For many here in the relative safety of North America, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is old news. The fact that the war has evolved daily over the past 2.5 years is lost upon people, since they understandably have many other things to worry about.
But what about the Ukrainian invasion of Russia? Wait, what??! Yep, you read that correctly.
This past week, Ukraine invaded the Kursk oblast, which is a part of Russia that borders Ukraine but which is some distance from the war’s main front. The canny Ukrainians’ ultimate objective in carrying out this surprise manoeuvre is still unclear but suffice it to say that it has “distracted” the invading Russians from their push to occupy more Ukrainian territory elsewhere and caused Putin’s blood to boil.
In fact, the speed at which the Ukrainian military has occupied this area and the amount of territory it has quickly come to control underscores the extent of the hubris that permeates the Kremlin and the Russian military. Russia is not the all-powerful state the world thought it to be prior to the invasion and is certainly not the world power it wants the world to believe it is.
“Russia brought the war to our land and should feel what it has done,” said Ukrainian President Zelenskyy in one of his nightly telecasts to the nation.
Of course, Russia’s maximalist aim continues to be wiping out all vestiges of Ukrainian nationality and statehood, which includes bombing hospitals and supermarkets in Ukraine, killing civilians at every turn while denying it ever targets them. This is the kind of thing Russia does best and has been doing for centuries.
For its part, Ukraine has taken it to the Russians in many unexpected ways. It has managed to wipe out a significant portion of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, as well has many military planes and helicopters, and has destroyed numerous refineries and other facilities that allow Russia to wage this genocidal war. There’s way more to this war than what’s happening on the actual battlefield.
This war may not be top of mind for most people but, if nothing else, know that Ukraine is proving itself bold, innovative and courageous, and a worthy recipient of the support it has received from Western countries. Can’t wait to see what else it has in store for the invaders.