Related Notes The second stage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is underway. The scope of the war now appears to be...
![Ukraine invasion: ‘stage two’ of Russia’s war is ringing alarm bells in nearby Moldova](https://stefanwolff.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/the_converation_logo-e1637940174562.png)
Related Notes The second stage of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is underway. The scope of the war now appears to be...
Related NotesIn its scale and cost, as well as its broader implications for European and international security,...
As more reports of indiscriminate killing of civilians pour out of Ukraine, international security expert Stefan Wolff says holding Russians accused of war crimes accountable is difficult, but not impossible.
Confidence-building measures can help to stabilize a conflict, but the stability they generate is often fragile and temporary. In an environment like that in Ukraine, there is a risk that such measures will sustain, not end, the conflict.
Twenty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall that ushered in the end of communism in eastern Europe and the break-up of the Soviet Union, all the signs point to a new Cold War between Russia and the West.
Ukrainians have voted for a new parliament. The exit polls, in line with earlier predictions, indicate that the Petro Poroshenko Bloc – which also includes the UDAR party of Kiev’s mayor, former boxing champion Vitali Klichko – came out on top (predicted to achieve around 23% of the vote), but will need partners to form a stable coalition that will give Poroshenko a majority in parliament.
As the situation in eastern Ukraine stabilises and the country hopefully muddles through the winter, Western attention will soon enough turn to other crises around the world where co-operation with Russia is essential. That much we have seen before: who, after all, remembers Crimea?
With the battle lines drawn locally and internationally, neither a political nor a military solution to Ukraine’s crisis are likely anytime soon.
A blend of Soviet-style egalitarianism mixed with cultural mythology and the geographic historical precedent of Novorossiya may appeal to those who voted yes in the May referendum and it is also an attractive geopolitical concept from Moscow’s perspective.