Ukraine War

The Islamic month of Ramadan ends this coming weekend. Most Muslims in Ukraine are Crimean Tatars, natives of the Crimean Peninsula. This is the fourth Ramadan since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Earlier this week, a bomb went off in a quiet Moscow suburb. A man named Armen Sargsyan was killed. He was the leader of a pro-Russian paramilitary group in eastern Ukraine and was a wanted man in Kyiv since 2014. These types of targeted attacks and drone strikes deep inside Russia are part of a bigger strategy of Ukraine taking the fight to Russia.

Before the invasion of Ukraine, Serhii Zenin was the host of one of the nation’s most popular hard rock radio shows on Radio ROKS 103.6. Some three years later, Serhii is a soldier and Radio ROKS has taken on a whole new role.

As president-elect, Donald Trump said on more than one occasion that he could end the war in Ukraine within 24 hours of taking office. More than a day into his presidency, the war rages on. But “ending wars” does still appear to be a top priority for the new administration.

The Biden administration will begin sending US military contractors to Ukraine. This policy reversal was first reported late last week, and signals a shift in US willingness to support Ukraine’s military effort. Contractors will play a limited but significant role on the ground in Ukraine.