Ben Hodges

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A Russian Navy amphibious landing ship near Kerch, Crimea, July 2023. Alexey Pavlishak / Reuters

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When Russia annexed Crimea in February 2014, the peninsula became crucial to Moscow’s strategy to dominate Ukraine and the Black Sea region. Critical to that domination is the bridge spanning the Kerch Strait, the narrow strip of water that separates Crimea from mainland Russia. Built by Moscow at enormous cost, this bridge opened in 2018 to great fanfare. Since then, it has been a major conduit for the transportation of Russian soldiers and arms required for the war in Ukraine.

The bridge is currently under Russian control and is of fundamental importance to the Russian war effort. It may, however, prove to be the key to Ukraine’s victory—not just in Crimea but in the wider conflict.…  Seguir leyendo »

A tank from Ukraine's 3rd Independent Tank Iron Brigade at a position near the front line in Kharkiv region on Thursday. (Sergey Bobok/AFP/Getty Images)

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By launching its long-planned counteroffensive, Ukraine has just taken a decisive step down the path of driving Russian forces from its territory. But it is early days still, and there is much we don’t know.

Confusion is the only thing you can count on during a moment like this. During three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as a brigade commander and a director of operations, I often had great difficulty visualizing and understanding what was going on in a fight, even with the latest command-and-control systems.

And I certainly was never involved in a fight as large, violent and disorienting as the battles underway in Ukraine.…  Seguir leyendo »

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It is almost one year since Russian troops invaded Ukraine. In that time thousands of innocent civilians, as well as soldiers from both sides, have been killed. Towns and cities have crumbled under Russian strikes. The devastation has led some to call for Ukraine to sit down with Russia and negotiate peace. Yet the morale of Ukraine’s armed forces is as strong as ever, and its soldiers have defended their homeland more successfully than most thought possible. It would be a huge mistake for the country to enter into peace talks with Russia now.

There are many reasons why negotiating with Russia would be foolish.…  Seguir leyendo »