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Politics
Christopher Michael Faulkner, Assistant Professor of National Security Affairs in the College of Distance Education, US Naval War College

Russia's reliance on mercenaries in Ukraine points to the weakness of its military – and Putin's strategy of deflecting blame

Russia Ukraine United States Vladimir Putin Wagner Group Kremlin Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin Kharkiv Moscow
Russian soldiers patrol a theater in Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 12, 2022. Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images

Ukrainian forces are gaining ground in the war against Russia. Since early September 2022, they have launched a massive counteroffensive in Ukraine’s northeast region of Kharkiv, reclaiming large swaths of territory.

The sudden offensive – likely the result of several factors, including effective war gaming and Russian military incompetence – has prompted optimism about Ukraine’s ability to push Russia back from Ukrainian territory.

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