How Ukrainian troops invaded Russia
On Aug. 6, Ukraine launched an audacious — and highly secretive — military offensive, with the aim of upending a war it has for months appeared to be losing. The operation surprised even Kyiv’s closest allies, including the U.S., and has pushed the limits of how Western military equipment would be permitted to be used inside Russian territory.
Ukraine has pushed seven miles into Russia along a 25-mile front and taken dozens of Russian soldiers as prisoners, analysts and Russian officials say. The governor of Russia’s Kursk region said on Monday that Ukraine controls 28 towns and villages there. More than 132,000 people have been evacuated from nearby areas, Russian officials said.
For Russia, it was a shocking moment that called into question the unwritten social contract that has largely accompanied President Vladimir Putin’s 30-month campaign: that most Russians could get on with their normal lives even as he waged war.
Analysis: This offensive is a major gamble for Ukraine. If its troops can hold territory, they could stretch the capacity of Russian soldiers, deliver embarrassment for Putin and get a bargaining chip for any peace negotiations. But if Russia manages to push back, Ukrainian military leaders could be blamed for giving the Russians an opening to gain more ground.
On the ground: Andrew E. Kramer, our Kyiv bureau chief, spoke to Ukrainians living in villages near the border with Russia. He told The Headlines: “One Ukrainian woman who had been evacuated from a border village was saying that it was time now for the Russians to feel what war is like.”
Hamas will not attend cease-fire talks
International mediators are heading to the Middle East for a high-stakes round of cease-fire negotiations scheduled for tomorrow. It is hoped that a truce could defuse tensions ahead of an anticipated attack on Israel by Iran and Hezbollah.
But Hamas will not take part in the talks because its leaders do not think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has been negotiating in good faith, an official for the group said. Hamas’s decision did not appear to bode well for a breakthrough, but it did not mean the group had completely left the bargaining table.
Two officials briefed on the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said that Hamas would still be willing to engage with mediators after the meeting if Israel put forward a “serious response” to Hamas’s latest offer, from early July.
Netanyahu responds: The Israeli leader rejected accusations that he was stonewalling, but documents reviewed by The Times showed he had been less flexible in recent discussions. Last month, he privately added new, less flexible conditions to Israel’s cease-fire demands than those put forth in May. His own negotiators fear those stipulations created extra obstacles to a deal.
In Britain: The counterterrorism police charged seven people with violent disorder after pro-Palestinian demonstrators forced their way into a building owned by an Israeli defense company.
🇺🇸 U.S. ELECTION 2024
The presidential election is less than 90 days away. This is what we’re watching.
Abortion rights take the stage in the U.S. election
Arizona voters will decide in November on a measure to establish a right to abortion in the state Constitution. The measure could strongly influence turnout in the battleground state, which is critical to the presidential election as well as to control of the Senate.
Similar measures on abortion rights are on the November ballot in six other states, but Nevada is the only other battleground state. Democrats are hoping the issue will give them an edge.
Background: Since Roe v. Wade, which established a right to abortion under the U.S. Constitution, was overturned, Democrats have leveraged unhappiness over its demise to make gains in elections. Young women in particular have shifted toward the party.
In other news from the race:
Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us and we’ll find the answers.
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The young student protesters who led an uprising against Bangladesh’s leader, Sheikh Hasina, are now cabinet ministers and traffic cops. They were surprised by what they achieved — now it’s up to them to try to protect the spaces that have fallen into their hands, to restore order and to chart the future of the nation.
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A swoon-worthy 481-year age difference
Disappointed by swipe culture and — perhaps — reality, some readers pine for the much older male characters (seriously, think ancient) of “romantasy” novels, a subgenre that combines fantasy and romance.
The novels have garnered a huge fan base, and many of the male love interests are vampires, faeries, gods or angels. They can be centuries old internally, but externally, they’re always young-presenting and, well, hot.
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