Russia - The Deeping

We investigated Russia’s military indoctrination of Ukrainian children in occupied territories – what we found was more shocking than we could have imagined

Aug 5, 2026

Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham; Elīna Šteinerte, University of Bristol, and Hervé Ascensio, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne When we were asked to investigate Russia’s indoctrination and militarisation of children living in the Ukrainian territories occupied by Moscow since 2014, we had a general idea of the Kremlin’s occupation policies. Two of us grew

Ukraine war: inside the longstanding conflict between politicians and military commanders

Jul 27, 2026

Sarah Whitmore, Oxford Brookes University and Bettina Renz, University of Nottingham The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, has dismissed the country’s commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi after a turbulent week in which he also removed his defence minister, Mykhailo Fedorov. The dismissal of the popular defence minister, who is credited by many as the brains behind

Playing host to Putin and Trump, China sends a message – it’s now in the driver’s seat

May 25, 2026

Alexander Korolev, UNSW Sydney It’s been quite a week for Beijing, with back-to-back visits by the leaders of the United States and Russia. Chinese President Xi Jinping has had his hands full with hosting duties, gun salutes, photo opportunities and high-level talks. Each visit was important in its own way. US President Donald

This year’s Venice Biennale marks a major shift in European cultural politics

May 22, 2026

Ph. Martina Tonetto Clare Carolin, King’s College London I was texting a museum director friend in Asia recently. We were discussing whether a trip to this year’s “artworld Olympics”, the Venice Biennale, justified the carbon release. I felt ambivalent. The main exhibition is curated by Koyo Kouoh, whose 2016 edition of Ireland’s Biennale,

The Russian resistance no one is talking about

Apr 27, 2026

Oula Kadhum, SOAS, University of London You could be forgiven for thinking everyone in Russia either supports the war in Ukraine or is too scared to do anything about it. A dominant narrative is that Russian civil society is passive, complicit or has been quashed to the point of being neutralised. Some elements

4 ways the war in Iran has weakened the United States in the great power game

Apr 13, 2026

Ph. China and Russia view the U.S. grand strategy as increasingly out of focus. AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson Jeffrey Taliaferro, Tufts University “Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.” Napoleon Bonaparte’s maxim may well have been in the minds of policymakers in Moscow and Beijing these past weeks, as the

As war in Ukraine enters a 5th year, will the ‘Putin consensus’ among Russians hold?

Feb 23, 2026

Ph. Does the nation stand behind him? Vyacheslav Prokofyev/AFP via Getty Images Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University and Elizaveta Gaufman, University of Groningen Perceived wisdom has it that the longer a war goes on, the less enthusiastic a public becomes for continuing the conflict. After all, it is ordinary citizens who tend to bear

Five reasons Trump’s plan for Ukrainian elections and a peace referendum will only prolong the war

Feb 17, 2026

Stefan Wolff, University of Birmingham and Tetyana Malyarenko, National University Odesa Law Academy In a surprise announcement on February 10, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that his administration was preparing to hold presidential elections before the middle of May. Alongside these elections, he is reported to be planning to hold a referendum on

Russia’s ‘permanent test’ is pushing Europe to the brink of war – here’s what Moscow actually wants

Oct 21, 2025

Ph. Russian army special forces inspect vehicles at a checkpoint in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, in February 2024. Sergey Nikonov/Shutterstock Christo Atanasov Kostov, IE University The scenes have become grimly familiar: Russian tanks rolling into Georgia in 2008, the seizure of Crimea in 2014, the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Russian military jets violating European

Ukrainian protests: Zelensky faces biggest threat to his presidency since taking power

Jul 29, 2025

Jennifer Mathers, Aberystwyth University Protests have erupted in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities against a new law that threatens the independence of Ukraine’s anti-corruption institutions. The legislation was hastily passed on July 22 by parliament and signed by the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, that same day. It places Ukraine’s national anti-corruption bureau and

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