Good morning. When the war in Ukraine first began, the fall of Kyiv, and the Ukrainian state more broadly, seemed highly likely. Almost three months on, the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction. Russia has suffered a series of significant military setbacks that make any victory for them look a much more distant and difficult prospect – but a swift win for Ukraine doesn’t look likely either.
As the war begins to enter a protracted phase, and with decisive developments on the ground becoming rarer and harder to read, I spoke to some experts about how the war in Ukraine might develop. First, though, the headlines – and a programming note: from today, we’ll be adding the Guardian’s crosswords to the First Edition mix. You’ll find links to them at the bottom of the email.
