An Opera in Ukraine Reminds the World of Putin’s War Crimes Russia’s child abductions are the focus of a new opera, Mothers of Kherson, that premiered in Kyiv, Ukraine. The cast is reported to have received standing ovations for their performance, and the opera was said to have evoked ‘tears and catharsis’ (Higgins and Matveichuk … Continue reading Do Not Forget Ukraine’s Stolen Children
Russo-Ukrainian War
Ukraine Interrupts Putin’s Davos: The Latest of Many Advances
Russia’s St. Petersburg International Economic Forum – Putin’s Davos – from 3-6 June 2026 was diminished by long range drone strikes on the city’s oil terminal, sending plumes of smoke across the area. Other strikes on the same day hit a military-industrial plant in Western Russia’s Tambov region and an airfield in Crimea.[1] It not … Continue reading Ukraine Interrupts Putin’s Davos: The Latest of Many Advances
Trump Holds the Cards but Lost His Marbles
As an American, I apologise to Ukraine. I am horrified by the US President and VP trying to bully the President of Ukraine. They invited him as their guest in the White House and Oval Office. They then let him be insulted for not wearing a suit and tie before double-teaming and berating him in … Continue reading Trump Holds the Cards but Lost His Marbles
The Ukraine Public Support their President
I have been studying Ukraine for 3 years. In August 2024, in a study conducted through the Portulans Institute in Washington DC, my research team surveyed a random sample of people in Ukraine, before the Kursk incursion. Our survey focused on how the public gets access to trusted information in wartime. We surveyed just over … Continue reading The Ukraine Public Support their President
The Return of the Ugly American
As an American in Britian, my international colleagues ask me how they can even begin to understand President Donald Trump’s threats to neighbouring and allied countries like Canada, Mexico, Denmark, Greenland, …. How could he so obviously mimic Putin’s threats to the US, UK, and other nations of Central Europe and the West, following his … Continue reading The Return of the Ugly American
Calling a War a War
The Symbolic Politics of Terminology for Russia's War on Ukraine with Lisa Chernenko and Mykyta Petik Some Ukrainians have no concern over what people call Russia's War on Ukraine - they are living in it. But some do, and the choice of terminology can have political, legal, and moral implications. So it is essential to … Continue reading Calling a War a War
Putin’s Showcase for Authoritarian Democracy
Putin Re-elected and Pre-Elected in a Showcase for Authoritarian Democracy Westerners find the election of Validmir Putin to have been a democratic sham. By any basic democratic standards, the reelection of Putin in 2024 failed. It was predetermined by engineering and manufacturing the outcome through such devices as the elimination of serious opposition, such as … Continue reading Putin’s Showcase for Authoritarian Democracy
Information is Powerful: Research on Ukraine
On the second anniversary of Russia’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, I want to acknowledge and thank the growing number of researchers who are exploring the incredibly wide range of issues tied to the war in Ukraine. Many academics at all levels of academia are contributing their skills and training to Ukraine in one of … Continue reading Information is Powerful: Research on Ukraine
Democracy versus Autocracy: Personal Reflections
The debate over whether democratic nations will decline while more autocratic nations will rise over time, and why, often lacks empirical evidence. The Ukraine-Russia War might provide some sobering evidence. The most obvious has been the inability of the US and several other allies of Ukraine to be capable of sustaining their levels of support. … Continue reading Democracy versus Autocracy: Personal Reflections
Information, Communication, and Innovation Aspects of the War on Ukraine: A Meeting of Early Career Researchers
The Portulans Institute supported the conduct of an Oxford Forum on ‘The Implications of the Russian War in Ukraine for Global Information, Communication, and Cybersecurity’, which was held on 26 January 2024 in a Board Room of the Oxford Internet Institute (OII). It was conceived, organized, and chaired by an OII DPhil Candidate, Elizaveta (Lisa) … Continue reading Information, Communication, and Innovation Aspects of the War on Ukraine: A Meeting of Early Career Researchers