A NOTE: Our Russia-Ukraine Resources are updated weekly - if you're accessing the page a week or more past the below date, pieces mentioned in this post may have been removed to make room for up-to-date resources.
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Updated Resources - January 31, 2024
Elderly civilians cared for by Ukrainian policemen in Kyiv after damaging of a residential building by shelling.16 March 2022 (Mvs.gov.ua, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Kyiv Independent: Newsfeed
Novaya Gazeta Europe: Newsfeed
The Insider: Newsfeed
The Telegraph via Apple Podcasts - Ukraine: The Latest
On Mykhailivska Square in Kyiv, in the presence of an honor guard and to the sound of surma, a wreath with flowers from the Ukrainian people was placed at the Wall of Remembrance of the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine in the Russian-Ukrainian War. ("On the Day of Defenders of Ukraine, the President honored the memory of the fallen warriors." by President Of Ukraine is in the Public Domain, CC0)
WHAT'S ON OUR MIND
In addition to our weekly resource update, today we also offer an updated collection of pieces on the Israeli-Hamas war.
The ICJ rejects significant portions of a ‘terrorism’ case brought by Ukraine against Russia, talk of a military leadership shakeup at Zelenskyy’s behest, and hundreds of POWs exchanged following last week’s downed plane - these are but a sampling of recent events pulling the plight and endurance of Ukraine back into the spotlight. This weeks’ resource update offers insight into the beleaguered nation’s current state of affairs. From challenges abroad to the war’s impact on Ukraine’s society and its people after nearly two years, these resources remind us of war’s true cost and the dire need for peacebuilding.
We begin by examining Ukraine’s position within the greater geopolitical constellation. In Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba makes the case for continued Western support and discusses his nation’s potential for victory. The Washington Post and Responsible Statecraft offer further insight into Ukraine’s dire need for Western support, and the impact of US domestic politics on attaining it. The latter publication also examines the impact of a recent security agreement between Ukraine and the UK and what it may indicate for the embattled country’s NATO aspirations. The Council on Foreign Relations details the political hurdles to Ukrainian EU membership.
We cross the border for a closer look at the war’s impact on Ukrainian society and politics. A podcast from The Kyiv Independent, sheds light on recent attacks on journalists and dissects historical press freedoms within Ukraine. The Washington Post monitors the country’s perennial battle against corruption amidst revelations that defense officials pocketed $40m intended for ammunition procurement. The gauntlet of personnel struggles and mobilization in both Ukraine and Russia is examined in a piece from The Insider.
To the east, Russian occupation reshapes daily life. In two pieces, The Kyiv Independent examines both the disastrous effect of forced Russian conscription of Ukrainians on essential municipal services in the occupied regions, as well as the effect of business migration from these regions and its implications for the country’s economic map. In Foreign Affairs, a picture emerges of the ‘quiet transformation’ of occupied Ukraine.
Two perspectives on Volodymr Zelenskyy emerge. In The New Yorker, Masha Gessen questions whether the Ukrainian president and his political allies move increasingly closer to the entrenchment against which they originally sought to root out. Simon Shuster, the author of a newly released Zelensky biography who has been described as having ‘exceptional access and a healthy lack of deference,’ joins The Telegram’s Ukraine: The Latest podcast to discuss his time spent shadowing the Ukrainian leader.
We conclude this featured collection by highlighting the lived experiences of the Ukrainian people. The Intercept reports on the military’s experimental use of the psychedelic substance Ibogaine for treatment of traumatic brain injury and soldiers’ mental health. In The Conversation, the latest polling reveals the mood in Ukraine and explores hope amidst suffering. Finally, Meduza recounts the heartbreak of elderly Ukrainians near the frontlines as the war enters its third year.
In the overview, elucidation on 2024’s Doomsday Clock announcement. In videos, warzone trauma and Ukrainian mental health, as well the country’s development and de-oligarchization dilemma are explored. Find also the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Doomsday Clock announcement in full. In the arts, the surprising release and state funding of Russian anti-war director Mikhail Lokshin’s film adaptation of The Master and Margarita, an experimental opera conveys Ukrainian rage and sorrow, and puppets bring joy to Ukrainian children during wartime.
Find these topics and many more on our Russia-Ukraine resource page. Receive important perspective and updates, including the implications of the ICJ’s recent ruling on Israel, in our Israel-Hamas resources.
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