War in Ukraine

Once the iron artery of Russia’s economy, the state-run railway giant is now bleeding billions in debt, hemorrhaging freight volumes, and dragging industrial towns down with it.

Russia’s latest missile and drone strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which targeted critical substations and nuclear facilities, have left thousands without power, water, and heating, further escalating the country’s ongoing energy crisis amid subzero temperatures, Ukrainian officials reported on January 20.

Selver Hrustic, callsign Serb, from Bosnia and Herzegovina, thought joining the Russian army was his way out of legal trouble in Europe. They promised him a lawyer after serving in the Russian army. Then, he was sent on a deadly mission in Ukraine. “You are people who signed contracts to kill other people for money,” said the Russians.

Every time peace is on the table, Russia reaches for missiles—and now, strike drones. Since 2014, Moscow has used diplomacy to disguise, prepare for, or justify its next wave of attacks. Behind every round of talks lies a familiar pattern: escalation masked as negotiation.

Ukraine’s new Minister of Defense, Mykhailo Fedorov, met with Ukrainian and international media in a closed session, where he spoke about his objectives in the new post and how he intends to change the way the war is fought. His experience at the Digital Transformation Ministry has, unsurprisingly, proven useful.