For some time now, the contours of Ukraine’s war with Russia – grinding Russian advance, dogged Ukrainian defence – have felt clearly defined. Last summer Kyiv’s much anticipated counterattack on Russian positions in eastern Ukraine failed, then in October the outbreak of war in Gaza diverted yet more global attention away from the Donbas frontline.
Coupled with the possibility of a Trump victory in the forthcoming US election, it had begun to seem that the exhausted and outnumbered Ukrainian forces might get dragged into an unfavourable settlement with Russia.
For now, Ukraine’s surprise incursion into the Kursk region of Russia has changed the narrative of a war that felt like it was slipping from Kyiv’s grasp. Yet it seems quite possible that the military gamble could also backfire disastrously.
Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, has said the incursion is achieving Kyiv’s goals – but what are they exactly? Dan Sabbagh finds differing viewpoints in the Ukrainian border town of Sumy, while Nataliya Vasilyeva hears stories of anger and confusion from the Russian side of the border. Either way, argues Orysia Lutsevych, deputy director of the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House, the manoeuvre has broken a deadlock in the two-and-a-half year conflict.
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Five essential reads in this week’s edition
1
Spotlight | 40,000 deaths: another grim milestone for Gaza
As faltering ceasefire talks continued this week, Malak A Tantesh and Emma Graham-Harrison report on how the death toll given by Gaza’s health officials fails to tell the full story of Palestinian grief.
2
Technology | Is Threads a new safe haven for those leaving X?
Elon Musk’s frequently inflammatory online remarks have left many seeking a less toxic alternative. James Ball explores whether Meta’s Instagram spin-off provides it.
3
Feature | Audrey Tang, the good hacker
The activist turned hacker is used to breaking boundaries as the world’s first minister for digital affairs. Now, she tells Simon Hattenstone, she wants the world to learn how to detoxify the internet.
4
Opinion | Caution needed over Kamala Harris’s flying start
The Democratic vice-president has enjoyed a spectacular launch to her presidential campaign. But, warns Jonathan Freedland, it is far too early to write off her rival Donald Trump.
5
Culture | Snogs away! The crazy world of UK dating shows
There’s much to be gleaned about British culture from analysing its TV dating shows, finds Daisy Jones – and, it stands to reason, about other countries’ via theirs.
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What else we’ve been reading
As the influential restaurant chain Nobu turns 30, the Observer’s Tim Adams tells the story of how, back in 1988, a plate of black cod miso led the actor Robert De Niro to fall in love with the food of Japanese chef Nobuyuki Matsuhisa – and how together, they went on to build a business that took the culinary world by storm. Graham Snowdon, editor
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Other highlights from the Guardian website
• Video | Alain Delon: a look back at the actor’s prolific career
• Audio | Food, water, wifi: is this the future of humanitarian aid?
• Gallery | Embroidered summer holiday scenes – in pictures
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