Win the War Now

The newspapers are filled with reports of an extraordinary victory by Ukrainian forces in the Kharkiv region. As of this writing, over 6,000 square kilometers have been recaptured from the Russians, dozens of villages have been liberated, and massive amounts of Russian military equipment have been captured. Ukrainians are literally dancing in the streets of Kyiv, and there likely will be plenty of more dancing soon, when the pocket of Russian forces trapped on the west side of the Dnipro River near Kherson collapses.

Yet while the Ukrainian victories are truly worth celebrating, a sober view of the situation is required. Ukraine has won some important battles. It has not won the war. The Putinites are not about to give up. The Soviet Union did very badly in the early stages of World War II, only to pull itself together later and ultimately prevail. That story is not obscure in Russia. On the contrary, it is the central national myth, taught in all schools and celebrated constantly on TV, film, and in literature. Without question, Russia’s rulers will attempt to replicate it today.

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