What changed
2026-07-29 05:12 UTC → 2026-07-30 09:12 UTC ·
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In late Late June 2026, Russian officials proclaimed that declared the war in Ukraine had been won, dismissing rejecting Western accounts that suggested of a prolonged conflict. protracted fight. By the end of July, Western media were emphasizing highlighted a series of Ukrainian deep‑range drone attacks on Russian targets, portraying territory and occupied Crimea, describing them as a possible potential turning point that could allow enable Kyiv to win prevail without additional U.S. aid. Military analysts Analysts quickly countered these optimistic reports, arguing that the drone strikes, cautioned that, while symbolically potent, powerful, the strikes were unlikely to halt Russia’s incremental advances in or alter the east war’s attritional character. Further reporting on 28 July noted that Ukrainian drones targeted oil refineries, logistics hubs and would not change fuel depots, creating fuel shortages, higher prices and longer queues in Russia and eroding public support in polls. Western outlets continued to portray the overall attritional nature operations as a decisive “turning of the war. tide,” whereas military experts maintained that the attacks merely slow Russian forces. Intelligence shared by the United States and France helped Ukraine locate gaps in Russia’s air‑defence network, but Russian troops still made modest gains and President Putin signed legislation expanding the military. The two snapshots illustrate overall picture remains a continuing battle over perception: contested narrative: Russian authorities assert claim victory, while Western outlets highlight media emphasize Ukrainian successes, each narrative facing skeptical assessments and experts stress that the war is far from experts. decided.