Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

Russian Plane Crash, Dead Ukrainians? When Narratives Collide In The Fog Of War

Ukraine and Russia are blaming each other for the Russian military plane crash. It will be hard to get at the truth of the accident, as either party is unlikely to release information, which is another weapon in their war.

Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War War in Ukraine

It’s Not A “Stalemate”: The Ukraine War Is Riding On Even The Smallest Victories

Despite uncertainty over Western delivery of weapons and setbacks on the battlefield, it is crucial for Ukraine to continue fighting each and every battle, writes Viktor Kevlyuk in Livy Bereg, as every conquered inch of terrain can tip the war’s balance.

Categories
In The News

Magazine #68 — Zelensky At Risk

January 29 – February 4, 2024

Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

Why Russia’s Plans For A War Of Attrition Is Starting To Look Like A Bad Idea

Putin has threatened Ukraine with a long war in the hope that Western support will wane and that his troops will eventually outnumber Ukraine’s. But his army has had a few difficult months and arms production can’t keep up. Meanwhile, Western support for Kyiv is holding steady.

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas Russia-Ukraine War War in Ukraine

Should We Even Be Talking With Putin?

The leaders of key EU countries have been on the phone with Vladimir Putin since the war in Ukraine began. Weighing the costs, benefits…and morals…of leaving the door open to a man who brutally invaded a sovereign nation — and taking Munich 1938 as a starting point.

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

Frontline, Kharkiv: How Ukraine’s Second Largest City Resists Shelling And Despair

How daily life continues in this city in eastern Ukraine of 1.4 million, which has been shelled by Russia throughout the nearly two-year war.

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

Why Ukraine Is Our Spanish Civil War — More Than Ever

Nearly two years on, the Ukraine war is confirming to be one of those decisive moments where history calls on us to respond. The Spanish Civil War was one too, and despite its obvious differences, there are lessons about the failure a century ago that should make us redouble our support for Kyiv.

Categories
Eyes on the U.S. Geopolitics

If Trump Returns — What Europe Must Do Right Now To Prepare

Donald Trump’s comeback at the White House could cause major disruptions for the war in Ukraine, the Middle East and more generally, global security. Europe has to acknowledge this reality, and see in it an opportunity to reaffirm its own place in the world.

Categories
Geopolitics

Decline Of The West? We May Find Out For Real In 2024

The West is a spent force, say China, Russia and their global clique, yet it retains plenty of decisive cards including a choice to back Ukraine to the hilt. The year may yet reveal the world’s rising, and ranking, powers.

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine Needs You, Now — A Soldier’s Note To The Poets And Smartphone Scrollers

If we don’t compel those capable of bearing arms into the military, then we’ll soon cease to exist. And when we do, there will be nothing left. Artists in exile might write and read thoughtful articles about how we lost everything, but what good will that do?

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Ukraine To Gaza: How Wars Flourish In A Toothless World Order

In two very different ways, the failure of the United Nations to inhibit aggressive nations is a sign of only more trouble ahead.

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Why The “Orban Question” Runs Far Beyond His Negotiating Tricks

The future of Ukraine may be at stake as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban plays hardball with his European counterparts. But the stakes go beyond aid to the war effort, it’s the very status of Europe that is on the line.

Categories
Geopolitics

The Javier Milei “Chainsaw” Inauguration: Who Showed Up, What It Means

From Orban to Zelensky to Bolsonaro, the list of those who did and didn’t travel to Argentina says much about the new president, and the current state of the world.

Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

Why NATO Should Take Putin’s “Pig” Threats Against Latvia Very Seriously

In the Ukraine war, Russia’s military spending is as high as ever. Now the West is alarmed because the Kremlin leader is indirectly hinting at a possible attack on Latvia, a NATO member. It is a reminder of a growing danger to Europe.

Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

And If Ukraine’s Fate Was In The Hands Of Republican Senators And Viktor Orban?

In the U.S., Republican senators called on to approve military aid to Kyiv are blackmailing the Biden administration on an unrelated matter. In Europe, French President Macron will be dining with the Hungarian Prime Minister, who has threatened to block aid to Ukraine as well.

Categories
Economy Geopolitics

First It Was Poland’s Farmers — Now Truckers Are Protesting Ukraine’s Special Status

For the past month, Poland has been blocking off its border checkpoints to Ukrainian trucks, leaving many in days-long lines. It’s a commercial and economic showdown, but it’s about much more.

Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

Will Winter Crack The Western Alliance In Ukraine?

Kyiv’s troops are facing bitter cold and snow on the frontline, but the coming season also poses longer term political questions for Ukraine’s allies. It may be now or never.

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

A Profound And Simple Reason That Negotiations Are Not An Option For Ukraine

The escalation of war in the Middle East and the stagnation of the Ukrainian counteroffensive have left many leaders in the West, who once supported Ukraine unequivocally, to look toward ceasefire talks with Russia. For Polish daily Gazeta Wyborcza, Piotr Andrusieczko argues that Ukraine simply cannot afford this.

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

On The Donetsk Frontline, Where Kamikaze Drones Are Everyone’s Weapon-Of-Choice

In Ukraine, kamikaze drones have gradually overtaken artillery as the main threat to soldiers — on both sides of the frontline. Meanwhile, a bitter winter is taking over life in the trenches.

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

Next Target, Crimea? Why Crossing The Dnipro Could Be The Boost Ukraine Needed

International support for Kyiv is waning and calls for negotiations are growing louder. But Ukraine has now managed to establish a bridgehead on the other side of the Dnipro River. From there, its troops could advance to Crimea — and turn the tide of the war.

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

Zelensky Should Cancel His Visit To Israel Right Now

After the postponement of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s planned trip to Israel, there are voices now saying it should be cancelled outright. What’s the price of Ukraine publicly declaring its support for the current actions of the Israeli government and military?

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine’s Battered Energy Sector Hopes For A Miracle In Time For Winter

The country is scrambling to shore up production and distribution amid the inevitability of continued Russian attacks, questions around the pace of restoration of damaged facilities, and the possibility of a harsher winter than last year’s.

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Should We Read The Middle East And Ukraine As A Single Narrative?

For the future of our world, neither the stakes in Ukraine nor Gaza should be underestimated. But understanding the limits of the comparison is important to trying to find a way out of each, says veteran French political scientist Dominique Moïsi.

Categories
Economy Russia-Ukraine War

Rebuilding Ukraine: The U.S. Is Already Way Ahead Of Europe

The war is far from over, but on the other side of the Atlantic, preparations are already underway to ensure American businesses access to this promising market. In Europe, no one is making such necessary preparations, worries Jacques Attali.

Categories
Dottoré!

War, Children And Snapshots Of Terror

Our Naples-based psychiatrist thinks back at a moment that has forever remained frozen in her mind. In the expression of her son’s terror, she sees all the grieving mothers who can do nothing in the face of war.

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

“Like Guerrilla War” — A Soldier’s Dispatch From The Ukrainian Southern Front

Oleksandr Solonko, a military trooper and aerial scout, played an active role in combat operations in Bakhmut and later on the Zaporizhzhia front near Robotyne, where Ukraine is securing its breach of Russian defenses.

Categories
Economy Russia-Ukraine War

How Russia’s War Economy Has Withstood The Onslaught Of Sanctions

The Russian economy has proven remarkably resilient to Western sanctions, a phenomenon largely driven by Russia’s expanding military-industrial complex and increased trade with India and China. One challenge remains unsolved however: a lack of young working-aged men ready for hire in the country’s industrial and white collar sectors.

Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

Ukraine To Palestine: The West’s Isolation Keeps Getting Deeper — And More Dangerous

The West has largely been united in clear condemnation of Hamas and support of Israel. For the rest of the international community, even if Hamas has very little backing, most countries have preferred an ambiguous neutrality. It’s part of a deeper shift in geopolitics where the so-called Global South, and elsewhere, no longer tolerate what they see as Western “double standards.”

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

Double Exposure For Russia’s Draftees — Lessons A Year After Mobilization

A year has passed since Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization of military reservists on Sept. 21, 2022. As rumors of a second wave of mobilization continue to circulate on social media, the independent Russian news site Vazhnyye Istorii (Important Stories) and the Conflict Intelligence Team found how the Russian draftees were largely treated as cannon fodder for the Ukraine war.

Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

Kosovo, A New Theater For Russia’s War With The West?

After meeting with the Russian ambassador, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has now demanded NATO take over security in northern Kosovo, days after a deadly shootout between Serbian gunmen and Kosovar police. The violent clash has raised tensions in the Balkan region, with some Russian authorities drawing parallels with another European conflict — the one in Ukraine.

Categories
Geopolitics Ideas

Where Imperialism Goes To Die: Lessons From Afghanistan To Ukraine

With multilateral diplomacy in tatters, the fighting gumption of weaker states against aggression by bigger powers is helping end the age of empires.

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War War in Ukraine

Poland’s Break With Ukraine Weakens All Enemies Of Russia — Starting With Poland

Poland’s decision to stop sending weapons to Ukraine is being driven by the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party’s short-term electoral calculus. Yet the long-term effects on the world stage could deeply undermine the united NATO front against Russia, and the entire Western coalition.

Categories
Ideas Russia-Ukraine War

War Of Attrition, Western Fatigue, U.S. Election: Clock Is Ticking On Ukraine’s Fate

Russia is hoping that the West’s support for Ukraine will begin to falter. Kyiv knows this, and is therefore trying to obtain long-term aid agreements — which have the potential to determine their future. But the current Poland-Ukraine row is a troubling sign.

Categories
In The News

Fighting The Russian Army’s Systematic Campaign Of Sexual Violence In Ukraine

Hundreds of sexual crimes have been officially reported in Ukraine following the full-scale invasion by the Russian army, though the actual number is likely 10 times higher. Ukrainian news website Livy Bereg explores how the nation is documenting the crimes and responding to support victims and bring perpetrators to justice.

Categories
In The News

How Russia And Belarus Are Cracking Down On Exiles — And A Passport Fix To Fight Back

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko is making it impossible for citizens who’ve fled the country to renew their passports, which may make some effectively stateless. What are some possible solutions?

Categories
Russia-Ukraine War

Sinking The Moskva, Inside Ukraine’s Biggest Strike On The Russian Black Sea Fleet

As Ukraine steps up its attacks on the Black Sea fleet and other targets in Crimea, here’s the inside story of Russia’s devastating naval defeat in April, 2022.

Categories
Future Geopolitics

What Kim Wants From Putin: Hardware And Know-How For North Korea’s Space Program

Vladimir Putin was eager to welcome Kim Jong-un for a rare visit to Russia in order to replenish depleting supplies of shells and ammunition. But North Korea has its own demands help to build satellites as part of an advanced space program.

Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

If 3.3 Million Ukrainian Refugees Never Come Home? The Economics Of Post-War Life Choices

The war isn’t the only thing that stands in the way of the homecoming of Ukrainian refugees. A lot depends on the efficiency of post-war economic recovery. A new study warns that up to 3.3 million won’t be coming back after the fighting stops.

Categories
Ideas Society

How Modern Warfare Warps A City’s Future — Reflections Of An Architect From Homs, Syria

It has been almost 12 years since the author left his hometown, which was at the center of the Syrian uprising. He’s made an academic career studying the impact of war on architecture and cities and researching acts of deliberate destruction.

Categories
Geopolitics Russia-Ukraine War

With Ukraine’s International Legion, On The Front Lines Of The Counteroffensive

What draws foreigners to fight in Ukraine? Is it bravery, gall, money — or something else? On the ground with the International Legion, Patryk Szymański investigates for Gazeta Wyborcza.

Exit mobile version