The war in Ukraine has again entered a new phase. With neither side believing that it can make significant territorial gains, the action has expanded beyond the front lines.

Over the past week, Russia has bombed Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, and other cities far from the front. The aim is not to gain territory, but to destroy infrastructure and wear down Ukrainians by making their lives harder. By doing so, Russia hopes to undermine the impressive national unity that Ukraine has maintained over the past two years.

Ukraine responded with missile attacks on the Russian city of Belgorod. Ukraine has also intensified its use of guerrilla tactics over the past few months. It blew up a train in Russia, used sea drones to attack Russia’s navy in the Black Sea and destroyed infrastructure in the Russian-controlled peninsula of Crimea. Ukraine is trying to demonstrate that it can still make progress, even as it has struggled to retake territory in the largely Russian-controlled Donbas.