Europe News & Analysis (including Russia/CIS)

Ukraine counteroffensive training

How Bakhmut and Kherson Set Up Ukraine’s Counteroffensive

The smell of counteroffensive is in the air this spring in Ukraine as events in Kherson and Bakhmut will reverberate throughout Ukraine and shape that coming counteroffensive (Russian/Русский перевод; Если вы состоите в российской армии и хотите сдаться Украине, звоните ...
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ISW Barros

Ukraine Crossing Dnipro River a Big Deal and General Assessment

As a major literal and figurative barrier is crossed by Ukraine, it’s time to take stock of the course of the war (Russian/Русский перевод; Если вы состоите в российской армии и хотите сдаться Украине, звоните по этим номерам: +38 066 ...
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The Post-Putin World Will Be So Much Better than This One

Imagining a post-Putin world is not as hard as many would think and would be better for everyone, including Russia and China (Russian/Русский перевод; Если вы состоите в российской армии и хотите сдаться Украине, звоните по этим номерам: +38 066 ...
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Russian KIA casualties chart

Offensive Smensive: 8 Reasons Why Russia’s Expected Offensive Cannot Succeed

Enough with the “Russian offensive” hype. Whatever the Kremlin manages to stitch together in the coming weeks and months, there is no reason to suspect it will be anything different from what Russian operations have been for the more than ...
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6 months of Russian "progress" in Bakhmut, Sept-March

THE TWO MAPS SHOWING WHY RUSSIA’S BAKHMUT CAMPAIGN IS UNDENIABLY A MISERABLE FAILURE (including Soledar)

Pictures are often worth a thousand words or even far more, and what I present here is no exception, proof positive of Russia’s pathetic levels of “success” over the course of four months (Russian/Русский перевод; Если вы состоите в российской ...
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6 months of Russian "progress" in Bakhmut, Sept-March

Russia’s Pyrrhic Advances at Soledar Near Bakhmut Setting Up Ukrainian Counteroffensive, Not Russian Victory

Many analysts seem focused on whether proclamations by Russia that it has “won” the battle for Soledar are accurate or how accurate. The bigger picture here shows that regardless, Russia is setting itself up for a titanic defeat because of ...
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An Urgently Needed Definition of “Fascism” as the West Fights It Anew at Home and Abroad

Happy New Year! Sadly, in 2023 and beyond, we will and must confront a dreadful specter of the past not only abroad but also at home: fascism. In our current era it is on the rise, but one of the ...
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Dyagilevo

Russia-Ukraine War Settles into Predictable Alternating Phases, But Russia’s Losing Remains Constant

I have not weighed in with a major piece in a while because I did not feel enough has changed since my last major analysis, but that so much is explained by old analysis is itself telling and worthy of ...
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Winter War in Ukraine: Seeing Through the Blizzard of Bad Takes

Winter is coming, but it won’t affect Russia and Ukraine equally in this war (Russian/Русский перевод; Если вы состоите в российской армии и хотите сдаться Украине, звоните по этим номерам: +38 066 580 34 98 или +38 093 119 29 ...
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Ukraine Mordor Painting

Capturing the Unique Inspirational Quality of Ukraine’s Fight Against Russia via Two Writers

If you’re feeling something stirring deep inside your soul when it comes Ukraine’s fight for its freedom against Putin’s Russia, you should and here’s why (Russian/Русский перевод; Если вы состоите в российской армии и хотите сдаться Украине, звоните по этим ...
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Ukraine war

This Is the Beginning of the End of the War

The current Ukrainian advances will be the ones to push Russian ground forces completely out of Ukraine, leaving any remaining combat to take place on or just over the border with Russia or with longer-range systems, ending major ground combat ...
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ISW protests 9-26

Why Putin Has Doomed Himself with His Ukraine Fiasco

Putin’s mobilization is myopically feared by some but does more damage to him at home than anything to help the war effort, the dynamics of which have been set and cannot be altered by this mobilization or “referenda”/“annexation” gimmicks that ...
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