Ukraine at war
All of our coverage of the war in one place
With Russian attacks now focused on the east of the country, the war in Ukraine has entered a new phase. Responses in the rest of the world range from hesitancy in Germany, fear in Taiwan—of China doing something similar—and ambivalence in wider Asia.
The Economist is following the conflict closely. Our coverage includes our recent face-to-face interview in Kyiv with Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, as well as asking prominent thinkers for their opinions on the conflict.
Latest analysis
Will the Ukraine war ring the knell for nuclear arms control?
America offers to resume nuclear talks with Russia, and calls for China to join. But the outlook is dark
Explainer: Why isn’t Russia blocking GPS in Ukraine?
It is capable of drowning out Ukrainian signals—or even striking satellites
1843 magazine | East of Mariupol: what happened to the Ukrainians who fled to Russia?
Some refugees who went east faced interrogations. Others were met with cups of tea and kindness
The EU agrees on an energy diet to fight Russian gas cuts
Vladimir Putin wants to blackmail Europe into dropping sanctions
Ukraine is gathering strength for an assault on Kherson
Russia might destroy the city rather than lose it
How heavy are Russian casualties in Ukraine?
The CIA and MI6 say 15,000 Russians have died. Estimating such things involves a lot of guesswork
The military campaigns
Software developers aspire to forecast who will win a battle
Conflict in Ukraine and tension elsewhere means demand is high
Why a regiment of Belarusian dissidents is fighting for Ukraine
They see a common enemy in Vladimir Putin
Ukraine’s new rockets are wreaking havoc on Russia’s army
The American-supplied HIMARS is wiping out arms dumps and command posts
The war is forcing Ukraine’s energy planners to be creative
As Russia bombs power plants, Ukrainians find alternatives
How has Ukraine changed warfare?
As Vladimir Putin’s war grinds on, we ask Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the head of the UK’s armed forces, how to deal with the longer-term threat from Russia
How to win Ukraine’s long war
After doing well early in the war, Ukraine is losing ground. What next?
The impact on Ukraine
Russia is disappearing vast numbers of Ukrainians
Thousands have vanished into exile, prison or death
A Ukrainian ballerina goes to war
Olesia Vorotnyk danced with the national ballet. Then Russia invaded
Explainer: Where will Ukraine store its grain?
It is hard to export in a war—and there is nowhere to put it
Roman Ratushny believed in a better, purer Ukraine
The civic and environmental activist was killed near Izyum on June 9th, aged 24
Could seizing Russian assets help rebuild Ukraine?
Both legal and practical hurdles stand in the way
How war has changed Ukraine’s second city
In Kharkiv, Vladimir Putin has “liberated” thousands from their lives and homes
Reverberations abroad
A sleepy Greek port has become vital to the war in Ukraine
American ships dock there. A firm with Russian ties wants to buy it
Is America growing weary of the long war in Ukraine?
Inflation, wayward allies and venomous politics at home are eroding support for the proxy conflict against Russia
Europe’s winter of discontent
Even as temperatures soar Europe faces a bitter energy crisis later this year
The British Army has a new focus and outdated equipment
Its top general sets his sights on Russia. But his forces desperately need investment
Why food insecurity is a global threat
War, climate change and export bans—global hunger is on the rise
Japanese energy firms cling on to their Russian assets
That puts them in line with Japan’s government but at odds with the West
The impact on Russia
Why the West should be wary of permanently seizing Russian assets
It is a seductive idea, but would also be a mistake
1843 magazine | With her PlayStation and her pet rat: how one member of Pussy Riot fled Russia
Lusya Shtein describes her daring escape to Lithuania
Anonymous tipsters, angry at Russia, help detect sanctions-busters
A “whole of society” approach to intelligence is paying off
Russia is on track for a record trade surplus
Imports have collapsed, but exports are holding up
Ukraine spoils Vladimir Putin’s May 9th parade
Russia’s army is struggling and Volodymyr Zelensky is the better showman
By Invitation: guest essays on the crisis
By InvitationJack Watling on how Ukraine can avoid a war of attrition
A large-scale counterattack is possible. But Ukraine must not strike Russia prematurely, says the military expert
By InvitationThere will be African victims of Russia’s war, warn Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Olusegun Obasanjo
The former presidents of Liberia and Nigeria believe the UN is no longer fit for purpose
By InvitationMoldova’s deputy prime minister urges the EU to expand its membership
Nicu Popescu says his country is eager to join
By InvitationRecep Tayyip Erdogan on NATO expansion
Turkey’s president explains why his country is blocking Sweden and Finland from joining
By InvitationAllowing Ukraine into the EU is not the right move for now, say Luuk van Middelaar and Hans Kribbe
Instead, a new security league should forge closer links between Europe’s countries, argue two former Brussels insiders
By InvitationThe German chancellor may be turning a corner, says Thorsten Benner
The analyst says Olaf Scholz has got the big calls right, but has not communicated his policies well
Charts and explainers
Most of the world’s grain is not eaten by humans
Nearly half of all grain is either burned as fuel or eaten by animals
Explainer: Why are pilots in Ukraine firing rockets so clumsily?
“Lofting”, which dates back to the 1940s, suggests both sides lack modern weaponry
The UN says more than 4,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine
The true death count is almost certainly much higher
Explainer: Why is Severodonetsk important?
The town has become a key battleground in the fight for Ukraine’s Donbas region
Explainer: Why is Odessa important to both Ukraine and Russia?
Ukraine’s largest port is its strongest link to the world economy
Russia is pumping more oil to Europe than it was before the war
Refiners are cashing in on cheap Urals crude
The crisis in historical context
The Economist interviews Tony Blair
The former British prime minister on the third incarnation of Vladimir Putin
1843 magazine | What Vladimir Putin misunderstood about Ukrainians
Russia’s president thought Ukraine would fold when invaded. History shows its people come together in adversity
Writers have grappled with Vladimir Putin for two decades
Greyness, greed and grievance have been the dominant themes
Six books that explain the history and culture of Ukraine
From gangsters in Odessa to paramilitaries in the Donbas
Russia’s Orthodox Church paints the conflict in Ukraine as a holy war
In an unholy alliance, it is helping Vladimir Putin to justify his war at home
1843 magazine | How the last Jews of Bila Tserkva escaped Putin’s army
They survived the Nazis and the Soviets. The Russian invasion is the final blow