David Ignatius (Continuación)

Back in 2013, Russian Gen. Valery Gerasimov succinctly stated the nightmare problem he now faces as the newly installed leader of Russia’s bungled war against Ukraine: “You cannot generate ideas on command”.

Gerasimov, the chief of staff of the Russian military, this month was given the thankless task of directing Russian forces in Ukraine. Since Gerasimov helped plan the botched invasion last February, this might seem like doubling down on failure. But U.S. analysts believe that Gerasimov has promised his boss, President Vladimir Putin, that he will employ more aggressive tactics to regain the initiative.

The Gerasimov appointment comes as Ukraine, too, is moving to use new weapons and tactics to break out of what has become a bloody stalemate.…  Seguir leyendo »

First part

Two Ukrainian military officers peer at a laptop computer operated by a Ukrainian technician using software provided by the American technology company Palantir. On the screen are detailed digital maps of the battlefield at Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine, overlaid with other targeting intelligence — most of it obtained from commercial satellites.

As we lean closer, we see can jagged trenches on the Bakhmut front, where Russian and Ukrainian forces are separated by a few hundred yards in one of the bloodiest battles of the war. A click of the computer mouse displays thermal images of Russian and Ukrainian artillery fire; another click shows a Russian tank marked with a “Z”, seen through a picket fence, an image uploaded by a Ukrainian spy on the ground.…  Seguir leyendo »

As Russia’s military troubles mount in Ukraine, it’s also becoming more isolated internationally as organizations affiliated with the United Nations purge Moscow’s representatives from leadership positions.

This rollback of Russian power and prestige at the United Nations has accelerated in recent months. It’s another example of the way the Ukraine war is realigning the international system into a small bloc supporting the Kremlin and a larger group backing the United States and its broad coalition of allies.

The General Assembly, the closest thing to a global parliament, has condemned Russia’s assault on Ukraine twice by overwhelming margins. In March, it demanded Russia’s unconditional withdrawal, 141-5.…  Seguir leyendo »

Sixty years after the Cuban missile crisis, it’s striking to contrast how two Russian leaders — Nikita Khrushchev and Vladimir Putin — have spoken about nuclear weapons. Simply put, one has shown a moral compass, and the other hasn’t.

Khrushchev spoke vividly of the “catastrophe” of nuclear war in his private messages to President John F. Kennedy at the height of the Cuban missile crisis in October 1962 and sought to de-escalate the standoff. Putin, in contrast, has talked about his willingness to use “all weapon systems available to us”, adding a bit of gangster talk in his Sept. 21 mobilization announcement: “This is not a bluff”.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ukrainians take photos in front of an artist collective's' impression of explosions at Kerch Strait bridge in Kyiv on Oct. 8. (Video: EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

Pocas horas después de la explosión del sábado 8 de octubre, que destruyó el puente sobre el estrecho de Kerch de Rusia que va hacia la Crimea ocupada por los rusos, un funcionario ucraniano llamado Mykhailo Podolyak me describió el ataque como un avance “psicológico” para Ucrania y una señal más de que el presidente ruso, Vladimir Putin, está perdiendo la guerra.

“Ucrania no puede atribuirse el mérito”, afirmó Podolyak, asesor del presidente Volodímir Zelenski, sobre el ataque.…  Seguir leyendo »

During a visit to Kyiv last weekend, I kept asking Ukrainians a question that vexes me: Is your war against President Vladimir Putin — or against Russia itself? Nearly every time, I got the same unyielding answer. The enemy is a Russia that must be defeated and transformed.

Through Ukrainian eyes, this terrible conflict has become a clash of civilizations. They argue that most Russians support Putin’s brutal war in the way that most Germans supported Adolf Hitler. Unless Russia as a nation abandons the imperial dreams that Putin has evoked, the conflict cannot be resolved through negotiations.

“Russia has to go through the same process that Germany did after World War II”, presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak insisted Saturday in an interview with me and the other members of a group organized by the German Marshall Fund, of which I’m a trustee.…  Seguir leyendo »

Ukrainians take photos in front of an artist collective's' impression of explosions at Kerch Strait bridge in Kyiv on Oct. 8. (Video: EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)

A few hours after the explosion Saturday that buckled Russia’s Kerch Bridge to occupied Crimea, a Ukrainian official named Mykhailo Podolyak described the attack as a “psychological” breakthrough for Ukraine and another sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin is losing the war.

“Ukraine can’t take credit for it”, Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said of the assault. But “it shows that Russia does not control Crimea”, or other territory it has seized. His message was unyielding: no pause in Ukraine’s offensive, no negotiations until Russia agrees to withdraw its forces, no compromise with the invaders.…  Seguir leyendo »

Here’s President Vladimir Putin’s plan to salvage his ruinous mistake of invading Ukraine: Ignore defeat. Redraw the borders. Burn the diplomatic exit ramps. Threaten nuclear war. Do anything but back down.

Think of Putin as a gambler who took the biggest risk of his career when he invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. None of his big bets have turned out right since, and he has lost nearly every hand. Yet he has chained himself to the table, and he appears ready to wager everything to intimidate his adversaries and make them fold.

Putin’s annexation of four regions in Ukraine, likely to be announced Friday, is a desperation ploy.…  Seguir leyendo »

As Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to salvage his failing invasion of Ukraine, there is a small but growing chance that he will use nuclear weapons. Historians will wonder how this war could have veered toward such insanity, but it’s now inescapably part of the landscape.

“In the event of a threat to the territorial integrity of our country … we will certainly make use of all weapons systems available to us. This is not a bluff”, Putin said in a speech broadcast Wednesday morning. His nuclear umbrella appears to include Ukrainian territory that Russia has seized or plans to annex.…  Seguir leyendo »