Putin thought his capture of Ukraine would be over quickly. Then it devolved into a likely stalemate. Now Russia faces a real possibility of devastating battlefield losses.
The Ukrainian military is now acknowledging several new successes northwest of Kyiv, but whether those successes will result in the true encirclement of the Russian artillery positions north of the city remains unknowable. For the first time, however, such encirclement appears to be a genuine threat to Russian forces. Cutting off already tenuous Russian supply lines in the region could upend whatever shreds remain of Russian strategy—but we can also presume Putin’s military will itself take desperate steps to try to prevent that outcome.
President Biden will arrive in Europe tomorrow for a barrage of meetings with NATO and G-7 nations as NATO contemplates further ways to intervene in the war without escalating into military conflict with Russia. And in Ukraine’s south, Russia continues to attack civilians even as Russian forces appear to be either static or in retreat when running up against the actual Ukrainian military.
Here’s some of today’s news:
