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A bridge, missiles, and billions in revenue: North Korea's role in Russia's war deepens again

No longer a minor player, Pyongyang has become an essential cog in Russia's war machine. Now, Kyiv warns that its role may grow further still — but not overnight. Ukrainian intelligence in August issued alarming warnings hinting that Russia could soon ask North Korea to contribute up to 50,000 more of its troops for its war against Ukraine, with missiles, drone operators, and technical brigades to follow. This influx of additional troops and materiel would come on top of the soldiers, shells,

Shells, stalled contracts, and no armor for wounded — Ukraine's new defense minister's problem list

Weapons production in Ukraine has a mountain of problems: short contracts, scandals over ammunition and other complex equipment procurement, inefficient drone purchasing, leaky quality control and oversight of manufacturers' capabilities, export rules that don't work, funding shortages, and more. All of this ultimately adds up to poor supply for troops at the front. Neither the dismissed minister Mykhailo Fedorov nor any other "six-month defense minister" has come even close to solving these p

Yevhen Khmara in Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 18, 2026.

Ivan Mazepa — Ukraine's hero, Russia's devil

'From Bohdan Khmelnytsky to Ivan Mazepa, there were no hetmans.' This old, hyperbolic Ukrainian saying shows just how large Mazepa looms in the region's history. A man of many worlds, the Orthodox nobleman born near Kyiv climbed from the Polish royal court and studies in Western Europe to become hetman — a military and political leader of the Ukrainian Cossack Hetmanate, a state that once spanned much of central and eastern Ukraine — and a trusted ally of Russian Tsar Peter I. When he ultimat

Why Ukraine can’t stop Russia’s ballistic missiles

Russia’s ballistic missile attacks are hitting Ukraine’s cities harder than ever, with July 2026 seeing the highest number of civilians killed or injured in Ukraine in a single month since March 2022. As Russia ramps up its use of ballistic missiles, Ukraine is struggling to defend its cities from attacks far beyond the front line. The U.S.-made Patriot remains Ukraine’s most effective defense against ballistic missiles, but there are not enough interceptors to protect the country from Russia’s

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