JULY 2025 – To many Americans, Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine is the defining geopolitical event of our era, a war of aggression that tests the resolve of not simply the nation of Ukraine but of the US, the Western World and its alliances. At stake of course are all the things that Western Civilization stands for: the Rule of Law, respect for sovereignty, due process, basic human liberties, among others.
So not surprisingly the stakes keep rising for Ukraine – and everyone involved, including the Russians. The war started as an artillery war, with most casualties on both sides suffered from long-range strikes. But as the war evolved, hundreds of thousands of drones have been used by both sides, and today 70 percent of the war’s casualties are from drone attacks. For journalists covering the war, a big part of their job is to not simply describe the day-to-day military and political developments, but the bigger trends as well.
Two reports this week serve as updates on the tactics and strategy of the Ukraine war: The Times of London’s Tom Ball has provided regular solid coverage of the war, and a June 27 on the “suicide bikers” of Putin’s army was the latest. It’s another reminder of that the tactics and improvisation of the war keep evolving.
Another report by veteran foreign affairs journalist Robyn Dixon of The Washington Post collects troves of posts from Russian military bloggers, who have ramped up their complaints about the state of the Russian Army. Those bloggers are an ongoing source for relatively reliable reports about the Russian military. Dixon is, remarkably, reporting these days from Moscow, where she is the Post’s bureau chief.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/06/30/russia-military-challenges-summer-offensive/
These are solid reports on what’s emerging on the front lines of the Ukraine war.