Ukraine war: the US and UK missile systems which will challenge Russia’s artillery dominance: The US and UK have agreed to send Ukraine several medium-range missile systems, despite continuing threats and warnings from Russia about the consequences of continued western support in general, and supply of these weapons in particular. Russia possesses similar weapons in …
Ukraine war: despite Russia’s success in Donbas, this is only the end of the beginning: When considering the current position of the war in Ukraine, it’s worth remembering that the assumption of Russian commanders when they began their “special military operation”, was that the whole thing would be complete within two weeks. So much for …
Ideology matters in unravelling Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: Ukrainian soldiers unload their guns after fighting on the front line in eastern Ukraine. Photo by Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP via Getty Images In explaining the war on Ukraine, ideology matters as much as interests. This means that we need to factor ideology into our analysis if we want …
Ukraine war: Russia’s new military hardware looked good on parade, but are less impressive in the field: Every year, the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow showcases the latest in Russian weapons systems – and this year’s, of course, had special meaning. The weaponry looked good on the parade ground – but how well …
Kaliningrad: Russia’s ‘unsinkable aircraft carrier’ deep in Nato territory: Aleksandr Podgorchuk/Kommersant/Sipa USA The Russian Baltic Fleet has announced that it carried out a series of simulated missile strikes of its nuclear-capable Iskander system. This is not the first time that the Russian exclave – roughly the size of Northern Ireland and wedged between Nato and …
Ukraine: the problem with Russia’s sanctions-busting arms industry: The UK government has reportedly launched an enquiry into how British-manufactured components have made their way into Russian weapons systems, despite an arms embargo being in operation since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Russian material captured by Ukrainian forces has revealed a significant dependence on western-made components. …
Russia’s long journey from partner of the west to pariah reflects a huge failure of its diplomacy: Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine two months ago, the world has grown used to the sight of the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky’s diplomatic initiatives, initially from hiding in the besieged capital, Kyiv, and more recently in …
Ukraine invasion: ‘stage two’ of Russia’s war is ringing alarm bells in nearby Moldova – here’s why: The second stage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is underway. The scope of the war now appears to be establishing full control over Donbas and southern Ukraine. If successful, this would mean Russian occupation of approximately one-third of …
West must beware the language of appeasement and see Russia’s war on Ukraine for what it is: Words influence the way we see the world. In 2015, we warned that the language used by the west to describe Russia’s armed intervention in Ukraine was a jumble of euphemism and understatement that failed to serve the …
Russia’s war in Ukraine: how South Africa blew its chance as a credible mediator: Russia's indiscriminate war in Ukraine has caused a large-scale humanitarian crisis. EFE-EPA/Sergey Dolzhenko South Africa has been roundly criticised for its decision to abstain from voting on three UN General Assembly resolutions condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The first resolution, on …
Russia’s denial of responsibility for atrocities in Bucha recalls 50 years of lies over the Katyn massacre: Ukrainian troops entering the city of Bucha, 25km north-west of the capital Kyiv, have reportedly found evidence of what appear to be horrific war crimes committed during the month-long occupation by Russian forces. Having forced the Russian troops …
Ukraine war: inside the complex web of Russia’s warring intelligence agencies: Russian intelligence chief Sergey Beseda and his deputy, Anatoly Bolyukh, were placed under house arrest on March 9. Beseda and Bolyukh oversaw the foreign intelligence branch of the FSB, which is the Russian security service. They were allegedly the main proponents of the assumption …
Russia’s disappearing independent media: why they closed: Nobel Peace Prize winner Dmitry Muratov has announced his news operation in Russia is closing. Gregory Stein/Shutterstock Novaya Gazeta was the only major Russian independent news outlet that continued reporting a whole month into the war with Ukraine. On March 28, Novaya Gazeta, led by the Nobel Peace …
Russia’s war with Ukraine: Five reasons why many African countries choose to be ‘neutral’: Some African leaders have not forgiven NATO for the ouster and death of Libya's Gaddafi Photo by Eric Feferberg/AFP via Getty Images In early March the United Nation’s General Assembly voted on a resolution demanding Russia immediately stop its military operations …
Ukraine: Russia’s 2020 policy allows for ‘defensive’ use of nuclear weapons: Serhii Milekhin via Shutterstock Even before the Russian military machine entered Ukrainian territory on February 24, the potential threat of escalation to a nuclear conflict had been raised. In the days before the invasion, Russia conducted a large-scale exercise involving simulated long-range conventional and …
How Russia’s musicians are taking a stand against the war in Ukraine: Russian Rapper Oxxxymiron. ITAR-TASS News Agency/Alamy Speaking from outside the country a fortnight after the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Russian rapper Oxxxymiron released a video message saying that: “…there are tens of millions of Russians who categorically disagree with this war …
Ukraine: the complex calculations that will decide whether Belarus enters the conflict on Russia’s side: For several days, there have been reports about Belarus committing troops to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Fears are growing that a “false-flag” operation inside Belarus could be the pretext for the country attacking Ukraine. Belarusian president Aleksandr Lukashenko, in an …
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine poses a threat to the control of drug-resistant TB in Europe and the world: In recent years, conflicts in Ethiopia, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen have caused huge suffering. They have devastated the health and wellbeing of local populations and led to countless unnecessary deaths. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is showing the …