The cards are thrown; Putin's bluff has been exposed

Since the surprise invasion of Russia's Kursk region in early August, Ukraine's tolerance for risk has risen sharply. Two days ago, the top Ukrainian general revealed that they had captured 100 Russian settlements, and meanwhile there were reports that Ukrainian forces were trying to break into another Russian region - Belgorod.

Furthermore, CNN adds, the invasion of Russia is not Ukraine's only trump card. Namely, in the past months, we have seen Ukraine carry out its most daring attacks on infrastructure deep in Russia, airports, oil refineries, ammunition warehouses... every day. Also, a Ukrainian drone strike last Wednesday appeared to have moved closer to Murmansk, the northern naval hub in the Arctic Circle that is home to the bulk of Russia's nuclear submarine force, according to a local Russian official.

Flights to Kazan, a city east of Moscow halfway to the Urals, were suspended yesterday after another apparent drone threat.

The range of Kyiv's drones is an unimaginable complication for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who two and a half years ago expected the Russian flag to fly in Kyiv within days.

Instead, smoke billows from infrastructure facilities in Russia.

Zelensky also boasted about the success of the F-16, which intercepted Russian missiles. This significant shift in Kyiv's ability to project air power will only grow in the coming months and threaten Russia's unique, long-term advantage - control of the skies and the ability to launch airstrikes at will.

While Zelensky seems to be throwing everything he can into the fight, Putin seems to be humming a well-known tune. Some analysts have noted that the Kremlin is portraying the Kursk Maltena debacle as a natural disaster.

The billowing smoke is something that local officials must extinguish, but Putin seems to be largely ignoring it. During that time, the Russians forcefully marched towards Pokorvsk. It seems to be a gamble that suits Zelensky, assesses CNN, and adds that the fall of Pokrovsk could be weeks away, according to current estimates of the pace of Russian advancement.

After Pokrovsk, Ukrainians actually have nothing to defend. There is no major city or location - all the way to the city of Dnieper on the other side of the Zaporozhye region.

Perhaps Zelensky also assessed that the loss of Pokorovsk was inevitable, but he has other goals: the incursions into Kursk represent a victory that can solve two pressing problems of Kyiv: the will of NATO allies to supply weapons to the side that is faring worse in the war, but also the willingness of Ukrainian men to fight a seemingly lost war.

The intertwining with the situation in the USA was evident when Zelensky said on Tuesday that in September he will present his "secret plan for victory" to President Joe Biden, as well as to candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

According to CNN, that plan likely includes intensive drone strikes, possibly using long-range US weapons. In the last three weeks, a new, hitherto unknown paradigm appeared, which Zelensky also spoke about.

Namely, it turned out that despite the shocking incursion into Kursk, almost no one mentions the Russian threat of escalation. As if the limits of its conventional power were exposed by the humiliation in Kursk, with the vanity of Putin's nuclear rhetoric, CNN concludes.