The War Zone
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When numbers clash: why Ukraine war “advance rates” depend on the map
Claims that Russia’s rate of territorial advance has fallen to its lowest level in around ten months, alongside separate assessments that Ukraine has just logged its fastest gains since 2023, underline a recurring problem for audiences and policymakers alike: the…
Kremlin Calls Shadow Fleet Seizures ‘Piracy’ and Threatens Naval Response
The war in Ukraine has long since escaped the trenches of Donbas and the missile-scarred cities of the Black Sea coast. Sanctions, sabotage, cyber operations and energy coercion have transformed it into something broader: a systemic contest between Russia and…
Project Renovator: Britain invests in Ukraine’s ability to keep fighting
War is usually measured in square kilometres and artillery shells. Maps, front lines and casualty counts dominate dispatches. Yet one of the most consequential British contributions to Ukraine’s defence – Project Renovator – has nothing to do with missiles, tanks…
Telegram on the front line: Russia’s troops confront a communications squeeze
Russia’s battlefield communications are facing renewed uncertainty after Moscow moved to restrict Telegram, an app widely used by Russian forces and pro-war commentators to pass orders, share situational reports and coordinate logistics in Ukraine. On 10 February 2026, Russia’s communications…
How Sudan’s War Is Drawing in Its Neighbours
The war in Sudan has always threatened to become something larger than a mere domestic tragedy. Now, according to a striking investigation, it may already have done so. Fresh reporting suggests that neighbouring Ethiopia has been hosting a clandestine military…
Ukraine imposes emergency blackouts after strikes on core transmission network
Russia carried out a large-scale overnight strike on Ukraine’s power system on 7 February, hitting high-voltage substations and key transmission lines that officials described as central to the national grid. The attack was followed by emergency electricity restrictions across the…
Rutte addresses Ukrainian parliament as Russia targets power and heating infrastructure
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv on Tuesday as Ukraine reported one of the largest air attacks of the year, with strikes hitting energy and heating infrastructure during sub-zero temperatures. Speaking in the Verkhovna Rada, Mr Rutte said Allied…
Starlink terminals on Russian drones raise fears of real-time targeting
Russian forces are increasingly being linked by Ukrainian specialists to the use of Starlink satellite terminals on strike drones, a development that, if sustained, could complicate interception and widen the range of targets that can be engaged under operator control.…
Kharkiv rail strike raises questions over Russia’s civilian targeting and negotiation pressure on Ukraine
A Russian drone strike on a civilian passenger train in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region on 27 January 2026 has sharpened attention on the targeting of civilians as diplomatic contacts continue in parallel. Ukrainian prosecutors said five people were killed when drones…
Iran: Washington’s latest drills send a message Tehran cannot ignore
In Washington’s corridors of power, where rhetoric often alternates between bravado and caution, the announcement this week of a multi-day aerial military exercise in the Middle East has been portrayed by the Pentagon as a routine demonstration of readiness. Yet…