Witness accounts from eastern Ukraine depict the living conditions of civilians whose hometowns have now become the front line.

Kyiv’s recent performances on the battlefield have been hampered by unreliable supplies of aid from its allies. In response, Prague has tasked itself with purchasing large amounts of ammunition in an effort that will hopefully encourage similar action from other western states.

Interview with Atlantic Council’s Peter Dickinson on Ukraine’s military shakeup. Interviewer: Vazha Tavberidze.

Connecting the front lines with the home front, the intercity train Kyiv-Kramatorsk is one of Ukraine’s busiest railway services. Introduced in the country shortly before the eruption of the Maidan protests, the train line has already become embedded in the nation’s recent history.

An interview with Lt. Gen. Michel Yakovleff, retired from the French army after 40 years of service. Interviewer Vazha Tavberidze

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has now entered its seventh month. Ultimately sapping both militaries of vital manpower and equipment, the conflict has effectively turned into a war of attrition. Several scenarios are now possible as the war looks set to continue into the autumn.

The story of the last stand at Mariupol’s steel works that captured the world’s attention, and why the tragedy remains far from over.

Over the past seven years the number of servicewomen in the Ukrainian armed forces has more than doubled. Driven by the war in Donbas and a successful advocacy campaign by activists and academics, this increase has been welcomed by the military high command, while the legislative framework has been amended to facilitate the recruitment of women in the army. However, a number of cultural and institutional obstacles still remains in the path of true gender equality.

In November 2020 Anatoliy Petrenko, Ukraine's deputy minister of defence, declared to the Fourth Congress of Ukrainian Women that 58,000 female soldiers were currently serving in the armed forces. A number that, according to him, “exceeds in many cases the total size of the armed forces of some European countries”. This increased participation of women has been discussed at length in Ukrainian media and is seen as a great achievement and a source of pride for the war-worn country, fighting a seven-years-long war against Russia-supported forces in the eastern region of Donbas.

Ukraine's Armed Forces are according to many observers on a path of slow recovery. Its morale and popular credibility depends not only on its success on the battlefield, but also on how it is portrayed. Journalists have a special responsibility when it comes to documenting accusations of corruption in an environment where the problem is so real.

NATO has accepted countries with problems concerning territorial integrity in the past. However none of the size and strategic importance such as Ukraine. What are some of the arguments in favour of Kyiv entering the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation?

The best possible way to provide weapons to Ukraine is by not substituting its NATO membership perspective. If Ukraine is to pay for Javelins with its NATO membership, it would hardly make it a good deal.

There is a certain irony when British journalists are riding alongside Ukrainian Civil Society volunteers, delivering British military uniforms (purchased in Kyiv) to Ukrainian troops fighting Russian and separatist forces in the Donbas region – it shows not only that the world is truly a smaller place, but also that the situation on the ground in Eastern Ukraine is a dire one.