Russia’s Attempted Attack Inside America Should Be a Turning Point for Trump

Moscow has grown increasingly brazen amid a campaign of sabotage and provocations targeting the West. The tempo of attacks on Western targets is also increasing, as is Moscow’s appetite for risk. The gravest recent offense involved a Russian drone strike on a train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson just miles from the Polish border. Former CIA director David Petraeus was another potential target of Russian aggression, as the New York Times reported:

This is the sort of reckless attack that, if it had succeeded, could inspire a cascading reaction from the West that might take on a logic all its own. Rather than intimidate the West into submission, the Kremlin’s miscalculation could compel the West to respond proportionately, after which Russia would respond with its own face-saving response against Western assets. And on it goes as we ascend the escalation ladder. The stakes in this game are quite high.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Moscow has grown increasingly brazen amid a campaign of sabotage and provocations targeting the West. The tempo of attacks on Western targets is also increasing, as is Moscow’s appetite for risk. The gravest recent offense involved a Russian drone strike on a train carrying former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson just miles from the Polish border. Former CIA director David Petraeus was another potential target of Russian aggression, as the New York Times reported:

This is the sort of reckless attack that, if it had succeeded, could inspire a cascading reaction from the West that might take on a logic all its own. Rather than intimidate the West into submission, the Kremlin’s miscalculation could compel the West to respond proportionately, after which Russia would respond with its own face-saving response against Western assets. And on it goes as we ascend the escalation ladder. The stakes in this game are quite high.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.