Russia has entered a new phase of total war

A long Briefing on Russia's intensified deep-strike campaign against Ukraine: jet-powered Shahed drones at scale from late August and more missile hits have brought renewed fear and damage to Kyiv's civilian infrastructure (petrol and railway stations, malls, offices, apartments). Combined with scarce Ukrainian interceptors, the front feels closer to the capital again. The piece situates this as a new phase of total war with implications for European security, air defence, and the industrial capacity to produce drones, interceptors and resilient infrastructure.