Brian's unique explorations of the war and the historical context and events leading up to Russia's current assault against Ukraine
(Russian/Русский перевод) Brian's Ukraine journalism has been praised by: Mykhailo Podolyak, a top advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky; the Ukraine Territorial Defense Forces; Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, U.S. Army (Ret.), former commanding general, U.S. Army Europe; Scott Shane, two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times and Baltimore Sun journalist (featured in HBO's The Wire, playing himself); Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), one of the only Republicans to stand up to Trump and member of the January 6th Committee; and Orwell Prize-winning journalist Jenni Russell, among others. His analysis of Ukraine has been featured by Newsweek, Real Clear Defense, Small Wars Journal, The National Endowment for Democracy’s DemDigest, The Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, Byline Times, the Arabic television stations Alghad TV and Alaraby TV (including his debate with former major Putin advisor, Kremlin insider, and Duma lawmaker Sergei Markov), interviews for the French news site Atlantico, the German news site Buzzard, the Ministry of Defense of Brazil, and Indian Strategic Studies.
Over two decades, Brian has majored in Russian history, studied Russia's war against Georgia in graduate school, and covered Russia and its foreign policy as a journalist, including writing for the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC) from 2015-2017 as one of the most popular guest scholar contributors until he was censored for his post on Prevezon's corrupt work for the Kremlin. Since 2014, he has covered Russia's longstanding campaign to dominate Ukraine and turn it into a de facto vassal, including the historical context of Russia's 2014 military aggression against Ukraine in Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk; The (First) Russo-American Cyberwar's 2016 U.S. presidential election interference, a central aim of which was to further the Kremlin's Ukraine campaign partnering with a pliant Donald Trump; Trump's first impeachment centering on Ukraine; Russia's 2020 election interference; and Putin's current exponential military escalation (he was possibly the only analyst to predict beforehand in writing Ukraine's sinking of the Russian Navy's Black Sea Fleet Flagship, the Moskva), including a podcast with Ukraine's 2022 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Oleksandra Matviichuk. This coverage includes his groundbreaking eBook, A Song of Gas and Politics: How Ukraine Is at the Center of Trump-Russia, or, Ukrainegate: A “New” Phase in the Trump-Russia Saga Made from Recycled Materials (available in Amazon Kindle, Barnes & Noble Nook, & EPUB).
A large number of the articles on the current war are adapted from three of Brian's Small Wars Journal articles:
- Bungling the Prewar and First Moves in Finland 1939 and Ukraine 2022: A Comedy of Errors for Stalin’s Soviet Union and Putin’s Russia, Respectively (May 23, 2022)
- The Beginning of the End of Putin? Why the Russian Army May (and Should) Revolt (March 8, 2022, and featured by Real Clear Defense, The National Endowment for Democracy’s [NED]Democracy Digest, and SOF News)
- The Utter Banality of Putin’s Kabuki Campaign in Ukraine (February 21, 2022, and featured by SOF News)
THE CURRENT WAR
From Orwell in Spain to Trump and Putin: Orwell as Antidote to Stalinism and Fascism, Then and Now
Putin’s (and Russia’s) Naked Weakness
The Coming Siege of Crimea?
Recent Raids and Drone Strikes in Russia Show How Screwed Russia and Putin Really Are
How Bakhmut and Kherson Set Up Ukraine’s Counteroffensive
Ukraine Crossing Dnipro River a Big Deal and General Assessment
The Post-Putin World Will Be So Much Better than This One
Offensive Smensive: 8 Reasons Why Russia’s Expected Offensive Cannot Succeed
THE TWO MAPS SHOWING WHY RUSSIA’S BAKHMUT CAMPAIGN IS UNDENIABLY A MISERABLE FAILURE (including Soledar)
Russia’s Pyrrhic Advances at Soledar Near Bakhmut Setting Up Ukrainian Counteroffensive, Not Russian Victory
An Urgently Needed Definition of “Fascism” as the West Fights It Anew at Home and Abroad
Russia-Ukraine War Settles into Predictable Alternating Phases, But Russia’s Losing Remains Constant
BACKGROUND
The U.S. Should Weaponize Europe’s Oil and Natural Gas Markets in an Economic Offensive Against Russia
Already in a Cyberwar with Russia, NATO Must Expand Article 5 to Include Cyberwarfare
The History of Russia’s Cyberwarfare Against NATO Shows It Is Time to Add to NATO’s Article 5
When Dirty Russian-Connected Money Saved Trump’s Ass and His Ensuing Business Disasters Helped Destroy the Global and American Economies
The Nexus of American Right-Wing and Kremlin Disinformation Exposes Trump-Russia’s Mechanics
Nationalism: A National Security Threat from Without and Within and one of Putin’s Favorite Weapons
Coronavirus and History, Russia and Italy, the War for Reality, and the Nexus of It All
The Untold Story of the Bidens and Burisma
Time to Play Hardball with Russia
A Song of Gas and Politics: How Ukraine Is at the Center of Trump-Russia, or, Ukrainegate: A “New” Phase in the Trump-Russia Saga Made from Recycled Materials (eBook preview/excerpt)
Ukrainegate Proves the Media Has Learned Almost Nothing from 2016
How Cohen’s and Manafort’s Ukraine Ties Tell the Deeper Story of Trump-Russia and the Mueller Probe
The Jerusalem Post
The war in Ukraine is embarrassing for Israelis and Palestinians- November 1, 2022
BYLINE TIMES
How Ukraine’s Southern Offensive Could Lead to the End of the War- August 16, 2022
SMALL WARS JOURNAL
WAR IS BORING
How Syria Fits Into the Trump-Russia Scandal- March 29, 2018
External Audio/Video interview of Brian on Ukraine
Twitter Spaces:
Panel with Rep. Adam Kinzinger-5/6/2022
DONATE TO SUPPORT UKRAINE! Слава Украине! Slava Ukraini!
Save the Children is one of the premier international aid organizations.
Come Back Alive is an organization that supports the Ukrainian military.
The Ukrainian government’s central bank, the National Bank of Ukraine, has also opened special accounts for people to donate to both the Ukrainian Armed Forces and for humanitarian assistance for civilians.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is another amazing humanitarian organization.
The main UN body to help refugees is the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which does amazing work all over the world. Another vital UN agency involved in helping Ukraine is the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), a deeply experienced organization, provides emergency medical services for the wounded in Ukraine.