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ABC News Daily

What Ukraine gains by invading Russia

Aug 19, 2024
Rajan Menon, an international relations expert and professor at The City College of New York, delves into Ukraine's surprising military strategy of invading Russia after 30 months of conflict. This unprecedented move aims to boost domestic morale and challenge Russian perceptions of the war. Menon discusses the chaos within the Russian military in response and the complexities of Ukraine's territorial ambitions, including risks from counterattacks and the hurdles posed by untrained conscripts. He also analyzes Putin's attempts to maintain control amid these significant challenges.
14:27

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Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Ukraine's surprising military incursion into Russia exposes significant vulnerabilities in the Russian military's intelligence and defense capabilities, creating embarrassment for Putin.
  • The strategic purpose of Ukraine's invasion is to gain leverage for future political negotiations, potentially altering the conflict's balance of power.

Deep dives

Surprising Military Incursion

Ukrainian forces have successfully executed a surprising military incursion into Russia, marking the first major foreign incursion there since World War II. Videos show Ukrainian soldiers removing the Russian flag in a small town, reflecting both a message to their supporters and an acknowledgment to the Russian populace about the unprecedented attack. This incursion, initially met with little resistance, has exposed significant intelligence failures within the Russian military, leaving them scrambling to reinforce their defenses. The rapid advance into regions like Khursk has highlighted the strategic planning and execution capabilities of the Ukrainian military that caught everyone, including American intelligence, off guard.

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