Fires at the Novokuibyshevsk oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region after a Ukrainian drone attack, August 28, 2025
Ukraine War, Day 1,281: Russia’s “Massive” Attack on Kyiv Kills 21+
I joined Ukraine’s War and Politics 24 for a 25-minute VideoCast analyzing the constraints on Russia’s 42-month full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and whether they will finally halt Vladimir Putin’s ambition of taking over a neighboring country.
I chat with host Daniel Tkiie about Donald Trump’s chaotic swings of position, Ukraine and Europe trying to maneuver these into support of Kyiv’s security, and — perhaps most importantly — the economic pressure on Moscow as Ukraine’s attacks on oil refineries take their toll.
I summarize with the answer to the question, “Do you still believe Putin has a window of 6 to 12 months to complete his takeover of Ukraine?”
If I was going to choose one economic situation to be in, would I rather be in a Russia which is largely isolated internationally, which faces sanctions, which is heavily dependent on India and China to buy its oil?
Or would I rather be part of a Ukraine which is allied with a European bloc, one of the world’s largest economy, and can also count on other countries to provide assistance?
Whose economic power would I rather have, Russia or a Ukraine backed by European partners? I choose the latter.
