Category: Military

“As the terrible destruction of Mariupol, Volnovakha, Severodonetsk, Rubizhne, and other eastern cities shows, Putin is determined to subjugate the Donbas even if that means slaughtering ostensibly pro-Russian eastern Ukrainians and torching what remains of Russia’s soft power …. stak[ing] his credibility on the Donbas … seem[ingly] determined to rule its smoking ruins rather than admit the insane folly of […]

“Five weeks after Russian troops hurtled into the country in the hope of swiftly seizing the capital, installing a friendly government and subjugating Ukraine, the Russian military appears to be shrinking its goals to prioritize the east, redeploying forces that had been destined for the Kyiv region and attempting to organize reinforcements to compensate for the thousands of troops that […]

“Neither has the incentive to commit to a long-term settlement without a clearer view on the likely course of the war.” “… For now neither side has an incentive to commit to a long-term settlement. … waiting for military breakthroughs and a clearer view on the likely course of the war. Should the prospect be one of a long stalemate, […]

“Offensive maneuver comes as Russian forces regroup and Ukrainian troops press forward around Kyiv.” “Ukrainian attack helicopters executed a low-flying predawn raid on Russian territory, a Russian official said, eluding air defenses to strike an oil depot …. Security-camera footage released by Russian state-owned media … appeared to show several missiles firing at the depot and setting off explosions. Vyacheslav […]

“… fierce Ukrainian resistance is … turning the tide against a superior Russian force [][with] [o]bservers … whispering the once unthinkable — that Ukraine might win. But what would victory look like? Even in triumph, would Ukraine emerge whole? The risk of the Kremlin achieving its apparent initial objective — … decapitation of the Ukrainian government and the complete subjection […]

“… Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is prepared to discuss adopting a neutral status as part of a peace deal with Russia, but the move would have to be guaranteed by third parties and put to a referendum. … Zelenskyy … [spoke in Russian] to Russian journalists in a video call … published by local media … Sunday, despite Moscow’s […]

“With Russian ships and submarines patrolling the Mediterranean, the USS Truman teams up with French and Italian carriers.” “… [T]he USS Truman’s strike group [is] now in the northern Ionian Sea, its fighter jets and radar planes patrolling NATO’s eastern borders and looking east[] to … Ukraine …. Since the [Russian] invasion almost a month ago … these jets have […]

“We the undersigned scholars of Russian studies wholeheartedly and unreservedly condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. We call upon … Putin to cease the war immediately … withdraw his forces from Ukraine and be willing to negotiate a permanent peace […]

“Many Ukrainians are encountering a confounding and frustrating backlash from family members in Russia who have bought into the official Kremlin messaging.” “… As Ukrainians deal with the devastation of the Russian attacks in their homeland, many are also encountering a confounding and almost surreal backlash from family members in Russia, who refuse to believe that Russian soldiers could bomb […]

“Andrey Kortunov has been on the news defending the Kremlin’s actions in the past – but Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has left him wondering what his president was thinking.” “… Kortunov is on a panel of foreign policy experts who advise the Kremlin. Their briefing papers would have been read by … Putin, but [Putin’s] more moderate counsel have been […]