Commentary
The Ukrainian war is now in its eighth month. To date, its progress has defied all predictions. The widely expected Russian victory proved elusive. It’s dangerous to speak of the legacy of the Ukrainian war when all the signs point to a long, bitterly fought warzone whose final act is still months, if not years, away. Nonetheless, there are already far-ranging geopolitical consequences apparent.
The War So Far
Despite significant Russian gains in the east and south, which brought roughly 20 percent of Ukraine under Russian control, the Russian invasion largely failed.
Ukrainian military forces stopped Russian attempts to encircle the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and eventually forced their withdrawal from western Ukraine. More importantly, Russian forces failed to gain air control over Ukraine, shut down Ukraine’s communications, or destroy the Ukrainian military’s command and control capabilities….