Read more about the article Estonia Set to Boost its Defence with Twelve New Howitzers
News

Estonia Set to Boost its Defence with Twelve New Howitzers

Estonia took another step on January 14 to bolster its defence as the nation’s Ministry of Defence announced the signing of a new €36 million contract to procure twelve K9 Thunder Self-Propelled Howitzers (Ministry of Defence Estonia, 2023). The deal, signed with the company Hanwha Defence, is a result of what Defence Minister Hanno Peukur referred to as “lessons learned from the war in Ukraine” (as cited in Estonian World, 2023). The 47-ton, 155 mm howitzers manufactured in South Korea feature a maximum firing range of 40 kilometres and can reach a top speed of 67 kilometres per hour (European Defence Review, 2022).

Comments Off on Estonia Set to Boost its Defence with Twelve New Howitzers
19 January 2023
Read more about the article The Role of Interoperability in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
Food For Thought

The Role of Interoperability in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine

Following the Russian aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv’s Government received unprecedented military support from NATO members. The military cooperation between Ukraine and the Atlantic Alliance goes back to the early nineties, and it underwent an intensification process after the Crimea in 2014. The Western support during the 2022 conflict took the form of economic assistance, weapons supply, and training of troops. Despite NATO’s military aid certainly played a role in Ukraine being able to resist Moscow’s aggression, problems on and off the battlefield raised concerns about the Alliance’s interoperability capacity, not only with respect to its partners but also between its Member States. Therefore, NATO Chiefs of Staff need to identify and address these issues to steer the conflict in Kyiv’s favour and to avoid the re-emergence of these issues in the future.

Comments Off on The Role of Interoperability in the Russian Invasion of Ukraine
19 January 2023
Read more about the article Progress Made on Leopard 2 Shipments to Ukraine
News

Progress Made on Leopard 2 Shipments to Ukraine

Several European governments have decided or have seriously been considering sending tanks to Kyiv as more intense fighting is expected with the coming of spring. In particular, there have been discussions regarding the German Leopard 2 main battle tank. Polish President Duda seems to have already determined that “A company of Leopard tanks for Ukraine will be transferred as part of building an international coalition” (Kancelaria Prezydenta, 2023).

Comments Off on Progress Made on Leopard 2 Shipments to Ukraine
16 January 2023
Read more about the article The Future of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after February 24th: Implications for Russia’s Hegemony in Post-Soviet Asia
Info Flash

The Future of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after February 24th: Implications for Russia’s Hegemony in Post-Soviet Asia

Since February 24th, the world seems to live every minute of the war on Ukraine to its fullest. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has not only sent shockwaves through the rest of Europe but also shattered the widely held belief that the horrors of the Second World War were a thing of the past. Since then, powerful undercurrents of change have been at work in the new understanding of the security challenges of the twenty-first century. Very few in the West were able to predict that Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea would durably transform the entire international system into an increasingly bipolar confrontation between newly emerged military blocs. Even fewer strongly warned against the temptation of thinking that the world was right back on the track of the old Cold War logic.

Comments Off on The Future of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) after February 24th: Implications for Russia’s Hegemony in Post-Soviet Asia
13 January 2023
Read more about the article Allegations of Genocide – Ukraine’s Case Against Russia Before the International Court of Justice
Info Flash

Allegations of Genocide – Ukraine’s Case Against Russia Before the International Court of Justice

On the 26th of February 2022, Ukraine instituted proceedings against the Russian Federation at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) concerning a dispute related to the interpretation, application, and fulfilment of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (Genocide Convention). Ukraine contends that the claim of “genocide” in the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts, which Russia used as a pretext for its invasion of the country, is completely nonsensical (ICJ, February 2022). As such, Ukraine has requested that the Court reach a judgement and also indicate provisional measures ordering Russia to immediately cease all military operations in the Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts (ICJ, February 2022). While the Court has not yet reached a final judgement, it has already released its order on the provisional measures, which will be discussed on this paper.

Comments Off on Allegations of Genocide – Ukraine’s Case Against Russia Before the International Court of Justice
14 December 2022