Read for Ukraine

Russia is weaponising language and culture as part of its “Russian World” (Russkii Mir) agenda and its invasion of Ukraine aims to eradicate the concept of Ukrainian culture as well as national identity, so every book by Ukrainian authors bought in the west is an act of defiance against Putin.

The grains of wrath

While the world’s attention is fixated on the US blockade of Iranian ports and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Russia has been subjecting Ukraine to a blockade of its own in the Black Sea, imperilling Ukraine’s summer grain harvest.

Delivering combat mass

The pressing need to resist the Russian invasion and a lack of support from the West has forced Ukraine to supercharge its own weapons development in ways that Australia can learn from when combating its own regional threat.

The drone age

From Ukraine to the Red Sea, autonomous systems have become ubiquitous across the battlespace, sacrificing themselves to maximise mission effectiveness and so changing the nature of war.

Autonomous arms in Ukraine

Ukraine has embraced a range of cheap but advanced autonomous systems to resist Russia’s invasion and strike back at the enemy which may reshape the future of warfare.

Special forces in Ukraine

Ukraine’s special forces have played a vital role in resisting the Russian invasion and their integration of drones into operations offers important lessons for their peers in Western nations.

Metal goes first

Ukraine is building on its successful drone campaign to send robots into the front line to fight off the Russian invaders.

War without end

Vladimir Putin’s three-day ‘special military operation’ to annex Ukraine has now lasted longer than the First World War and without stronger backing from the West there is no prospect of resolution.

Slava Ukraini

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was supposed to restore Russia’s great power status, but Ukraine’s determined resistance has turned the tables on him.

Ukraine’s drones take the fight to Russia

Ukraine’s long range drones are taking the offensive with daring infrastructure strikes deep into Russian territory, while holding off the Russians internally in a ‘no man’s land’ where individual soldiers and vehicles are picked off with ease.

Battle fatigue

The “CNN effect” emerged in the 1990s to describe how real-time media coverage could shape foreign policy as graphic reporting increased public pressure on western governments to intervene. However, the decline of mainstream media seems to have dimmed its affect as wars around the world – including Russia’s brutalisation of Ukraine – continue without much pressure to stop them.

Living on the front line

Despite half-hearted support from the West, Ukraine did not crumble in the face of Russia’s brutal aggression, and its agile defence strategies offer important lessons to other countries facing security threats.