War in Ukraine

Putin calls up more troops in Ukraine and threatens nuclear option in a speech which ups the ante but shows Russia’s weakness

— Vladimir Putin has played most of his cards now and is still not winning on the ground in Ukraine. His televised address to the Russian people is a desperate attempt to raise the stakes over the war.

Geopolitics

Putin’s failure in Ukraine will pave the way for China’s rise to pre-eminence in Eurasia

— A rapid shift in the balance of power between Moscow and Beijing has become apparent at the last Shanghai Cooperation Organisation meeting after the enormous military setbacks that Russia has suffered over the past few weeks in Ukraine.

COMMENT

‘Ukraine fatigue’? A Ukrainian mother-and-daughter story from London

— The mother of one of my Ukrainian friends leaves London next month. She’s going home, my friend says, her eyes lowered. For how long, it’s not clear.

Ukrainian Refugees

Thousands of Ukrainian children are joining UK schools, but some face issues obtaining school places.

— Only 9,900 Ukrainian children have been offered school places in England as their families left their homes and resettled in the UK. If a child is denied a place at a school, families need to know they can appeal the decision.

Refugees

Survey shows British people, and especially Tory voters, feel very differently about some refugees than others.

— A heartening 70% of British voters want to allow Ukrainians into the UK but only 50% feel the same way about Afghans. And the difference is even starker among those who vote Conservative.

War in Ukraine

Russia may declare war on Ukraine on May 9 – and use it as a reason to double down on attacks.

— Western officials say that Russia may officially declare war on Ukraine on May 9. An international relations expert explains why this day is significant, and why a war declaration would matter.

War in Ukraine

Nataliia: “I fear I will never see my husband again.”

— Nataliia Vladimirova fled her home in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on the first day of the Russian invasion, on 24 February, with her four-year-old daughter Oleksandra and mother-in-law. She shares her heart-wrenching story of family separation and loss.

War in Ukraine

What game theory can tell us about how Ukraine-Russia negotiations might go.

— The negotiations need to achieve a spectrum of wins and losses that could give every side a win – something hard to imagine at this point.

War in Ukraine

No staff turnover at Chornobyl.

— Ukraine tells the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) there has been no rotation of technical staff at Chornobyl for a week now.

Long-Read

Performative politics is gaslighting post-Brexit Britain.

— Professor Chris Grey looking at last week’s events in terms of the blurring of truth and lies that is in part a legacy of Brexit, and has strange parallels with Putin’s ‘spy’ mindset.

War in Ukraine

What can China do about Ukraine and will it do it?

— The horror of what is happening in Ukraine has focussed minds on China’s obligations.

War in Ukraine

Ukraine: What might happen if the war spreads to a Nato country.

— Article 5 of the Nato treaty calls for collective defence if a member nation is attacked. But some Nato countries further from the conflict zone might be reluctant to send combat forces even in the event that Article 5 is triggered.

COMMENT

The Home Office’s bureaucracy has been destroying people’s lives for decades. Increasing it isn’t the way forward.

— Implementing a sponsored visa route, rather than waiving visas, risks putting refugees in greater danger of exploitation, without long-term security. It is a cop-out by the government to avoid providing genuine support.

War in Ukraine

Ukraine: The UK is failing to meet its obligations under the 1951 Refugee Convention.

— Instead of providing safe and legal routes to protection to people in grave danger, Home Secretary Priti Patel has announced a minor loosening of visa rules.

War in Ukraine

EU as a Line of Defense for Ukraine?

— Can the EU be a line of defense for Ukraine or other countries such as Georgia and Moldova in a potential territorial conflict with Russia?

OPINION

Bear faced hypocrisy.

— As they lament the terrible spectacle of Vladimir Putin invading Ukraine, the UK Government’s hand-wringing has more than a touch of hypocrisy.