As Russia’s full-scale invasion approaches the two-year mark, it is vital for Ukraine’s military and political leadership to properly digest the lessons of 2022 and 2023. The most important conclusion to draw from the past two years of fighting is the dominance of defensive warfare over offensive operations. This has been demonstrated again and again,
As Ukrainians fight for their country’s survival amid Russia’s ongoing invasion, defending Ukraine’s culture has never been more important. With Russia openly seeking to extinguish Ukrainian statehood and erase Ukrainian identity, safeguarding Ukrainian culture should be recognized as a national priority. This could be highlighted in Ukraine’s National Recovery Plan at both the national and
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine currently dominates Europe’s geopolitical agenda, but neighboring Belarus is also a critical battleground in the fight back against Vladimir Putin’s resurgent brand of Russian imperialism. The activities of Belarus’s democratic opposition warrant greater international attention. This can help raise awareness of the many people currently incarcerated by the Belarusian authorities,
Article 99 of the United Nations (UN) Charter allows the UN secretary-general to “bring to the attention of the Security Council any matter which in his opinion may threaten the maintenance of international peace and security.” On December 6, 2023, invoking Article 99 for the first time since he took office, Secretary-General António Guterres called
Ukrainians spent much of the New Year holiday period in bomb shelters as Russia marked the festive season by unleashing some of the biggest air assaults of the entire war. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia launched at least 500 missiles and drones at targets across Ukraine during a five-day period from December 29,
Visitors to today’s Ukraine are often surprised to find that away from the front lines, everything looks so normal. Most people in central and western Ukraine have returned home. Shops and restaurants in towns and cities across the country are open and fully stocked. Everything functions, including mobile phone networks, internet, electricity, and public transport.
When Vladimir Putin canceled his traditional end-of-year marathon press conference last winter, it was widely interpreted as proof that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was going badly wrong. This December the flagship event was back, and so was the swagger. Putin oozed confidence throughout his carefully choreographed question-and-answer session, which lasted for more than four
A recent cyber attack on Ukraine’s largest telecommunications provider, Kyivstar, caused temporary chaos among subscribers and thrust the cyber front of Russia’s ongoing invasion back into the spotlight. Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov described the December 12 hack as “the biggest cyber attack on telco infrastructure in the world,” underlining the scale of the incident. This
The EU’s decision to open membership talks with Ukraine on December 14 was an historic win for Kyiv, but it was not the only piece of encouraging news received that day. A few hours before EU leaders agreed to launch accession negotiations, Ukraine was invited to join Europe’s leading electricity infrastructure association as a full
The European Council’s recent decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine was a momentous moment both for Kyiv and the European Union. Now the serious work begins. Ukraine’s EU story is a decade in the making. Ukraine’s European aspirations were a driving factor behind the 2013-14 Revolution of Dignity. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in
