Pavel Bednyakov/AP
Russia’s claims of self-defence are flimsy. You only have to breathe on them to knock them over. But would it be wise to try Putin in his absence?
Members of Ukraine’s ‘Siberian Battalion’ training near Kyiv, APril 2024.
EPA-EFE/Sergey Dolzhenko
Russia is making steady territorial gains in advance of a possible spring offensive. Without western aid Ukraine has few air defences left.
Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, with Russia’s president, Vladimir Putin, in February 2024.
EPA-EFE/Sergei Bobylev/Sputnik/Kremlin pool
Tension in the western Balkans, which has been troubled by ethnic tensions since the wars of the 1990s, is becoming an increasing concern for the EU and Nato.
Pleading for help: Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, says his country is running out of the means with which to defend itself.
EPA-EFE/Toms Kalnins
A selection of our coverage of the conflict from the past fortnight.
Devastation: firefighters at the scene of a Russian bomb attack in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, April 2024.
EPA-EFE/Yakiv Liashenko
Russia is putting wings and guidance systems on old ‘iron bombs’ and using them to pound Ukraine’s cities.
Farewell to arms: Ukrainians mourn their dead.
AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda
As Ukraine begs its allies for more arms to defend itself, Russia is beginning to advance at several along its front lines.
Lavrov and Yi meet in Beijing to discuss the ongoing relationship between Russia and China.
Russian Foreign Ministry/Alamy
China and Russia have jointly criticised the west, as well as pledging economic and security co-operation.
A boy sets a flag at a memorial for Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv on April 9, 2024.
Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images
There are several reasons why supporting Ukraine helps the US too, including creating a deterrent for China, Russia and other potential adversaries.
Finland has compulsory military service, other nations are thinking about following suit.
Cum Okolo/Alamy
Conscription is being talked about by Nato’s European members as they grow increasingly concerned about further Russian expansion. Ukraine has just expanded its version.
Imago/Alamy Stock Photo
The European Union is faced with a difficult choice between supporting Ukraine and putting its farmers at a disadvantage.
PA-EFE/Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/Kremlin pool
A selection of our coverage of the conflict from the past fortnight.
Donald Trump has an uneasy relationship with Nato, and has said the US would rethink its relationship if he is re-elected.
Xinhua/Alamy Stock Photo
If the world sits on the sidelines for the next six months, it not only loses time and ground but puts Trump in a stronger position if he is elected.
EPA-EFE/Dumitru Doru
Russia has long harboured territorial ambitions in this former Soviet republic.
EPA-EFE/Sergei Ilnitsky
Many western governments have called Putin’s election ‘illegitimate’. Now they need to adjust their diplomatic relations accordingly.
Baltic states are planning to build hundreds of bunkers, form a joint defence zone and increasing military spending.
APFootage/Alamy
Baltic states have high numbers of Russian speakers, who Putin has vowed to ‘protect’.
Donald Trump hugs and kisses the American flag as he speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Oxon Hill, Md., in February 2024.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
A second Donald Trump presidency would not necessarily implement a foreign policy any more destructive than what is normal for the United States.
Ubiquitous: Vladimir Putin is the dominant figure on social media platforms in Russia.
Zhenya Voevodina/Shutterstock
Putin and his cronies, as well as Biden and an array of Kremlin foes and the odd pop singer, make up most discussion on Russia’s social media sites.
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a speech before presenting the Russian Hero of Labour gold medals in June 2023.
(Gavriil Grigorov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russia has tied its currency to gold to evade sanctions. Shifting the ruble away from a pegged value and into the gold standard itself is aimed at making it a credible gold substitute at a fixed rate.
EPA-EFE/Sergey Dolzhenko
While Ukraine’s fortunes on the battlefield have been mixed, its operations in Crimea and the Black Sea have been rather more successful.
Foregone conclusion: a Russian soldier casts his vote at a polling station in a Russian-controlled area of Ukraine, March 2024.
Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP
A selection of our coverage of the conflict from the past fortnight.