Why Russia Keeps Fighting

At the end of June, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave an interview in which he declared, once again, that Russia would win its war against Ukraine. The Russian army, he said, was advancing along the roughly 800-mile frontline and occupying more Ukrainian land every day. Kyiv, by contrast, was flailing. He acknowledged that the Ukrainian drone strikes torching Russian oil refineries and other critical infrastructure deep behind the frontlines were “creating problems.” But Russians would adapt and persevere. “These terrorist attacks have no impact whatsoever on the situation,” he said.