Eastern Radar

Articles

The Long War #51

1 month ago | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

KYIV—Hi everyone and welcome to the 51st issue of this newsletter, written on the heels of a reporting trip to Mykolaiv and Kherson, where Russia is committing what the UN just described as a potential crime against humanity. We’ll follow our traditional template for once, with a selection of interesting stories plucked from both Ukrainian and international media. I did initially plan to open this issue with a look at the broader situation, six months into 2025.
Ukrainian Pulse #15

1 month ago | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

A week ago, Ukraine commemorated the 80th anniversary of the end of World War 2. Those official commemorations were held on May 8, rather than the May 9 date traditional in Russia and most other post-Soviet countries—I don't think readers of this newsletter need an explanation of why this change came about. And yet, symbolically, May 9 still looms large in Ukraine, as does the question of the story that Ukraine should tell itself about its role during World War 2.
The Long War #50

2 months ago | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

Hello everyone, yet another departure from the newsletter’s usual format, as I wanted to highlight and comment (in length) just two stories I’ve come across recently that touch on important and very current issues. One is about the threat of an authoritarian slide in Ukraine. The other is a call to “rethink” Crimea, 11 years after the Russian annexation, and as Washington pressures Ukraine to officially accept and recognize the 2014 land grab.
The Long War #49

Mar 28, 2025 | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

KYIV—It’s an understatement to say that a lot has happened since this newsletter last went out in early January. So let’s just dive in: you’ll find in this issue four interesting stories (about the arrest of Ukrainian military officers; Ukraine’s working class; about the trip Ukrainians looking to leave the occupied territories are forced to endure; and about the controversial derussification process in Odesa) and my thoughts on why I think these stories matter.
The Long War #34

Jan 27, 2025 | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

POLTAVA REGION—Sukhorabivka is a village like any other. A village of pensioners and of farm hands, with an imposing warehouse housing modern tractors right in the center and fields on its periphery. “There is no more noble endeavor in the world than to make bread in the name of peace on Earth” declares a Soviet-era inscription inside the building of the village council.
The Long War #37

Jan 27, 2025 | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

I’m very happy to say that there are now 600 of you reading this newsletter! Thank you to everyone who subscribed, I hope you find this newsletter insightful and interesting, and a special thanks to each of you who have supported me in some other ways—by getting a paid subscription, by making a one-time donation or simply by telling other people about this newsletter. Hope you have a lovely week.
The Long War #46

Jan 27, 2025 | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

KYIV—Hi everyone, doing things a bit differently this week: you’ll find first the usual selection of interesting articles I’ve recently come across and, this time at the end rather than at the forefront, a long and not fully structured collection of thoughts on events of the past few weeks. If you want to read more from me and, by happy coincidence, are subscribed to the Boston Globe, you can read here my take on Trump’s election.
The Long War #40

Jan 27, 2025 | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

KYIV—Hi everyone, let’s jump right in this week with four different stories on four different issues: what’s currently going at Ukraine’s mobilization centers (I really liked this particular slice-of-life piece of writing); which companies are getting exemptions from mobilization in the Mykolaiv region; whether the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate is pro-Russian; and environmental issues in the Poltava region.
The Long War #38

Jan 27, 2025 | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

KYIV—It has been a gloomy past few weeks here in Ukraine. Back in September, I described in this newsletter how the mood had changed in the country. The understanding that the war would have no quick end had finally settled in, and uncertainty now permeated every discussion about the future. But there’s now also a more immediate, much more short-term fear that things could go very wrong, very fast. This is, of course, in good part because of the situation on the frontline.
The Long War #44

Jan 27, 2025 | eastradar.substack.com | Fabrice Deprez

KYIV—Hi everyone and welcome to this belated 44th issue of 'The Long War'. I tend to use this first part of the newsletter to give my impressions about the current mood in Ukraine or to lay down some thoughts I can't really put in the usual journalistic pieces. But while I do have a lot of thoughts, they're all a bit too unstructured right now, while talking about the current mood in Ukraine would essentially be retreading things I wrote about in previous issues.