Ukraine’s surprise cross-border incursion seen as a tactical reply to Russia’s grinding gains

The Ukraine army’s surprise charge into Russia this week was a stunning maneuver that caught the Kremlin’s forces unawares.

The strategic goal of Ukraine’s biggest cross-border incursion in almost 900 days of the war remains unclear, but it counters Russia’s unrelenting effort in recent months to punch through Ukrainian defenses at selected points along the front line in eastern Ukraine.