Putin Archives | Washington Monthly

Firefighters put out a fire in a supermarket following a Russian drone attack in Chernihiv, Ukraine, Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Russia’s War on Ukraine

The New Normal in Kyiv, Ukraine

by Tamar Jacoby September 2, 2026September 2, 2026

Nonstop attacks by Russian jet-powered drones empty supermarket shelves and terrorize civilians

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks with U.S. troops in April 2025.

The Disintegration of the U.S. Military Under Trump and Beyond

by Mike Lofgren August 7, 2026August 12, 2026

After The Fall: Repression, cynicism, and fear have extinguished post-Soviet hopes for democratic reform. Here, pro-democracy demonstrators file across Moscow’s Crimean Bridge, February 23, 1990.

Books

The Price of a Lost Russia: A Correspondent’s Eulogy

by Markos Kounalakis April 22, 2026April 21, 2026

Drone Dominance: The conflict in the Middle East is showing the value of Ukraine’s weapons systems and military tactics. Here, an instructor demonstrates the operation of a drone designed to destroy Russian attack drones in the Kyiv region, March, 2026.

Ukraine’s Way of War is Coming to the Persian Gulf

by Tamar Jacoby April 2, 2026May 5, 2026

Strongman Goals: President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in the Oval Office of the White House, September 25, 2025.

Trump’s Authoritarian Envy: The Plight and Peril of a Lame Duck

by Markos Kounalakis February 6, 2026February 5, 2026

Not America First: President Donald Trump holds artist renderings of the new White House ballroom as meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025, in Washington.

What Happened to America First?

by Bill Scher October 24, 2025October 24, 2025

Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to governor of Smolensk region Vasily Anokhin, at the Kremlin, in Moscow, Russia, on Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025. (Vyacheslav Prokofyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia’s War on Ukraine

Putin Goes There

by Paul Glastris September 11, 2025September 11, 2025

President Trump seems to have made a shift on Ukraine, criticizing Russia and okaying arms sales to Ukraine that the Defense Department had stopped. That's why there's a picture of Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth looking uncomfortable.

Russia’s War on Ukraine

Trump’s Shift on Ukraine is Welcome, but Now What?

by Tamar Jacoby July 13, 2025July 13, 2025

Russia’s War on Ukraine

Zelensky’s Big Istanbul Gamble

by Tamar Jacoby May 14, 2025May 14, 2025

Poland’s Trump Conundrum—and Vice Versa

by Tamar Jacoby May 7, 2025May 5, 2025