image sourced from original article at The war between Israel and Iran has diverted global attention from Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, even as fighting intensifies along the front lines. In recent days, Russia launched nearly 1,000 drones and dozens of missiles in one of its largest bombardments, while Ukraine responded with hundreds of drones targeting Russian regions and Crimea. As the conflict enters its fifth year, Moscow is pressing a new spring offensive across eastern and southern Ukraine.
The United States administration has shifted diplomatic and military focus toward the Middle East, scaling back peace efforts between Moscow and Kyiv and warning it could abandon mediation if talks fail. Washington has also redirected Patriot air defense systems from Europe to the Middle East and issued a temporary waiver on certain oil sanctions, allowing Russia to earn billions in energy revenue. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized the move, saying it strengthens Russia’s war effort and will worsen Ukraine’s air defense shortages.
On the battlefield, Russian forces are intensifying assaults on eastern strongholds in the Donbas region and probing southern areas in Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk. While Moscow has made only incremental territorial gains and currently occupies about one fifth of Ukraine, analysts say the Kremlin has not retreated from its maximalist demands. With European Union financial support delayed and United States peace efforts largely paused, Ukraine faces mounting military and economic pressure as the summer fighting season approaches.
