In May, TIME hailed Ukraine’s drone industry as giving Kyiv “the cards to win without U.S. Last month, CNN lauded Ukrainian drone strikes near Moscow as “a likely turning point” in the war. But this isn't the first time the press has played up Ukraine's military capabilities, despite repeated setbacks on the battlefield. ​Overplaying Ukraine's hand As Daniel Davis, a military expert at Defense Priorities, tells RS, “western media narratives claiming Ukraine has 'turned the tide' do not survive contact with basic military reality.” The media similarly overhyped Ukraine’s unsuccessful counteroffensive in 2023, where Kyiv tried to retake Russian-held territory in southern and eastern Ukraine.