War in Ukraine

At the close of 2024, the Ukrainian 13th National Guard Brigade "Khartiia" surprised the Russian forces by executing the first-ever combined-arms maneuver conducted solely with drones. This historic attack involved a wide range of systems, from ground drones fitted with machine-gun mounts to FPVs.

Almost three years into Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Vladimir Putin's constant saber-rattling against NATO countries, the alliance is slowly waking up to its most significant military challenge since the end of the Cold War. But which lessons have NATO armies learned from Ukraine’s decade-long fight for independence?

As 2025 began, Ukraine significantly ramped up its strikes on Russian oil refineries. This comes at a particularly inconvenient time for Russia, which has been increasing its oil refining output to circumvent sanctions on its crude oil exports.

Russia’s cyber army again attacked Ukrainian websites belonging to businesses involved in military repairs and production. Hacker groups pushing Russia’s propaganda narrative have relentlessly attacked Ukraine and its NATO Allies’ and now some of their members, have been identified.

For six months, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have maintained a buffer zone in the Kursk region. Despite superior numbers, Russian forces have been unable to dislodge Ukraine’s military from their own territory.