The Long Hot Summer Campaign
Ukraine’s long-awaited counteroffensive gathers steam as troops probe Russian defenses and claim some modest gains in the south and east. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Podcast
BUILD UKRAINE BACK BETTER
Most eyes are on the fighting in the Donbas as Ukraine’s counteroffensive appears to get under way. But far from the front lines, a vital discussion is taking place in Western capitals: What will it take to rebuild Ukraine when the war is finally over? Continue reading
UKRAINE ON THE EVE OF THE SPRING OFFENSIVE
Russian air attacks on Ukrainian cities continue almost nightly; Ukraine’s allies and proxies take the fight to Russian soil with a drone attack on Moscow and a bold incursion into Belgorod; anticipation builds for a long-awaited Ukrainian spring offensive in the east; and NATO gears up for a landmark summit in Vilnius next month. Continue reading
The Black Sea Front
It has become one of the critical fault lines in the geopolitical clash between Russia and the West. The Black Sea region — which encompasses NATO allies Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey; Western partners Ukraine and Georgia; and of course, an increasingly aggressive and revanchist Russia — was a tense and contested area even before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Since the invasion, this competition and the potential for conflict have only escalated. Continue reading
The China Syndrome
The debate in Washington and other Western capitals has been raging for years: which adversary, Russia or China, should the United States and its allies devote its resources to countering and containing? Continue reading
SANCTIONS AND PUTIN’S WAR MACHINE
For the past year since Russia’s unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies have imposed some of the most extensive sanctions and export restrictions in history on Moscow. Continue reading
ASSASSINATION, INTRIGUE, AND POWER STRUGGLES
A prominent Russian pro-war blogger is killed in a bombing at a St. Petersburg café. An anti-war activist is arrested as the authorities in Moscow allege a broad and improbable conspiracy involving the Ukrainian intelligence services and imprisoned Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny. Continue reading
THE GUNS OF SPRING: UKRAINE’S LOOMING OFFENSIVE
As Vladimir Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine enters its 14th month, and with Russian forces failing in their efforts to take more territory in the Donbas, Ukrainian forces are gearing up for a spring offensive. Continue reading
Dictators, Summits, and War Crimes
Just days after the International Criminal Court issued a war crimes indictment for Vladimir Putin, making him the world’s most famous and most wanted fugitive, Chinese President Xi Jinping traveled to Moscow for a state visit, his 40th meeting with the Kremlin leader. Continue reading
THE CASE FOR LIBERATING CRIMEA
As Ukraine continues to beat back Russian forces in its eastern Donbas region and prepares for a spring offensive to liberate more territory, there is another issue lurking just below the surface. Continue reading