What is Ukraine’s 40-day campaign against Russia and has it worked?

The Guardian UK Thursday 16 July 2026, 04:00 UTC By Peter Beaumont Senior international correspondent 1 min read

Key Points

Taking war to heart of Russian territory has seized initiative and reset Zelenskyy’s relationship with TrumpOn 26 June, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced that he was ordering Ukraine’s state security service to launch a 40-day campaign against Russian targets aimed at “influencing the aggressor state in order to compel it to end to the war”. Since then, Kyiv has sharply escalated attacks on Russia under the aegis of a series of overlapping operations striking key supply...

Taking war to heart of Russian territory has seized initiative and reset Zelenskyy’s relationship with Trump

On 26 June, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, announced that he was ordering Ukraine’s state security service to launch a 40-day campaign against Russian targets aimed at “influencing the aggressor state in order to compel it to end to the war”.

Since then, Kyiv has sharply escalated attacks on Russia under the aegis of a series of overlapping operations striking key supply lines in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied territories, including Crimea, and striking Moscow and St Petersburg in a series of high-profile long-range missile attacks, triggering a fuel crisis.

Ukraine (LOCATION) Russia (LOCATION) Russian (ORG) Zelenskyy (PERSON) Ukrainian (ORG) Volodymyr Zelenskyy (PERSON) Kyiv (LOCATION) Crimea (LOCATION) Moscow (LOCATION) St Petersburg (LOCATION)

Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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What is Ukraine’s 40-day campaign against Russia and has it worked?

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