'Not only are they not winning, but the war is coming closer,' says Pulitzer-prize winner Anne Applebaum
Last week, Moscow residents looked up at black smoke hanging over the city as Ukrainian drones buzzed overhead.
It was
Ukraine's largest drone attack on the Russian capital since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. Hundreds of flights were delayed or cancelled, while a major oil refinery on the city's outskirts was repeatedly struck and set ablaze.
"If Ukraine is going to burn, your Moscow will burn too," Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The latest wave of strikes has brought the war much closer to home for many Russians, disrupting daily life and eroding their sense of safety.
Analysts say the attacks may deepen domestic anxieties as the war drags on.