Ukraine

UK armed forces chief doubles down on Indo-Pacific strategy — There were three big takeaways from the Chief of the Defence Staff’s annual RUSI lecture, delivered last night. First, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin’s categoric statement that “Russia is losing” the Ukraine war. He warned Putin that: “Russia faces a critical shortage of artillery munitions. This means that their ability to…

The relationship between Elon Musk and Ukraine is complicated. First off, Musk has some authoritarian tendencies, and despite his claims of absolute free speech, he is not. In my view, a democratic Ukraine, nor under the Russian boot, is a threat to Musk and other oligarchs worldwide. Ukraine is still…

The Patriot! No, not the questionable 2000 action movie starring Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger… Today, we’re talking about the legendary surface-to-air missile system. Over the past two months, Ukraine’s power and water infrastructure have been getting slammed by Iranian-made drones and Russian cruise missiles. It’s easy to understand why…

The partisan actions inside Russia and Ukraine continue on an unprecedent scale. Since mid November, the situation seems to get out of control for Putin. The recent attacks on the Angarsk oil refinery are an especially devastating blow against the most vital part of the Russian economy. Russian authorities continue…

Winter will break the back of the Russian army and all that will be left is bluster and nukes — Russia has recently invested a lot of resources in building an extensive line of defense in the occupied territories of eastern Ukraine. The hope is the zig-zaggy line of fortifications will be like the western wall, or “Siegfried Line” the Nazis built to slow the advance of allied troops. By…

Reliable information is one of the first, most enduring casualties of war. — Can you smell the confidence in the air? There is a palpable sense that with recent victories scored by Ukraine’s military, they will eventually win. I’ve seen it in the news. I’ve seen it in the blogosphere. I’ve seen it on Twitter. Our confidence doesn’t match the uncertainties of this…