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Ukrainian servicemen firing toward Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on March 21, 2023.
Opinion

Why Ukraine needs Russia's terminal defeat – not just deterrence

by Lesia Ogryzko

Five years into the full-scale conflict, it has become clear that the model of strategic deterrence – the "steel porcupine" that Ursula von der Leyen often invokes when speaking about Ukraine –  offers no guarantee of resilience and long-term peace. The "steel porcupine" model assumes that, given Russia's significant resource advantage, Ukraine's only realistic strategy is to build a defense so strong that continued aggression becomes prohibitively costly for Russia. However, as of 2026, this

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Black Tulip volunteers work to identify the remains of Russian soldiers in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on June 29, 2024.

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