Editing Strategic bombing (section)

===Post–Cold War===
{{see also|NATO bombing of Yugoslavia#Strategy}}
[[File:Нато бомбе изазивале еколошку катастрофу у Новом Саду.jpeg|thumb|Smoke in [[Novi Sad]], Serbia after NATO bombardment]]
Strategic bombing in the post–Cold War era is defined by American advances in and the use of [[smart munitions]]. The developments in guided munitions meant that the Coalition forces in the [[Gulf War|First Gulf War]] were able to use them, although the majority—93%<ref>{{harvnb|Gómez|1998|pp=351,359}}</ref>—of bombs dropped in that conflict were still conventional, unguided bombs. More frequently in the [[Kosovo War]], and the initial phases of [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]] of 2003, strategic bombing campaigns were notable for the heavy use of precision weaponry by those countries that possessed them. Although bombing campaigns were still strategic in their aims, the widespread area bombing tactics of World War II had mostly disappeared. This led to significantly fewer civilian casualties associated with previous bombing campaigns, though it has not brought about a complete end to civilian deaths or collateral property damage.<ref>{{harvnb|Craig|Ryan|Gibbons-Neff|2015}}</ref>
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Additionally, strategic bombing via smart munitions is now possible through the use of aircraft that have been considered traditionally tactical in nature such as the [[F-16 Fighting Falcon]] or [[F-15E Strike Eagle]], which had been used during [[Operation Desert Storm]], [[Operation Enduring Freedom]] and [[Operation Iraqi Freedom]] to destroy targets that would have required large formations of strategic bombers during World War II.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}} 

During the Kosovo campaign [[NATO]] forces bombed targets far from Kosovo like bridges in [[Novi Sad]],{{cn|date=April 2025}} power plants around Belgrade<ref>{{harvnb|Vreme|1999}}</ref> and flea market in Niš.<ref>{{harvnb|RechkeSRB|2010}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb| Južne vesti|2011}}</ref> During the [[2008 South Ossetia war]] Russian aircraft attacked the shipbuilding center of [[Poti]].<ref>{{harvnb|Tilford|2008}}</ref>

==== Russian invasion of Ukraine ====
{{Main|Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure (2022–present)}}
As part of the [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]], missile and drone waves hit Ukraine infrastructure periodically, causing damage, deaths, injuries, and deeply affecting energy distribution across Ukraine and nearby countries. By late November 2022, nearly half of the country's energy systems had been destroyed, leaving millions of Ukrainians without power;  energy workers rushed to restore services.<ref>{{harvnb|Wright|2022}}</ref> The methodical attacks on [[Power station|power stations]] and electrical nodes imposed large economic and practical costs on Ukraine,<ref>{{harvnb|Kraemer|2022}}</ref> with a severe impact for millions of civilians over the winter.<ref>{{harvnb|Birnbaum|Stern|Rauhala|2022}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Santora|2022}}</ref> It was assumed that Russia's strategic intention was to break the will of the Ukrainian population to continue the war.<ref>{{harvnb|Stephens|2022}}</ref>