Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Peter Zalmayev, Director of the Eurasia Democracy Initiative. He argues that Ukraine’s expanding long-range strike campaign has helped Ukraine “stay in this game” by raising the economic, military and social costs of Russia’s invasion and, crucially, by bringing the consequences of a distant war increasingly into Russian life. As Ukraine braces for another brutal winter with dangerously depleted air defenses, Kiev seeks to protect its own cities, civilians, and infrastructure.​