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Author: Joshua Kroeker

Capitulation is not peace: Europe’s strategic failure and the coming collapse of deterrence

The recently announced peace plan drawn up by the US and Russia speaks volumes about the level of support for Ukraine. While Europe has talked a good game when it comes to military supplies, it has not maximized these efforts. Real action is needed now in order to ensure Kyiv’s independence.

November 26, 2025 - Joshua Kroeker

Testing NATO’s Limits?

There is little reason to believe that Russia is planning a large-scale war against Berlin, Amsterdam and Paris. However, Russia needs far less to achieve its goals.

October 1, 2025 - Joshua Kroeker

Ukraine’s capital under attack

As the world looks away, Russia’s war creeps back to Kyiv.

July 1, 2025 - Joshua Kroeker

Why Trump is wrong on Ukraine

Trump’s naive statements about Ukraine over the past month have shaken the core of western defence structures. America must now decide whether or not it still wishes to maintain its core values or support a world in which might makes right.

March 28, 2025 - Joshua Kroeker

Ukraine’s darkest hour

It has now been over 1000 days since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. While Kyiv’s campaign of defence has resulted in many victories, the current situation on the front line is worrisome. As the country faces the prospect of another winter, its future remains uncertain to say the least.

December 12, 2024 - Joshua Kroeker

Life on the front: living and surviving in Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine

Scenes of conflict from Ukraine continue to dominate reports concerning the ongoing Russian invasion. Despite this, the war moves at a rather slow pace at the front. This reflects the local population’s adaptation to the conflict, with people stealing small moments of normalcy throughout their day-to-day lives.

On a cool, bluish-green river just minutes from the eastern Ukrainian city of Sloviansk, Ukrainian soldiers from a mortar brigade seek to relax. The dark green military 4x4 that brought them from the front now sits idle as they cast fishing lines into the water. The fishing is poor, yielding little more than ripples, but the catch does not matter. For these soldiers, the chance to grill meat, share drinks, and laugh in the open air is worth more than any fish they might pull out. Here, far from the war, time slows, and the simple act of being together in nature becomes a fleeting treasure.

November 21, 2024 - Joshua Kroeker

Andrey Kurkov: navigating war, fiction and Ukrainian identity

The full-scale war in Ukraine has left local writers in a difficult position. While many have traditionally focused on writing fiction, the demands of the conflict have seen their work delve more into the pressing needs of the country. On a personal level, however, fiction often remains a refuge in an uncertain world.

October 16, 2024 - Joshua Kroeker

Despite mounting evidence, Russia denies blame for deadly strike on Kyiv children’s hospital

The start of the summer saw the Russian military launch an attack that destroyed much of the Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in Kyiv. As the world witnessed the harrowing scenes that followed the bombing, investigations began to piece together what exactly happened. As expected, however, there has been no cooperation from Moscow.

August 19, 2024 - Joshua Kroeker

The growing dangers of European radical populism for Europe and Ukraine

The populist challenge in Europe now appears everywhere across the continent. Questioning the continent’s liberal-democratic norms, these forces are particularly hostile to continued aid to Ukraine. Overall, it appears that several key personalities are leading the charge in this regard.

April 2, 2024 - Joshua Kroeker

One year after Kherson’s liberation: a report from the city

The city of Kherson recently celebrated the one-year anniversary of its liberation from Russian forces. While locals remain optimistic about the future of the war, it is clear that the conflict remains a fact of life.

November 24, 2023 - Joshua Kroeker

A treatise on guilt

Russia, both as a state and a collective of individuals, is guilty of the many war crimes committed in and against Ukraine under the banner of the Russian flag. However, leaving the argument at “Russia is guilty” is both reductionist and dangerous, as it can absolve individuals of their guilt whilst at the same time trivialising the pain and suffering caused at the hands of individuals and their actions.

For over 20 months, Russia has been committing war crimes previously unfathomable on the European continent in the 21st century. Murder, rape, the kidnapping of thousands of children and the bombings of schools, hospitals and cultural sites, are only some of the many atrocities the Russian army and affiliated mercenary groups have committed against the Ukrainian nation. Almost more striking than the horrific images that flow out of Ukraine on a near-daily basis is the deafening silence coming from Russia and Russians.

November 20, 2023 - Joshua Kroeker

Igor Girkin/Strelkov: when the radical becomes too radical

The recent arrest of Igor Girkin, more popularly known as Strelkov, by the Russian authorities is emblematic of the uncertainty now facing the country. Previously viewed as a useful asset by the Kremlin, the ultranationalist now appears to be a threat to Putin’s increasingly troubled rule.

July 31, 2023 - Joshua Kroeker

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