Throughout its war with Russia, Ukraine has shown a remarkable capacity to take its much bigger invader by surprise. Since its repulse of Russia’s onslaught in February 2022, the Ukrainians have scored morale-boosting hits on their enemy.
This week’s sudden incursion into Russian territory is, however, much more dramatic than previous Ukrainian coups. It came as Western military commentators seemed to agree that Putin was winning a brutal war of attrition against his smaller neighbour, maybe forcing Ukraine to accept his demands in the coming months. So, the West was as surprised as the Kremlin by recent events.
Sceptics of the strategic wisdom of Kyiv’s dramatic advance tend to see it less as a game-changer than as a battlefield blip – like Hitler’s Battle of the Bulge, which knocked the Allies sideways for 10 days over Christmas 1944 but actually drained away what was left of his army’s reserves.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
'I'm doing whatever it takes.for the team to be better'
Cheslin Kolbe, the Springboks' ultimate utility man, tells Harry Latham-Coyle about overcoming his diminutive size and difficult upbringing to make history with his 'brothers'
'No excuses': England look to power past Aussie rivals
For England, Australia lurk like a snake in the Outback.
The crisis at Arsenal points to something much deeper
There's an example some modern coaches use to show a team has run out of ideas: it is when they start swinging in crosses, repeatedly, to no effect. Arsenal tried that 46 times against Inter on Wednesday. It isn't quite the 81 that David Moyes'
Trump's victory will make Brexit even more painful
Oh, to be a fly on the wall in President Trump's Oval Office when the request arrives from Britain not to impose extra trade tariffs.
British Airways owner IAG records 15% surge in profits
The owner of airlines British Airways and Aer Lingus has said its earnings soared in recent months due to \"the effectiveness of our strategy and group-wide transformation\".
Iranian operative tasked with assassination of Trump
A fugitive Iranian government operative is accused of hiring a pair of New Yorkers he met in prison to carry out an assassination plot against a critic of the regime, and allegedly admitted to FBI agents that he had also been tasked with finding a hit squad to kill president-elect Donald Trump.
Republicans in the lead in fight to control the House
Republicans held on to a narrow edge yesterday as election officials tallied the final votes that will determine control of the US House of Representatives - and could see Donald Trump's party win a clean sweep, having already taken the Senate and the White House.
Fresh flooding hits Spain after 'intense' rainfall
Fresh flash flooding has hit Spain's northeast, washing away dozens of vehicles, after more than 200 people were killed last week in one of the worst floods in Europe this century.
Women and children make up two-thirds of Gaza dead
Women and children account for nearly 70 percent of all Palestinian deaths in Gaza verified by the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), which has accused Israel of failing \"to comply with the fundamental principles of humanitarian law\".
'We failed Jewish people again', admits Dutch king
Willem-Alexander reignites memories of pogroms in WW2 as Maccabi Tel Aviv supporters are attacked in Amsterdam
