Why Ukraine's Looming Offensive May Be The Most Important Clash Of The War. Period.

Last fall, Ukraine rewrote the story of Russia’s invasion. It wasn’t the first time, and if things go as well in the coming weeks as Ukraine prays they will, it won’t be the last.

On October 1, 2022, Russia pulled out of the Donetsk region town of Lyman, ceding the town to Ukrainian forces and marking the culmination of a two-month counteroffensive that recaptured dozens of settlements mainly in the Kharkiv region, and highlighted major operational problems with Russia’s military. The success stunned Russia and surprised many Western observers.

By Mike Eckel
Mike Eckel is a senior correspondent reporting on political and economic developments in Russia, Ukraine, and around the former Soviet Union, as well as news involving cybercrime and espionage. He's reported on the ground on Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the wars in Chechnya and Georgia, and the 2004 Beslan hostage crisis, as well as the annexation of Crimea in 2014.