

He pointed to the lack of mobile shelters in Kyiv and the fact that schools cannot provide a full educational process due to a shortage of space in existing shelters.