Vladimir Putin
Q. & A.
Jeffrey Sachs’s Great-Power Politics
The economist discusses what the U.S. gets wrong about Putin and the war in Ukraine.
Letter from Biden’s Washington
Joe Biden’s Showy Defiance of Vladimir Putin
After a year of war in Ukraine, the President offers a strikingly personal rebuke—but little clarity on what winning looks like.
Essay
Russia, One Year After the Invasion of Ukraine
Last winter, my friends in Moscow doubted that Putin would start a war. But now, as one told me, “the country has undergone a moral catastrophe.”
The New Yorker Radio Hour
A Year of the War in Ukraine
The historian Stephen Kotkin and the Ukrainian journalist Sevgil Musaieva on a year of disaster, and the hopes for an end. Plus, Angela Bassett on playing the queen of Wakanda.
The New Yorker Interview
How the War in Ukraine Ends
An eminent historian envisions a settlement among Russia, Ukraine, and the West.
Letter from Biden’s Washington
The Ukraine Crackup in the G.O.P.
Republicans aren’t united with one another, never mind with Joe Biden.
Q. & A.
How Russia’s New Commander in Ukraine Could Change the War
Why has Vladimir Putin promoted Valery Gerasimov, who helped plan the disastrous initial invasion last year, to lead the fight?
2022 in Review
What the Wars and Crises of 2022 Foreshadow for 2023
Tyrants and thugocrats have tightened their hold amid challenges to democracies, but they face problems, too.
Q. & A.
John Mearsheimer on Putin’s Ambitions After Nine Months of War
The realist political scientist explains why Russia’s move to annex four Ukrainian provinces isn’t imperialism.
Our Columnists
Why Vladimir Putin Would Use Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine
The more the Kremlin has signalled its readiness to drop a nuclear bomb, the more the rest of the world has sought a reason to believe that it will not.
Letter from Biden’s Washington
Putin Is Inventing a Whole New Kind of Nuclear Blackmail
The prospect of Armageddon today is even scarier than during the Cuban missile crisis.
Q. & A.
Vladimir Putin’s Place in the Culture Wars
The columnist Christopher Caldwell discusses conservative admiration for the Russian leader, and whether election denialism is just politics.
Annals of Diplomacy
Inside the U.S. Effort to Arm Ukraine
Since the start of the Russian invasion, the Biden Administration has provided valuable intelligence and increasingly powerful weaponry—a risky choice that has paid off in the battle against Putin.
Q. & A.
How Close Is Vladimir Putin to Using a Nuclear Bomb?
A Russian attack would terrorize the Ukrainian population and shatter a seven-decade-old international taboo, all while bringing few benefits on the battlefield.
Comment
The War in Ukraine Launches a New Battle for the Russian Soul
The last time people were writing in Russian so urgently was in the late nineteen-eighties, when Soviet citizens were confronted with the terror of the Stalinist past.
Our Columnists
Putin’s Draft Order Has Inspired a Russian Exodus
“I’ve never seen anything like this,” an advocate said. “It feels like a sort of popular resistance.”
Letter from Biden’s Washington
What if We’re Already Fighting the Third World War with Russia?
Putin’s latest provocations once again put Washington in an awful bind.
Annals of Inquiry
How the War in Ukraine Might End
In recent years, a small group of scholars has focussed on war-termination theory. They see reason to fear the possible outcomes in Ukraine.
News Desk
Putin’s Escalation in Ukraine Is a Losing Strategy
The push to claim new territory and mobilize more troops is unlikely to reverse Russia’s losses on the battlefield—but it could move the war into its most dangerous phase yet.
Q. & A.
What Putin’s Mobilization Means for the War in Ukraine
The Kremlin announced a draft to dramatically increase its fighting force. Will the Russian public fight back?