A lot depends on the circumstances under which you try to define or feel your own loneliness. Let me begin with my biography — my recent story. I joined the army in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, as an officer in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In 1953, Polish-American lawyer Raphael Lemkin, the man who coined the term "genocide," wrote a text titled Soviet Genocide in Ukraine. In it, Lemkin spoke not only about the Holodomor — the man-made famine organized in Ukraine by Stalin in 1932–1933 that claimed the lives of around 4 million people
The nature, size, and political significance of prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia have evolved significantly over the three and a half years of the full-scale war, accelerating sharply in recent weeks. While ceasefire and peace negotiations have gone through periods of halts and bursts, increasingly institutionalized prisoner exchanges are
The end of the European Union’s tariff-free trade preferences for Ukrainian agricultural products is more than just a policy change, it’s a wake-up call. For years, the EU has served as the largest and most reliable market for Ukraine’s agricultural exports. But as Brussels rolls back preferential
In the early 19th century, one of the founding fathers of modern war studies, the Prussian general and military historian Carl von Clausewitz, commented on the Napoleonic Wars: "The conqueror is always peace-loving; he would much prefer to march into our state calmly." This remains an observation that applies to
My daughter is just over a year old. She’s learning to walk, says a few words in both Ukrainian and English, and because of Russia’s war, she already has an acute understanding of what it means to be afraid. The first time she reacted to the air raid
POZNAN — For years, I have taken every opportunity to urge the European Union and its member states to invest more in defense. When Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I repeatedly asked (as a member of the European Parliament) what further proof we would need to
Editor's note: This opinion first appeared in German in Süddeutsche Zeitung. Russia’s President — a wanted war criminal — Vladimir Putin failed to show up in Istanbul for the “direct talks” with Ukraine that he himself proposed. For the Kremlin to wage an unprovoked war of conquest, reject a ceasefire, and
Putin has done in Russia everything that Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had been against in Brazil.
World War II was a bloodbath of unspeakable proportions, planned and executed by totalitarian powers. It brought the catastrophe of the Holocaust. It also led to the division of Europe and loss of freedom of many nations in Europe, including my own. Today, at the time of commemoration of 80
Ukrainian history is rich with examples of foreign volunteers participating in wars fought by Ukrainians for their freedom. Latvian Karlis Broze, a lieutenant colonel in the Ukrainian People’s Republic, commanded the Black Zaporozhians company and later led one of the battalions during the Winter Campaign of 1919–1920. German
News of Victoria Roshchyna’s brutal death at the hands of Russian captors shocked Ukraine and the world last week. Her body was returned mutilated — eyes gouged out, brain removed — bearing evidence of unspeakable brutality. It wasn’t an accident of war. It was a signature of it. This is
Visiting Washington during the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Spring Meetings this April felt surreal. The weather was nice, but the air was heavy with the uncertainty of the tariff war, President Donald Trump's administration’s criticisms of international institutions, and the far more immediate tension of geopolitics between
“How do we continue convincing our few remaining allies that journalists’ work is important?” Last month, I was sitting on stage at the International Journalism Festival in Perugia, Europe’s biggest journalism conference, when I heard this question from an audience member. The answer came to me fast. “Point at
I believe that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Ukrainian negotiating team have already concluded that the peace deal that U.S. President Donald Trump is trying to force through simply cannot be sold to the Ukrainian public. The Trump proposal appears to require Ukraine to accept the loss of
It has been nearly 100 days since Donald Trump returned to the U.S. presidency and Russian missiles continue to rain down on Ukrainian civilians. Despite Trump’s pledge to end the war on “day one,” peace is nowhere in sight. When will the administration acknowledge that it is failing?
When the cause of liberty seemed most fragile, and its defenders most alone, a man named Thomas Paine picked up his pen and wrote: “These are the times that try men’s souls.” It was December 1776, one of the bleakest moments in the American War of Independence. Washington’s
As the United States and Iran engage in renewed nuclear negotiations, the shadow of Ukraine looms large over Tehran's strategic considerations. Recent indirect talks in Muscat, Oman — facilitated by Omani intermediaries — mark a significant diplomatic step. But Iran’s approach to these talks is deeply shaped by the lessons it
The American and Russian delegations that just met in Istanbul had made it clear that they were there to discuss the normalization of their diplomatic missions’ work, not the war in Ukraine. But such engagement is a clear corollary to U.S. President Donald Trump’s efforts to negotiate an
As Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine drags into its fourth year — leaving behind more destruction, more death, and deeper trauma — the global conversation is shifting. The world’s leading democracies are preoccupied with their own internal crises, some slipping toward authoritarianism, others consumed by political division. As global attention
Alexander Ovechkin has become the greatest goal scorer in National Hockey League (NHL) history — an extraordinary accomplishment that cements his legacy as one of hockey’s most influential figures. For fans around the world, the Washington Capitals’ No. 8 stands as a symbol of perseverance, dedication, and success. But beyond
The European Commission recently unveiled a plan for rearming the European Union and strengthening the bloc’s defense capabilities. By 2030, the Commission intends to arm Ukraine and develop member states’ militaries to the extent needed to deter or counter Russian aggression. To fund this effort, the Commission plans to
After a busy day at work as a software engineer, Oleg Kutkov returns to his apartment in Kyiv. He steps out onto the balcony — but not to smoke or water the flowers. Oleg’s balcony is a workshop. There, he repairs Starlink terminals damaged at the front and sends them
There is unfortunately absolutely nothing good to say about the announcements U.S. President Donald Trump made during his recent “Liberation Day” event in the White House Rose Garden. Try as one might to “sane-wash” Trump’s economic policies, there is simply no coherent rationale for his supposedly “reciprocal” trade
U.S. President Donald Trump’s radical changes to U.S. foreign policy have led many to suspect that he wants to align America more with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the long term. The expectation now is that the United States, China, and Russia will carve up the world
The space for civil society and a free press is shrinking dramatically after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration launched a war against American aid, which had long supported crucial social initiatives and journalism in countries in need. Following that crisis, the United Kingdom announced plans to cut international
Eleven years ago, Russia seized Ukrainian territory by force. Three years ago, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today, Ukraine faces a new threat to its sovereignty: U.S. President Donald Trump’s demand that the country hand over a significant amount of its mineral wealth or face the
Through the first half of March, the Truth Hounds team embarked on an advocacy trip to South Africa to discuss two major recent reports: one on the destruction of the Kakhovka dam and the international law protection of the environment during armed conflict, and another on the torture at the
The war between Russia and Ukraine continues unabated. Neither side is in a position to achieve its stated objectives through military force. But now there is significant diplomatic activity as well. Ukraine has agreed to a 30-day ceasefire, in large part to patch up relations with U.S. President Donald
If you thought the United States’ first minerals deal with Ukraine was bad, the new version reads even worse. This one makes the previous deal look like charity by comparison. Check out the Financial Times piece and the link to the leaked document. Some might call it extortion; others might
It took the world 11 years of Russia's war with Ukraine, including over three years of the full-scale invasion, to finally say it out loud: "We are not doing enough." As NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte recently told U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House, "We need to
I know Ukraine. I’ve been to Ukraine. Ukraine is not perfect — neither is the United States. But in many ways, Ukraine is the United States I long for. Not because of its suffering. Not because of its war. But because of its clarity. Because of the unshakable belief that
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