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
How Ukraine War Will Likely Go Rest of 2022, or, Kherson: The Beginning of the End for Russia
Russia’s Defeat in Ukraine May Take Some Time, But It’s Coming and Sooner Than You Think
Debunking One of the Worst Arguments Against Increasing Support for Ukraine
THE THREE MAPS SHOWING WHY UKRAINE IS WINNING AND RUSSIA IS LOSING (and why is isn’t even close)
A Flurry of Telling Parallels Between the 1939-1940 Soviet-Finnish Winter War and Russia’s 2022 Ukraine War
Moscow’s 1939 Finland Hubris Repeats Itself in Ukraine in 2022
How Delusions of Phantom Fascists Duped Stalin in 1939 and Putin in 2022
“Banderites”: What Russia Really Means When It Calls Ukraine Nazi and Fascist
A Brief History of Russian and Soviet Genocides, Mass Deportations, and Other Atrocities in Ukraine
A Terrifying Comparison Between Putin and Stalin
A Super-Short Guide to Why Ukraine is Kicking Russia’s Ass in Putin’s Ukraine War
How Ukraine Can Take Back Crimea from Putin’s Reeling Russian Military
BACKGROUND
EXCLUSIVE: Top Trump Aides’ Deeper & Linked Roles in Putin Agenda Revealed; Russian Mafia Nexus With Trump & Aides Goes Back Years
Trump, Putin, Russia, DNC/Clinton Hack, & WikiLeaks: “There’s Something Going on” with Election 2016 & It’s Cyberwarfare & Maybe Worse
A Reality Check on U.S.-Russian Relations and a Way Forward
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.