When the history of Russia’s war against Ukraine is written, the events that started unfolding last week will stand out as one of the conflict’s most mysterious episodes. The full significance and true motivation of the Ukrainian military’s incursion into Russian territory near Kursk, where it now controls hundreds of square miles of territory, will only become clear in the fullness of time. For now, at least, the tables have been turned.
Speculation about what motivated Kyiv’s campaign is rife. There may have been many drivers, but one that cannot be discounted is the changing political landscape in the United States.
Incredibly, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sought to take control of neighboring Ukraine expecting a swift victory, is now the leader under whom Russia is enduring its first foreign invasion since World War II.