August 25, 2023

Ukraine, Briefly

This week, Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group more recently known for a rebellion against Russia’s military, reportedly died in a plane that crashed near Moscow, CNN reported Thursday. Russian authorities investigating the incident confirmed that Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger...

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July 31, 2023

Going A-Courting

Russian President Vladimir Putin was on a charm offensive at the recent Russia–Africa Summit in St. Petersburg. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – or the “special military operation”, as it’s called in Moscow – was likely a hot topic of conversation at the event, given how...

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July 28, 2023

Ukraine, Briefly

This week, Ukraine launched a major push in its offensive against Russia with fierce fighting breaking out in southeastern Ukraine, the Associated Press reported. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that “hostilities have intensified significantly” while insisting that Kyiv’s push wasn’t successful, a claim that...

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July 21, 2023

Ukraine, Briefly

This week, Ukraine’s Black Sea cities of Odesa and Mykolaiv faced Russian bombardment, with multiple cruise missiles and attack drones targeting the cities’ vital ports, CBS News reported. More than 20 civilians were wounded, including five children, as the attacks continued for three consecutive nights...

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July 18, 2023

The Reneger

Russia suspended its participation in a landmark United Nations-brokered deal that provided a humanitarian corridor to deliver Ukrainian grain to global markets, a move that will likely raise wheat prices and threaten food security in vulnerable nations around the world, CNBC reported Monday. Signed a year...

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July 11, 2023

Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop

The Wagner Group, the Russian military contractor, arrived in the Central African Republic (CAR) in 2018 to help President Faustin-Archange Touadéra fight off a rebellion. Since then, the group has deployed thousands of soldiers to Libya, Mali, Sudan, and elsewhere in Africa. After Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin recently...

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July 06, 2023

Humbled but Unbowed

Now that Russian President Vladimir Putin has survived Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner Group’s apparent coup attempt, the world is wondering what happens next. Charges against Prigozhin, who supposedly is in Belarus, and the Wagner military contractors who marched on Moscow have been dropped. As France...

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June 30, 2023

Ukraine, Briefly

This week, Russian authorities detained Gen. Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of Russia's military operations in Ukraine over allegations that he sided with mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin during the short-lived rebellion over the weekend, Al Jazeera reported. His arrest comes as part of an alleged...

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June 27, 2023

Pugachevshchina

In the 1770s, a Cossack named Emelian Pugachev rebelled against Catherine the Great. As described in Alexander Pushkin’s novel, “The Captain’s Daughter,” peasants furious at the Russian army’s corruption fueled the rebellion. But Pugachev’s uprising failed. He was captured and publicly executed in Moscow. Today, Russians...

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June 26, 2023

The Homefront

Russian President Vladimir Putin faced the most significant challenge to his rule of more than two decades after mercenary troops of his former ally Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a brief armed rebellion in southern Russia and came within 120 miles of the capital before withdrawing in...

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June 23, 2023

Ukraine, Briefly

This week, Ukraine reportedly launched an attack on a bridge connecting southern Ukraine to the Crimean Peninsula using long-range British-supplied missiles, according to Russian officials, the BBC said. The attack damaged the Chonhar bridge, which is crucial for transportation between Crimea and the front line...

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June 20, 2023

End Game

Commemorated on June 12, Russia Day celebrates the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic’s declaration of independence in 1990. Festivities in Moscow this year lacked much patriotic fervor, however. “For me, it’s a holiday of bureaucracy,” an anonymous Muscovite told the Moscow Times. “I never thought...

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June 16, 2023

Ukraine, Briefly

This week, Ukraine’s counteroffensive against Russia entered a crucial phase, with both sides engaged in a battle of attrition, according to Reuters. Russian forces have fortified their positions with obstacles and defenses, while Ukraine aimed to exploit gaps in Russia’s defense for tactical advantage. Moscow’s...

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June 09, 2023

Ukraine, Briefly

This week, Ukrainian forces reportedly kicked off their counteroffensive with the aim of retaking Russian-occupied territory, according to Russian sources, as reported by Newsweek. The offensive allegedly involved a ground attack toward Zaporozhzhia but was repelled by Russian troops. Russian media reported increased fire and...

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