Putin ‘panicked’ as defiant Ukraine marks Independence Day under Russian bombardment

Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day on Monday under the shadow of continued Russian attacks, with one regional security expert arguing that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "panicked" as Ukrainian forces strike deeper inside Russia.

The anniversary, commemorating Ukraine's Aug.

24, 1991, declaration of independence from the Soviet Union, came amid intensified Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure and heightened security concerns after Ukraine's Security Service warned of possible terrorist attacks ahead of the holiday.

European leaders joined Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv for Independence Day events in a show of support as the war grinds on.

Zelenskyy declared that Ukraine wants peace but is not prepared to surrender to Moscow's demands.

A Russian drone strike Friday on a packed shopping center in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown, killed at least 16 people and injured 130, according to The Associated Press. 'PURE HELL' IN MOSCOW AS UKRAINIAN DRONES STRIKE MAJOR REFINERY SUPPLYING CAPITAL'S FUEL MARKET Putin has warned that Ukrainian strikes on Russian economic targets open a "Pandora’s box," while Kyiv maintains deep strikes are vital to disrupting Moscow’s logistics.

Ukraine has targeted Russian economic infrastructure, including warehouses belonging to online retailers Wildberries and Ozon.

"The war with Russia has seen a lot of advances for the Ukrainians over this year," former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Carrie Filipetti , now executive director of the Vandenberg Coalition, told Fox News Digital.

"They've recently been able to actually penetrate much deeper into Russian territory, including close to Moscow and St.

Petersburg." "Their success on the military front has now resulted in the Russians getting panicked and starting to attack more inside Ukraine and what they're really trying to do is weaken their will and capabilities," Filipetti said, adding that Putin "gets very anxious when he's put in a corner." "What we're seeing is these sorts of gasps at trying to retain some kind of control," Filipetti added.

"This is why he recently targeted a shopping mall inside Ukrainian territory.

He is not focused on targeting military assets.

He is really focused on trying to defeat the will of Ukrainians by attacking them." RUSSIA UNLEASHES NEARLY 600 MISSILES AND DRONES ON KYIV IN DEADLIEST STRIKE SINCE MAY Filipetti warned the targeting of civilian areas created heightened security risks as Ukraine marked its 35th Independence Day, more than four years into Russia's full-scale invasion.

Several European leaders traveled to Kyiv for Ukraine’s Independence Day events, including European Council President António Costa and leaders from Finland, Lithuania, Norway, Denmark, Estonia and Latvia.