There are 3 reasons why Russia’s loss of Kherson – if Moscow’s claims are accurate – will likely prove decisive for the future of the war, and potentially Putin’s own fortunes too.
Guy Ziv, American University School of International Service
Israel’s longest serving and most politically resilient prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, returns to government with a new coalition, partnering with extreme-right parties. It could be his undoing.
There are political risks to even floating the idea. But a summit could conceivably reset the discourse around a war currently stuck dangerously in cycles of escalation.
People understand the world through the stories they are told and tell, a historian writes. In the case of the war in Ukraine, narratives can create problems.
The benevolence shown to Belarusian exiles in 2020 has turned into hostility because of Russia’s attack on Ukraine. How is it fair to blame citizens for the actions of a regime they despise?
The Russian state, in tandem with the Russian Orthodox Church, is using LGBTQ+ rights as a red-button issue to win support for its criminal war campaign in Ukraine.
Iran has a growing role in the Ukraine war, helping Russia augment its dwindling weapons supplies. That may help Russia, but it also serves Iran’s national interests.
How does Putin extract himself from this mess? The only way to do so is to win the war in Ukraine, or at least to win sufficient concessions that would permit him to spin it as a victory.
Benjamin Jensen, American University School of International Service
In the face of Russian military setbacks at the hands of a dogged opposition army, Russian President Vladimir Putin is focusing on targets that will put psychological pressure on the Ukrainian nation.