This is Brian Lair's Daily Politics podcast from WNYC Studios.

It's Thursday, August 29th.

I'm Bridget Bergen, senior reporter in the WNYC and Gothamist Newsroom.

Filling in for Brian today. It's been more than two

and a half years since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine. And earlier this month, Ukraine

pushed back, literally, invading Russian territory for the first time since World War II.

Ukraine is conducting what some are calling a bold new military operation, not only defending their own land, but pushing into Russia's Kursk region.

The country is also building its own weapons, long-range missiles, that would be capable of striking further into Russian territory.

This comes after months of frustration on the part of the Ukrainian military who's been asking Western allies for weapons to fight back against the Russians.

Joining us to discuss the latest is Ishaan Thore, Foreign Affairs columnist at the Washington Post, and author of Today's World View Newsletter and Column.

Ishaan, welcome back to WNYC.

Great to be with you, Bridges.

And let's start off with how has this Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region shifted the dynamics of the conflict?

It's quite stunning.

It's been a fascinating moment in this conflict, of course, as you've said,

it's been two and a half years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on the premise that

Russian President Vladimir Putin infamously gave this speech where he just basically suggested that he doesn't believe

in Ukrainian sovereignty, sees Ukraine as part of a greater Russian project, and conjured a particular

vision of history that eliminated Ukraine's own will and self-determination from the map.

And now we have a scenario where there are thousands of Ukrainian troops

essentially occupying a good chunk of this part of this district,

the cursed district,

...