Commentary

In a powerful address to the German Bundestag during the annual Holocaust remembrance ceremony, 88-year-old Holocaust survivor Roman Schwarzman drew stark parallels between his experiences during World War II and Russia’s current aggression against Ukraine, delivering a plea for continued support of his homeland. “Back then, Hitler wanted to kill me because I am Jewish. Now Putin is trying to kill me because I am Ukrainian,” Schwarzman declared in one of the most poignant moments of his speech, highlighting the tragic symmetry of his life experiences. The survivor of...

Russian historian Botakoz Kassymbekova asserts that Russia’s colonial and authoritarian identity is structurally entrenched, resisting reform or democratization. She highlights how the country’s imperial system disproportionately burdens ethnic minorities and its “national republics,” while fostering privileges for metropolitan Russians, perpetuating inequality and unrest. Russia’s deep-rooted colonialism and imperial identity are not reformable, argues Botakoz Kassymbekova, a historian specializing in Eastern European studies at the University of Zurich. Speaking about Russia’s persistent dominance over its ethnic minorities, Kassymbekova emphasized that...

Whenever I come to Ukraine, I find words that have lost their essence elsewhere swell again with meaning. The fight for “freedom” is not a pretentious slogan here, but just what you do every day. “Sovereignty” is not a slippery abstraction, but the difference between deciding your own fate or having it decreed in Moscow. It’s also in Ukraine that one realises that “freedom” and “sovereignty” exist in a collaborative relationship with others. Ukraine is now defending its neighbours’ freedom from an advancing Russia. Kyiv’s resistance is benefiting Taiwan’s freedom, too. Meanwhile, without help – especially from America – Ukraine would still...

While the world celebrated the holidays, Ukraine continued to endure unrelenting bombardment, a stark reminder of the ongoing horrors inflicted by Russia’s war of aggression and genocide. As we enter the new year, Ukraine faces not just Russia but the axis of evil, including North Korean troops and Chinese and Iranian weapons that prop up the Kremlin’s war machine. An impending betrayal compounds this precarious fight: in mere weeks, the United States is poised to abandon its commitments, ceasing to be a reliable ally for Ukraine. This grim reality highlights a bitter...

Over the past 50 years, Russia has abused Ukraine and Europe’s dependence on gas supplies and transit revenues to extort political concessions, spread corruption, and exert malign influence. It cut off exports on numerous occasions, triggering disruption across Europe and freezing millions of consumers during exceptionally harsh winters. Since 2022, it has waged not just a full-scale hot war against Ukraine but also sought to undermine Western support for Kyiv by weaponizing gas exports and generating an energy supply crunch of unprecedented proportions across Europe. Furthermore, the Russian Federation has extended...

Russian drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian targets have increased in frequency in the week since the U.S. election, killing civilians and destroying another dam. Russian troops continued to make incremental gains toward the city of Pokrovsk. The Russian army is preparing a new offensive, this time using North Korean troops. Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Donald Trump on his election but implied that he would have discussions only if the U.S. initiates talks, drops its sanctions, and refuses to offer any further support for Ukraine—accepting, in other words, a Russian victory. Meanwhile, Russian state television welcomed news of the election by gleefully showing nude photographs of Melania Trump on the country’s most-watched channel. How will the...

Russian strongman Vladimir Putin has made much of Russian Orthodoxy as a moral paragon, while intentionally omitting in his alternative history that Christianity came to Russia from Kyiv and that the Muscovy Patriarchate was established at gunpoint after the Muscovites kidnapped the Ecumenical Patriarch. An interesting question for the uninformed is whether the Russian Orthodox Church in the Russian Federation or abroad is in essence a religious institution or simply a tool of Russian imperialism. In the United States this matter is quite vague as the Russian Orthodox Church has never registered as a foreign agent with no repercussions from the United States Departments of State or Justice. Similarly, the accommodation or treatment of the Moscow Church by the Catholic Church in...

At the end of October, Canadian parliamentarians convened a Standing Committee on Public Safety Security and Defence Committee session to discuss the impact of Russian disinformation on Canada's information landscape. While testimonies on disinformation are not new in the country, this session gained significant attention after former minister and prominent politician from the opposition Conservative Party, Chris Alexander, accused well-known journalist David Pugliese from the Ottawa Citizen of working for Soviet (and potentially subsequently for Russian) intelligence services. Alexander didn't stop at accusations. As evidence, he presented KGB documents that allegedly showed...

It’s felt like a week on the brink. But of what exactly? It ended with warlike noises from Moscow, but every major party to the Ukraine war is now jockeying for advantage, trying to end that conflict on the best terms for itself. “So, that’s what you wanted?” Russia’s former president and a noted hawk, Dmitry Medvedev, posted on social media, with video of Russian missile warheads raining down on a Ukrainian city. “Well, you’ve damn well got it!” This, and a more temperate TV address on Thursday night by Vladimir Putin, sought to drive home a forceful response to Ukrainian strikes on Russian targets earlier in the week, after President Biden’s agreement to allow the use of western-supplied weapons in that way. In truth, after Putin saw America breach a red line ...

According to Politico, seven NATO member countries remain hesitant to extend a membership invitation to Ukraine. Citing four anonymous U.S. and NATO officials and diplomats, Politico names the United States, Germany, Spain, Belgium, Slovenia, Hungary, and Slovakia as the primary holdouts. Each of these countries has its own reasons for caution, yet the key to NATO’s decision-making lies in its rule of consensus. While some countries contribute more to NATO’s mission, each member has an equal say in inviting new members. Thus, every objection must be taken into account, regardless of military might or strategic value. The influence of the United States is paramount, yet even it cannot move forward without the cooperation of these smaller nations...