The Olympics in Paris provides a welcome distraction, but Ukraine is racking up significant wins in its struggle against Russia. Kyiv repelled Russia’s attempt to capture its second largest city Kharkiv, has driven Russia’s Black Sea fleet from its 240-year-old naval base in Crimea, and placed the peninsula under siege. Vital shipping lanes for Ukrainian exports are reopened and Western weapons flow again into Ukraine. Americans and other allies are “front loading” their military and financial aid to Ukraine in advance of a potentially disruptive November election outcome in the United States. Allies have also given Ukraine permission to use their weapons to destroy military targets inside Russia. But the crippling of Crimea is key and a measure of Ukraine’s technological superiority. Back in 2022, Ukraine had virtually no navy and no manpower advantage, but harnessed its brainpower to create sea and air drones to attack Crimea and save Odessa. Recently, an American military expert commented that “Crimea’s become a death trap for the Kremlin’s forces”. This provides leverage to Kyiv in any negotiations, curbs Russian oil exports, impedes its military supply lines, and undermines Putin’s reign.
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