鈥檚 war in Ukraine was already the largest European conflict since 1945. It is expanding into new territory, escalating as both sides intensify their airstrikes, and deepening the fissures in the Western coalition that backs Ukraine. It is also getting more complicated. With Ukraine鈥檚 offensive in the north expanding even as Russia tightens its death grip around Pokrovsk in the east, it is hard for casual observers to follow this tragic and unnecessary conflict.
The most recent development is Ukraine鈥檚 successful attack on the Russian border region of Kursk. Geographically speaking, the chunk of Russian territory seized by Ukraine in its current offensive isn鈥檛 large. At about 500 square miles, it is roughly the size of Los Angeles. It is only about 1% of the more than 40,000 square miles of Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia and 0.0076%, or less than 1/10,000th, of the 6.6 million square miles in the Russian Federation.
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