Some people say that western aid to Ukraine is inconsequential, but Kyiv’s surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk province shows otherwise. Evidently, when we give the Ukrainians the weapons they need to defend themselves, that translates into battlefield success.

The Kursk incursion began early last week, when hundreds of Ukrainian troops poured over the border and swiftly captured approximately 1,000 square kilometres of territory. According to the Russian investigative outlet Agentstvo, it took Ukraine roughly 24 hours to overwhelm fortifications that Moscow had spent $170 million building.