Ukraine
Putin may yet resist a full-on invasion
The west is still in the dark on what Vladimir Putin will do next. The Russian military build-up on the…
What really happens if Russia invades Ukraine?
Russia will pay an enormous price if it invades Ukraine, whether it goes for the whole country or only the…
Why Putin wins
Did Vladimir Putin ever intend to invade Ukraine? Or were his troop manoeuvres just a game — another test of…
Ukraine's plight paints a bleak vision of Europe's future
It is tempting to view Vladimir Putin as a Cold War relic: a former KGB officer who hasn’t got over the…
Could Viktor Orbán be a peacemaker in Ukraine?
For a politician whose calling card is the struggle for Hungarian national sovereignty, Viktor Orbán and Vladimir Putin’s press conference…
How the media helped drive the Ukraine crisis
Western warnings of an ‘imminent’ Russian invasion of Ukraine have grown more insistent in recent weeks with different voices, from…
Is our Ukrainian ambassador OK?
I know the following sentence is going to get me into trouble. Still, there are times when you wonder whether…
How many people still send letters?
Borderland Few countries can have passed through as many kingdoms and empires as Ukraine — the ‘borderlands’. These are just…
Portrait of the week: Sue Gray speaks, Boris goes to Ukraine and 477-mile bolt of lightning strikes
Home Sue Gray, the second permanent secretary in the Cabinet Office, in a 12-page ‘update’ on her investigation into 16…
Germany’s diplomatic game doesn’t make sense
Amidst the heavy criticism of Germany’s lack of commitment in the Ukraine crisis, the German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock argued…
Portrait of the week: Unease in Ukraine, tensions in No. 10 and hamsters escape Hong Kong
Home Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister, told the Commons that Britain was prepared to send troops to protect Nato allies…
Letter from Odessa: life on the front line of a new Cold War
‘God Save the Queen’ trended on Ukrainian social media over the weekend. ‘As a Brit in Kiev I have never…
The phoney war: what’s really going on between Boris and Putin
It suits both Boris and Putin to pretend that Russia may invade Ukraine
The dangerous alliance between Russia and China
The growing alliance between Russia and China is something we shouldn’t lose sleep over, their long history of mutual suspicion…
Read: Tucker Carlson on Ukraine, ethno-nationalism and M&Ms
This week, Tucker Carlson spoke to Freddy Gray on the latest episode of Spectator TV. You can watch their conversation…
No one should celebrate the decline of America
Where is America? Like an old friend who hasn’t been in touch for years, you wonder if its silence is…
In the pipeline: would Germany side with Russia in a conflict?
Germany’s curious alliance with Russia
Celebrating Konstantin Paustovsky — hailed as ‘the Russian Proust’
When is a life worth telling? The Soviet writer Konstantin Paustovsky’s six-volume autobiography The Story of a Life combines high…
Is Vladimir Putin really willing to invade Ukraine?
Is Putin preparing to invade Ukraine? It certainly looks that way, with western intelligence agencies estimating this week that around…
The battle for Ukraine has already been lost
Forget the ‘commitment‘ of the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Ukraine’s sovereignty, the EU’s ‘firm and decisive’ support, and…
Britain's duty to the Black Sea
With Russian troops massing on Ukraine’s borders, the Black Sea is looking choppy. While that may seem to have little…
Ukrainian annexation is already happening
Nato and the EU are fearing a Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine. They have reason to be concerned, given that Russia…
Is Russia preparing to invade Ukraine?
I can still hear the battlefields of eastern Ukraine. Just a mile or so from us, thousands of Russian troops…
Putin's plan for Ukraine
Vladimir Putin’s message was as clear — and familiar — as his method. The Kremlin has begun another major build-up of troops…
Acorns and aliens: lunch with Vernon and the Ukrainians
Catriona and I were late for lunch at Vernon’s because I couldn’t get out of bed. The four of them…
