The fall of Ukrainian town Avdiivka was a loss for everyone

Russian flags have been planted in the ruins of the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka, marking the biggest victory for the Kremlin since its forces took Bakhmut last May in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. Putin's willingness to continue plowing as many Russian teenagers, old men, ethnic minorities, prisoners, foreign fighters and mercenaries as needed into the Kremlin's relentless 'meat assaults' against Ukraine was matched by Kyiv's willingness to kill them in what has become a modern-day version of World War I's trench warfare. Washington's continued fear of escalation put into their heads by Putin is culminating into reversals of misfortune on the frontline battlefields of Ukraine – and now competing requirements including the southern border, the Israel-Hamas war, shipping lanes in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden, U.S. bases under attack by Iranian proxies – together with a U.S. Presidential Election, are making war aid decisions harder. Defensive weapons – namely air defense systems, are a necessity, but they are not a plan to win the war; rather, a reaction to Russia's plan to annihilate Ukraine. The killing stops when Russia's ability to wage war is defeated – and that requires winning the close fight, but also interdicting reinforcements and logistics sustainment with deep strikes.