J. Thomas

What the Gripen fighter jet was built to do, what it could offer Ukraine, and one former Swedish Air Force pilot’s view of two nations united by yellow and blue.

Entering its fifth year of full-scale war, Ukraine’s defense against Russia relies on a vast military spanning land, air, sea, and specialized forces. Expanded since 2022 into one of the largest militaries fielded in Europe since World War II, its structure defines how a modern army fights across multiple fronts.

As Russia’s full-scale war nears its fourth year, Sweden keeps stepping up to support Ukraine. In an exclusive interview, Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard outlines new aid for 2026 and highlights growing military cooperation—including plans to train Ukrainian pilots on Swedish jets.

As winter temperatures plunged in Kyiv on January 15, UK Embassy staff joined invited guests at the Motherland Monument for an evening light display marking one year of the UK–Ukraine 100-Year Partnership Agreement.

You may already know the long journey coffee takes from distant farms to expert roasters to your morning mug. Now add Russian airstrikes to that process. Across Ukraine, even under fire, people still brew. This is how they keep the ritual alive.

When the full-scale war began, businesses left Russia due to sanctions, while their departures across Ukraine were driven by the threat of Russian missile strikes. Now, big brands are coming back to Ukraine. Here’s how global companies are learning to operate under air-raid alerts—and sometimes, underground.