Editor's note: This opinion first appeared in German in Süddeutsche Zeitung. Russia’s President — a wanted war criminal — Vladimir Putin failed to show up in Istanbul for the “direct talks” with Ukraine that he himself proposed. For the Kremlin to wage an unprovoked war of conquest, reject a ceasefire, and
News of Victoria Roshchyna’s brutal death at the hands of Russian captors shocked Ukraine and the world last week. Her body was returned mutilated — eyes gouged out, brain removed — bearing evidence of unspeakable brutality. It wasn’t an accident of war. It was a signature of it. This is
On Nov. 5, everything changed —and yet, nothing changed. As Americans cast ballots in what many called the most consequential election of our time, Nov. 5 was predictably horrifically marked by the death and devastation Russia brought to Ukraine — largely unseen, unheard, and unnoticed in the most powerful country on
“What’s the point of a world without Russia in it?” asked a well-known politician, now a wanted war criminal, back in 2018. A less prominent Russian figure echoed this sentiment in 2024, though less threateningly, when he remarked, “The disintegration of Russia would be a catastrophe, not only for
‘With Ukraine, as long as it takes,’ we proclaimed. But in Moscow, they heard something else: the West is more terrified of Ukraine winning than losing. To dispel any doubts, the Kremlin unleashed death and destruction on Ukraine’s cities – on the eve of a NATO summit – killing dozens, including
