Pocket worthyStories to fuel your mind

What We’re Reading About One Year of War in Ukraine

Making sense of where the conflict stands, how Russia’s invasion has changed the world, and what the future might bring.

Pocket Editors

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

When Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022, many analysts assumed a swift Russian victory. A year later, Ukraine is still boldly defending its sovereignty, but at a steep price. Deepen your understanding of the ongoing humanitarian crisis with this guide to the best reporting and analysis about the conflict, including on-the-ground dispatches highlighting the courage of Ukrainian civilians and sharp analyses of the war’s historical context and global impact.

Updated: 02/23/23, 5 p.m. ET

Image by Gabriel Mello/Getty Images

Ukraine’s Year of Pain, Death —And Also Nation-Building

The misery of 365 days of bloodshed and the full scale of the global repercussions are difficult to sum up with mere words.

After a Year of War in Ukraine, All Signs Point to More Misery With No End in Sight

Nearly a year since Russian forces rolled into Ukraine, there are no real signs of a way out of the conflict. Neither side appears primed for an outright military victory, and progress at the negotiating table seems just as unlikely.

Has Putin’s War Failed and What Does Russia Want From Ukraine?

After a series of humiliating retreats, Putin’s initial invasion plan has clearly failed, but Russia’s war is far from over.

The Revenge of History in Ukraine: Year of War Has Shaken Up World Order

A shared sense of national history is proving to be a crucial weapon, spurring on Ukraine resistance and Russian soldiers.

In Pictures: One Year of War in Ukraine

Images from one year of fighting in Ukraine after Russia launched an all-out invasion by land, air and sea, the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.

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.”

You Can’t Understand the War in Ukraine Without Knowing History

If we deprive ourselves of history, everything is a surprise.

Fighting Russia With a Laptop: Meet the Women on the Front Lines of Ukraine’s Information War

Among the millions of Ukrainians volunteering to help are a group of women running a “data battalion.”

The Secret Weapons of Ukraine

A journey through the strange, semiprofessional world of volunteers and foreign fighters who, one year into Russia’s invasion, are risking everything to defeat the invaders.

‘Something Was Badly Wrong’: When Washington Realized Russia Was Actually Invading Ukraine

A first-ever oral history of how Washington insiders saw the warning signs of a European land war, their frantic attempts to stop it — and the moment Putin actually crossed the border.

How Ukraine Became a Testbed for Western Weapons and Battlefield Innovation

Ukrainian ingenuity has impressed US officials, who have praised Kyiv’s ability to “MacGyver” solutions to its battlefield needs that fill in important tactical gaps left by the larger, more sophisticated Western weaponry.

How Ukrainian Climbers Traded Mountains For War

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian climbers mobilized against the invaders in many ways. CLIMBING sent longtime contributor Ed Douglas to Ukraine to hear some of their stories.

In Ukraine, Identifying the Dead Comes at a Human Rights Cost

The government is using Clearview AI to identify fallen Russian soldiers, but this deployment distracts from face recognition’s dangers.

How and When the War in Ukraine Will End

Forecasting a conclusion to an unpredictable conflict.

How Ukraine’s Postage Stamps Became an Unlikely Time Capsule of the War

Like wartime posters, the stamps provide a fascinating and symbolic visual record of Ukrainian history.

The Best Books on Ukraine and Russia

Serhii Plokhy, Professor of Ukrainian History at Harvard University, recommends books to better understand the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, from an introductory work by an eminent historian to the latest work of some of Ukraine’s leading novelists.