Russia hasn’t been invaded since World War II — until now. How will Putin respond to Ukraine’s daring attack in Kursk?
Ukrainian servicemen drive a Soviet-made T-64 tank in the Sumy region, near the border with Russia, on August 11, 2024.
For months, Russia has been inching forward across eastern Ukraine in what it calls a “special military operation,” sacrificing tens of thousands of soldiers to grind out territorial gains against their outnumbered foes. Meanwhile, far from the frontlines, daily life for Ukrainians has become ever harder as the Kremlin’s missiles, bombs, and drones target infrastructure, while Kyiv mobilizes tens of thousands of additional soldiers and cracks down on those seeking to dodge the draft.
Throughout the war, Ukrainian special operations forces have crossed into Russia, in small-scale hit-and-run attacks played up for their propaganda value. That’s not what is happening now.something different, and may involve substantial forces — portions of seasoned mechanized and air assault brigades, and piecemeal battalions equivalent to somewhere around 10,000 soldiers.
But Putin has resisted using conscripts outside of Russia, a political decision aimed at placating popular opinion amid the war’s extreme casualties — some estimates put Russian losses at nearly half a million since the war began. Even an autocrat has constituents, and while Moscow is unperturbed about spilling the blood of volunteers, Putin is wary of the political backlash that may ensue if tens of thousands of teenage conscripts are sent to their deaths.
Shortly before the 11pm curfew in Kharkiv, the power is out. The streets of Ukraine’s second-largest city are ink-dark and eerily quiet. The air-attack warning siren just finished sounding, but it lingers in the mind beside visions of shattered high-rises and pock-marked concrete, spattered with the telltale scars of explosive fragmentation.
Russia stepped up its air attacks in concert with its ground offensive. On some days, the air alerts could last as long as 16 hours. The attacks destroyed an electricity plant — one of Ukraine’s largest — that powered the city. Officials estimate it will take upwards of a year to repair and bring back online. Kharkiv is known for its engineering, machinery, and electronics industries. The power loss brought the city’s economy to a standstill.
Power outages are common. During the worst periods of the summer, it wasn’t unusual to spend 12 hours or more per day without power in major cities like Kharkiv, Odesa, and Kyiv Mykola — not his real name — is a 21-year-old student at the Odesa Maritime Academy. He has wanted to become a merchant seaman and travel the world since he was a boy. He’s already started on his tattoos; two full sleeves of traditional sailor’s ink stand in contrast to the barista’s apron he wears making coffee at a kiosk, to earn spending cash. He will graduate in a year, and is ready to pack his bags and go to sea.“I don’t know what the war will be like next year,” Mykola says.
Still, there are some who take the chance: Maksym — a pseudonym — works in IT for an overseas company. He says he’s trying to stay off the books and lay low — but not so low he can’t be found hanging out on the patio of a restaurant in Odesa, drinking beer with friends in the sweltering evening. “I sit here and play this music box to bring people joy,” Viktor says, slowly turning the crank on the box while feeding the pigeons around him. “We all need something to brighten these dark times, and this is something I can do.”
Musicians play guitars and sing on the steps to the underground. There’s dozens standing outside, talking, laughing, and drinking in small groups. Drunks and homeless people weave through the crowd caging cigarettes or asking for change. Babushkas hopefully peddle their wares: DVDs and trinkets. A Roma boy of maybe 12 waits beside the door, trying to convince patrons to buy woven bracelets in blue and gold, the colors of Ukraine.
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