Want Peace for Ukraine? Let It Strike in Russia
Putin’s borders ceased to be sacrosanct when he invaded his neighbor.
Ukraine’s allies should lift remaining restrictions on its use of weapons against Russia.
Photographer: Anatoli Stepanov/AFP/Getty Images
One week into Ukraine’s counterstrike into Russia’s Kursk region, we still have only a hazy picture of what is happening on the ground and know still less about the operation’s aims. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing — if we don’t know, Russian decision makers may be having to guess, too, making their response that much more difficult.
A lot of analytical ink has been spilled on what the goals of Ukraine’s top commander, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, and his boss, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, might be. Speculation ranges from replaying Syrskyi’s successful 2022 Kharkiv offensive to boost sagging morale at home, to making Russia divert forces to protect its the borders or grabbing territory to hold for exchange in future negotiations.