In its 1,000 year history Russia has been invaded quite a lot of times. For this reason, Russian rulers (at least the wise ones) always placed much emphasis on fortifying and controlling the border areas. For example, Tsar Ivan Grozny, who put together the basic architecture of the centralized Empire, had designated four major border cities: Smolensk, Pskov, Novgorod, and Kazan. The first three were assigned to keep out Poles and Swedes; and the latter, Crimean Tatars. To govern these border towns, the Tsar appointed four Dukes of high-ranking nobility who also served in his privy council. These Dukes rotated out every four years and were typically paid 700 rubles a year for their service, which was a higher salary than those Dukes who governed less-endangered towns.

Ukraine’s operation quickly takes territory in Russia’s Kursk region, but Kyiv’s forces are still mostly outgunned and outnumbered

As in the case of Germany in 1944, Ukraine has gambled and the operation carries both strategic and political risk

Kremlin troops are making gains in the Donbas region

On Sunday, Kyiv confirmed the reception of the first F-16 fighter jets promised by its allies a year ago. But the arrival of these American-made aircraft likely won’t be enough to upend the balance of power on the ground.

These lessons could reshape how policymakers perceive the special operation and therefore improve the way in which it’s being waged.

“Russia does not control the border,” said Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the Centre for Countering Disinformation at Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, on Tuesday. “Russian soldiers are lying about the controllability of the situation in the Kursk region”, he claimed.

Kiev is desperate to relieve pressure along the Donbass front where Russia has continued gradually gaining ground this year and might soon be on the brink of a breakthrough.

The establishment keeps coming up with convenient answers, but always to the wrong question.

During the Minsk process, Ukrainian officials became adept at finding reasons to delay the implementation of the agreements and eventually neutralize them with the blessing of the Western masters. A possible new referendum is a preparation for such a game.