A heavy blow to Russians; two years after the Kursk operation, Ukraine causes Russia fear and losses

Almost 2 years have passed since the defense forces operation in Kursk, and Ukraine's position has changed during this time, as reported by Newsweek. The publication recalls that in February 2025, Russian troops succeeded in almost completely driving the defense forces out of the Kursk region, which led to Volodymyr Zelenskyy's first visit to then President-elect Donald Trump. That meeting ended in a quarrel between the two presidents. Now, as Kyiv awaits a visit from American negotiators, Ukraine is in a much stronger position. Although the publication calls the chances of peace in the near future minuscule, the defense forces achievements in long-range strikes offer grounds for hope that Trump will support its pressure on Russia. Journalists note that the operation in Kursk was intended to turn the tide in Ukraine's favor. However, it ultimately ended in horrific defeat, as the defense [music] forces were forced to withdraw from the region. Both military and civilians condemn the operation as illogical and not worth the losses, the publication notes. However, according to journalists, Ukraine has learned its lesson from this operation and now has a new Trump card that doesn't need to be seized, secured, or defended. This Trump card is a campaign of long-range strikes against Russia. The publication sites data from the independent monitoring center Aecold, which noted that in July, the defense forces carried out three times more strikes against Russia than in January. The publication notes that Russia may declare partial mobilization after the fall elections. And no matter how much technological advantage Ukraine has in long-range strikes, it won't generate additional manpower, shoot down ballistic [music] missiles, or prevent Moscow from throwing ever more people into the meat grinder. However, according to journalists, this very campaign could give Ukraine leverage during the next meeting between Zelensky and Trump, whether it involves transferring additional Patriot missiles, funding, or political support to Kyiv. >> [music] >> Ukraine's long-range drones are striking targets sometimes more than 2,500 km inside Russia, reaching cities like Moscow and St. Petersburg, across the Ural Mountains and even into Siberia. Their targets include oil refineries, factories, and warehouses. While long-range drones are not new to the war, the scale of their use has changed. Ukraine now produces its own one-way attack drones by the hundreds, allowing it to cut through red tape from Western partners that once prevented it from striking deep into Russia. When it began ramping up such attacks [music] in March, some Western allies urged restraint. The US-Israel war on Iran had already disrupted global energy markets, and Ukraine's increasing attacks on Russian energy infrastructure have threatened to add further pressure. >> [music] >> Ukrainian officials began calling the strikes long-range sanctions, a tongue-in-cheek way of arguing that Kyiv was enforcing, through drones, [music] the economic pressure Western sanctions had failed to deliver. The logic behind this is that Russia's oil and gas industry remains a critical source of money for the state, accounting for roughly 1/5 of federal budget revenues. More recently, however, Ukraine's long-range campaign has expanded beyond oil and gas. Among its targets is Wildberries, [music] Russia's largest online retailer. Ukraine says the company's marketplace is used to sell dual-use goods, pointing to listings for items including body armor, military helmets, drone components, and fiber optic cables used in drones that kill Ukrainian soldiers and civilians alike. 30% of all dual-use or military goods are bought and sold by Russia's Ministry of Defense through Wildberries marketplace, Mykhailo Podolyak, an advisor to Ukraine's president, tells.