It began with U.S. President Joe Biden reversing a longstanding policy by granting Kyiv permission to deploy American longer-range missiles inside Russian territory and ended with Moscow striking Ukraine with a new experimental ballistic weapon that has alarmed the international community and heightened fears of further escalation.
The Kursk offensive was the first ground invasion of Russia by a foreign power since World War II and caught Moscow unprepared.
Kyiv shuttered parliament on Friday for one day, citing a potential Russian missile attack after President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to the West by launching a new intermediate-range missile at Ukraine.
In Kyiv, as autumn turns fast turns to winter, Ukrainians in the government describe a vacuum before the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House on 20 January that will be filled by more war as both sides jockey for advantage.