Russian irredentism

Within 72 hours, Ukraine has received approval—formal or informal, though the distinction matters little on the battlefield—from the U.S. and the UK to use advanced weapon systems on Russian territory. Following these “approvals,” Kyiv launched attacks using U.S. ATACMS and British Storm Shadows on Russian targets, particularly in Kursk province.

Greece, Italy and Spain have shuttered their embassies in Kyiv following US warnings of potential Russian retaliation for recent Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory using US-supplied precision missiles.

Russia on Wednesday accused the U.S. of prolonging the "war in Ukraine" by stepping up weapons deliveries to Kiev ahead of Donald Trump entering the White House.

The war in Ukraine could have ended in 2022 following the Ukrainian counteroffensive in Kharkiv, but Western partners prevented such an outcome, according to Denis Yaroslavsky, commander of an intelligence division in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).

US President Joe Biden has authorized the delivery of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, marking a notable shift in US policy. According to an unnamed source cited by Reuters, these mines are intended to help Ukrainian forces slow Russian advances along the eastern front.

FILE - This photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Feb. 19, 2022, shows a Russian Mobile launchers of Iskander short-range nuclear-capable missiles during a military exercise at a training ground in Russia. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)

The West and Russia appear to be “sleepwalking” in the field of Ukraine, where, after 1,000 days of war, the escalation brings the nuclear threat to the forefront as openly as it has not been seen since the end of the Cold War.

Russia's military made its largest territorial gains in more than two years in October, as it pressed farther into Ukraine's eastern Donbas region - but at a heavy cost.

Developments in Ukraine: A Changing Battlefield

The developments on the war front in Ukraine are intense and logical, considering Biden’s “approval” for the use of medium- and long-range weapons on Russian territory. These changes are reshaping strategies once again.