Moscow has deployed troops to the Kursk region after a Ukrainian incursion into Russian territory that has raised major questions for the Kremlin and handed Kyiv a major opportunity. 

"Given the significant disparity of combat potential favoring Russia on the battlefield, Ukrainian forces appear to be switching to, or at minimum, intensifying, unconventional warfare, bringing war deeper into Russia," Rebekah Koffler, a strategic military intelligence analyst and author of "Putin’s Playbook," told Fox News Digital. 

"With the latest surprise incursion into Kursk oblast, Zelensky likely aims to demonstrate to Putin that as long as there’s no peace in Ukraine, the Russian people will not sleep peacefully either," Koffler said. "Kyiv is probably also seeking to beef up its negotiating position in a potential peace settlement with Moscow."

Russia pulled from a group of unspecified operational reserves, including units from conscripts, former Wagner members and a number of special forces, including the Chechen special forces unit Akhmat, according to online newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda. 

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Ukraine launched incursions into Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk on Tuesday and shows no signs of slowing down after four days. The events have put the Russian military command under fire over the intelligence and tactical lapses that allowed such an attack to happen. 

Ukrainian troops have seized an estimated 100 square miles of territory, The Washington Post reported. 

A Russian military blogger speculated that Russia may have drawn on forces that had gathered for an offensive in the northern Kharkiv Oblast.

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A retired U.S. Army sergeant major told Fox News Digital that Russia and Ukraine had returned to a stalemate – which has plagued the two sides each year since the invasion started in 2022 – but that Russia has focused so much of its forces on the front that any strike that hits along the border will thoroughly test the Russian forces. 

The sergeant major suggested that Ukraine took a calculated risk attacking near Kursk to see if Russia could absorb the stress, citing the "Wagner debacle" last year when then-Wagner forces chief Yevgeny Prigozhin took a small force and marched within 125 miles of Moscow with seemingly little resistance. 

"Look how far Wagner group got," the expert said. "I believe they could have made it to Moscow but for Putin cutting some kind of deal that got them to stop. . . . I’m betting that event got the wheels turning for this plan in Kursk."

Moving the war closer to the Russian population might unsettle them as they feel the war hit home and hopefully create major domestic disruption for the Russian government, creating two fronts for the Kremlin and dividing the government’s focus, he said.

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"There’s a massive Ukrainian online operation – maybe on the ground – trying to get war protests fired up," the expert said. "This all puts pressure on Putin." 

Some Russian military bloggers have raised concerns that this incursion could create a major distraction and draw significant resources to reclaim. Koffler cautioned that these attacks, rather than weakening Putin’s position, could actually strengthen his claims about Ukraine. 

Koffler argued that Putin "will take advantage of this opportunity to tell the Russian people that it is exactly why Ukraine must be crushed, defeated decisively. This is why they need to continue making sacrifices by going on the front lines to fight against Ukrainians."

"The Russian media is already blaming the United States for being behind this Ukrainian operation," Koffler said. "So the vicious cycle will continue, bringing more and more destruction and increasing the risk of escalation into a larger-scale war in Europe that could drag NATO and the U.S. in." 

Lard was the canary in the coal mine of culinary correctness.

Rendered pig fat was ubiquitous in human diets for centuries. It was used to fry everything from dough to chicken and was an essential ingredient in pie making.

Lard tragically fell from public favor during the Great War on Monounsaturated Fats in the 20th century.

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Progressive trans-fats activists launched a bombardment of bad publicity against animal fats starting in the 1950s, often culled from inaccurate sources.

Everybody loved lard in the 1960s — yet by the 1980s, nobody dared mention it. 

Humanity's staple foodstuffs were soon caught in the crossfire: Salt, sugar, eggs, butter and wheat were all savaged as unhealthy over the years.

But the times they are a changin'.

"The main reason we use lard is because of the flakiness that it gives to our pie crust," Arnold Wilkerson, the owner of Little Pie Co. in New York City, told Fox News Digital.

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Lard has enjoyed a rebirth in recent years thanks largely to a heroic band of pig-fat patriots who withstood the bad-news blitzkrieg.

Pie makers and pastry chefs never surrendered their right to keep and bear lard.

"We combine a ratio of lard with butter to get its flavor. So that's the ideal combination of flakiness and flavor."

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The Great War on Monounsaturated Fats claimed its most famous victim in 1990, when fast-food giant McDonald's was forced to stop using delicious beef tallow to cook its fries.

"In the last several decades, however, the tables have turned as health experts have come to new understandings about fat and heart health," food and cooking site Mashed.com reported.

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The site added that "saturated fat from animal sources, including butter and lard, is not quite as bad for our health as previously thought."

Lard, an all-natural product, was often replaced by trans fats — many of which are manmade.

"Trans fat clogs arteries, increasing the risk of heart attacks and deaths," according to the World Health Organization, adding that "trans fat can be found in margarine, vegetable shortening .... and baked goods such as crackers, biscuits and pies."

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(Crisco, by the way, notes on its website, "All Crisco shortening products now have 0g trans fat per serving for a more healthful option.")

Lard laughed in the face of culinary cancel culture and kale in 2020, when it landed at No. 8 (eight!) on the list of 100 of "the world's most nutritious foods" published by the BBC.

"A good source of B vitamins and minerals. Pork fat is more unsaturated and healthier than lamb or beef fat," the BBC reported, citing a survey conducted of 1,000 scientists.

The shocking spot in the Top 10 put lard ahead of the queens of greens: broccoli raab (No. 30), kale (No. 31) and fresh spinach (No. 45). 

Moderation remains the best advice, New York nutritionist and author Lauren Harris-Pincus told Fox News Digital.

"Saturated fats are contributions to heart disease, particularly animal fats," said the author of "The Everything Easy Pre-Diabetes Cookbook."

"I would not advise anyone to add more saturated fats to their diets."

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She also said, "A little bit of anything never killed anyone. So if you're trying to make the world's best pie crust and it takes a little lard — that's probably OK."