Focus on Kyiv deadlock obscures Russia’s success in south Ukraine

Analysis: Advance of Putin's war machine through key southern cities likely to have major impact on war's outcome

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From Mykolaiv along the coast via the already captured city of Kherson to the besieged city of Mariupol, the Russian advances in the south of Ukraine have contrasted with the difficulties Moscow has experienced in the north and north-east - in particular in the efforts to encircle the capital, Kyiv.

The contrasts between the southern and northern fronts are likely to have profound consequences, weighing heavily on any future peace negotiations, with likely effects that are economic, diplomatic and political as well as military.