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 - October 18, 2023
Donald Tusk, current leader of Poland's pro-European Civic Platform party and former Polish Prime Minister and president of the European Council in 2014, Kancelaria Prezesa Rady Ministrów, Warszawa. (Mateusz Włodarczyk - www.wlodarczykfoto.pl, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Kyiv Independent: Newsfeed
Novaya Gazeta Europe: Newsfeed
The Insider: Newsfeed
The official residence of the Armenian Prime Minister, Government House, on Republic (formerly Lenin) Square. Yerevan, Armenia. ("20160614_Armenia_7663 Yerevan sRGB" by Dan Lundberg is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0)
WHAT'S ON OUR MIND
In light of the Israel-Hamas War and Track Two's history in the region through our IAN (International Abrahamic Network) program we will intermittently update this page with relevant articles on the growing conflict, including its intersection with the Ukraine War.
This week brings a recalibration and refocusing on the Ukraine War’s periphery. In the fragility of war’s shadow, the brazen ‘special operation’ led to growing concerns that the Kremlin’s ambitions would extend beyond Ukraine. The greater Russia-West rivalry for control in Eurasia was only exacerbated by the ratcheting tensions over Ukraine. Ukraine’s dependence on its neighbors for aid gives new significance to ties with its neighbors. In today’s collection we take the temperature in the surrounding regions, learning how these circumstances intersect with the Ukraine war.
A piece from Russia.Post examines the shifting relations within the post-Soviet space, identifying the 2008 Russo-Georgian War and the 2014 annexation of Crimea as key intermediate points preceding the invasion of Ukraine and the Nagorno-Karabakh war.
Carnegie suggests that not only have recent events in Nagorno-Karabakh had dire consequences for Armenia, but for Russian influence in the region as well. Responsible Statecraft suggests that Azerbaijan's recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh has unleashed old regional rivalries, increasing the likelihood of further hostilities. A piece from The Moscow Times argues that Armenia must emerge from the shadows of Russian influence and addresses recent Russian state media discussion of additional, destabilizing military operations in the Caucasus. The publication then reports on Putin’s recent visit to Kyrgyzstan, an attempt, The Moscow Times claims, to reassure Russia’s allies and contain further erosion of regional influence following peacekeeping failures in Nagorno-Karabakh and the drawn out war in Ukraine.
Al Jazeera covers Putin’s meeting with Orban on the sidelines of Beijing’s Belt and Road summit, where the latter is expected to strengthen Hungary’s energy partnership with Russia. Reuters reports on the failed impeachment of Georgian president Salome Zourabichvili, whose dispute with a government she believes to be pro-Russia and inadequately working towards NATO and EU membership put her in the line of fire.
To the west of Ukraine, The Insider and Politico report on Poland’s consequential weekend election, announcing the surprising victory of opposition parties and apparent ouster of the nation’s right-wing government. This win offers hope for continued Polish military aid to Ukraine following weeks of uncertainty surrounding the future of Polish support. A Kyiv Post interview sheds light on the significance of Poland and Ukraine's trade partnership while The Kyiv Independent speaks with former Estonian President Kaljulaid (and early supporter of Ukraine) about Ukraine's NATO and EU chances. The Conversation looks to the North, examining the recent Estonia-Finland pipeline explosion.
In the overview, a condensed digest on the last three months of the Ukraine War, as well as ongoing discussion and debate over NATO enlargement. In the arts, Russian author Maxim Osipov on the ‘fifth wave’ of Russian independent literature and Warsaw’s Sunflower Solidarity Community Center serves the city’s community of Ukrainian artists.
Find these stories and more in today’s resource update.
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