The drone is the ultimate imperial weapon, allowing a superpower almost unlimited reach while keeping its own soldiers far from battle.

— James Risen

In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine on a full scale. The eastward expansion of NATO and Ukraine’s desire to become a NATO member compelled Russia to resort to a full-scale war against Ukraine. The United States under the Biden administration, along with European allies, backed Ukraine and strongly criticized Russian aggression. The war has now spanned three years, resulting in severe humanitarian and economic losses on both sides. The Biden administration pursued an openly anti-Russian foreign policy, supporting Ukraine and European allies to counter Russian forces through economic, political, and military pressure.

As of 2025, however, the Trump administration has shifted its focus toward China while adopting a comparatively non-confrontational approach toward Russia. Official peace efforts and negotiations were initiated during the Trump 2.0 administration. In addition, the United States halted economic and military assistance to Ukraine under President Donald Trump.

Since 2022, Russia has captured significant Ukrainian territory, including Crimea and the provinces of Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson. Daily Russian strikes have caused substantial damage to Ukraine’s energy and military infrastructure. Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded a halt to NATO expansion toward Russia’s borders, rejected Ukraine’s NATO accession, and declared that Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian forces should be recognized as Russian territory. The Trump 2.0 administration has openly signaled acceptance of several Russian demands, hoping that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky would end the war due to mounting financial and humanitarian losses. However, peace efforts have failed as Ukraine has refused to concede its occupied territories.

On June 1, 2025, the Ukrainian Security Service (SSU) conducted a highly coordinated and sophisticated strike deep inside Russian territory, codenamed Pavutyna and publicly known as Operation Spider Web. It was one of the largest Ukrainian attacks on Russian territory since 2022. The name aptly........

© The Spine Times