Russia carried out missile strikes throughout Ukraine Monday in retaliation for a recent terrorist

truck bomb attack on a critical 12-mile-long bridge that Russia built to the Crimean Peninsula.

The war in Ukraine is indeed escalating.

We need a new system.

We need a new society.

We need to demand that which may have sounded impossible even a few weeks ago,

but is not only realizable, but an imperative necessity. Welcome to this episode of The Socialist Program.

I'm Esther Averam here with host Brian Becker.

If you enjoy or rely on this show or both, please show your support by subscribing to our show

on patreon.com forward slash the socialist program.

Well, Brian, this show has been focusing in recent months on the logic of escalation,

meaning that your assessment is that unless the U.S. comes back to the negotiating table,

that this terrible war is going to widen, that it will escalate. So let's get started. I want to

read to you from the New York Times yesterday morning, October 10th. Now, this is from the New York Times.

Kiev, Ukraine. President Vladimir v. Putin of Russia ordered a far-reaching series of missile

strikes against cities across Ukraine on Monday morning, hitting the heart of Kiev, the capital,

and other areas far from the front line in the broadest aerial assault

against civilians and critical infrastructure since the early days of Moscow's invasion.

Russia's attacks killed at least 11 people nationwide and wounded 87 others, the Ukrainian

authority said, and knocked out power and other key services in multiple cities.

Mr. Putin said the strikes were in response to a blast that hit a key Russian bridge over the

weekend, which he called a quote-unquote terrorist attack. He threatened further strikes if

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