In my recent conversation with @AaronBMacLean on the School of War podcast, we discussed the current state of the #Ukraine war, including Russian adaptation, war strategy and many other aspects of the conflict. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

Regardless of the outcomes of peace negotiations, Russian war criminals must face justice. This has not been ‘a few bad apples’; it has been a systemic approach to barbarity endorsed from the top. There can be no ‘get out of jail free’ card for them. kyivindependent.com/russian-mili...

I have just released my regular update on war and strategic competition. This week, it is focused on Trump & Putin's 28-point plan they wish to impose on #Ukraine, but also includes Pacific security and my regular Big Five recommended reads. mickryan.substack.com/p/the-putin-...

The “peace plan” for Ukraine is just a framework for Russia & the US to take assets away from Ukrainian recovery, and to ensure Russia evades accountability for war crimes Europe can, and must, craft better with Ukraine A point by point analysis of the shambles: www.greatpower.us/p/28-points-...

⚡️ Update: Senior US official casts doubt on reported Ukraine peace proposal conditions. A senior U.S. official told the Kyiv Independent that "you can't believe everything you read in the press," a comment that casts doubt on whether some of the conditions are actually in the U.S. peace proposal.

I recently had the opportunity to discuss my latest #Ukraine trip with Seth Jones for his Last Line of Defense podcast. You can listen to our full conversation at the link. www.csis.org/podcasts/las...

In 2025, Russia has continued its efforts to destroy #Ukraine. But despite its many advantages, Russia has failed to fully leverage them in its 2025 war efforts - including ground, air and information campaigns. 1/3

According to regional budget data, Russia continues to recruit approximately 30,000 men per month. This may explain why Russia is willing to lose thousands of soldiers each month in its assault on Ukraine, essentially treating its soldiers as "living munitions."

I recently returned from another research visit to Ukraine, my second of 2025. I have now written a new white paper, published by the @csis.org, which provides 7 strategic insights based on knowledge gained on my recent visit & other research. www.csis.org/analysis/sev...

Japanese Forces Test Deployment of Hypersonic Missile System — USNI News news.usni.org/2025/11/17/j...

The latest update on security and strategic competition in the western Pacific region from @thestudyofwar.bsky.social

My regular update on global conflict is now available. This week: Russia close to full envelopment of Pokrovsk, and China's plan for long-term confrontation, as well as my recommended war & natsec reads. You can read my full update at the following link: mickryan.substack.com/p/the-battle...

“To the historically oriented, the fight for the minds of decision-makers and noncombatants does not expand the battlespace, but it does expand or at least challenge long-held Western conceptions about war.” A superb review of cognitive warfare from Frank Hoffman smallwarsjournal.com/2025/11/14/a...

“Russian gains in the eastern parts of Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts — a section of the frontline that has been dynamic but chronically overlooked — have picked up speed.” Another good frontline report from ⁦‪@francisjfarrell‬⁩ kyivindependent.com/analysis-wit...

Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo cruise missile, reportedly used in the overnight attack on Oryol, Russia.

My new report on how adaptation in the #Ukraine war has metastasised into a global Adaptation War has just been published by the Special Competitive Studies Project (SCSP). My report explores the dimensions of this new adaptation war, and how we might respond. www.scsp.ai/resource/ada...

Ever since spring 2024, when Russian forces pushed beyond the city of Avdiivka and began gaining momentum in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine’s defense of the front line has depended on a delicate balance — a very thin line between states of control and chaos.

Today on #RemembranceDay, I am thinking about the amazing soldiers I had the privilege to serve with over 35 years in the Army. I am also thinking about the previous generations who served, suffered and sacrificed so much for our freedoms. Lest we forget.

Morning walk.

“The Fourth Plenum of the Twentieth Central Committee marked more than a routine leadership meeting…The result is a model of strategic endurance—a self-contained system able to sustain rivalry with the United States.” jamestown.org/program/a-fi...

This is good news, and great U.S. -Australia collaboration. www.defenceconnect.com.au/joint-capabi...

I have just published my weekly update on modern war and strategic competition. This week: the Battle of Pokrovsk, Russian casualties, deep-strike campaigns, China's 3rd aircraft carrier commissions, as well as my recommended war and national security reads. mickryan.substack.com/p/russian-ca...

Autonomous Systems: Learning the Right Lessons from Ukraine for Down Under. My testimony about the lessons of Ukraine and the future of autonomous systems in war for an Australian parliamentary committee hearing this week. mickryan.substack.com/p/autonomous...

“Avoiding extinction by a race of machines is not much of a strategy. Weapons don’t make wars, and better weapons don’t win better wars. Politics does, because only politics can truly change the game.” An important issue explored in @milstrategymag www.militarystrategymagazine.com/article/lase...

I cannot possibly recommend @warinthefuture.bsky.social' s Substack enough. This is another brilliant installment. It calls for better leadership and societal resilience. Democracies must overcome strategic complacency towards authoritarian threats (Russia/China) & rapid tech change.

An excellent episode of Shield of the Republic. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/s...

Confrontation with authoritarians is not new for democracies. But how do we shake our societies out of strategic lethargy and complacency about the nature and scale of the threat? My latest at Futura Doctrina. mickryan.substack.com/p/confrontin...

Training, & training systems that are responsive to battlefield learning & adaptation, is crucial to building effective & resilient military personnel and teams. I have just published a short article with the Lowy Institute on this vital subject. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

“Come spring and summer 2026, Russia will almost certainly try to repeat and one-up its initial success in Dobropillia — and by then, will likely have more tactical tricks up its sleeve.” An assessment of #Ukraine frontline operations from @francisjfarrell kyivindependent.com/analysis-cle...

My regular update on modern war and strategic competition is now available. This week: Trump-Putin summit delayed, new U.S. sanctions on Russia, Chinese purges as well as my recommended war and national security reads. mickryan.substack.com/p/summit-no-...

“”Why America Slept.” That might be the title of a future book examining the Trump administration’s shift of national security focus away from a Russian threat against Europe and toward a noxious but relatively impotent network of drug gangs in Venezuela.“ www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...

“For local residents, Russia’s human safari has made sudden death from above an everyday fact of life. During the first nine months of 2025, more than a hundred people were killed and over one thousand were wounded in drone attacks.” www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/ukrain...

In my new Ukraine Dispatch, I examine the challenges of ground based air defence in #Ukraine. Based on interviews in country, I examine defending strategic targets as well as defending against aerial threats along the frontline and tactical rear areas. mickryan.substack.com/p/ukraine-di...

US Treasury Secretary Bessent confirmed: “We are going to either announce after the close this afternoon or first thing tomorrow morning, a substantial pickup in Russia sanctions.” More pressure is finally coming?

A series of explosions hit Ryazan overnight, with drones targeting the local oil refinery and Dyagilevo airbase. A massive blaze broke out near the catalytic cracking or hydrocracking unit, part of a refinery producing 12–13M tons annually. Some sources say "Peklo" missile-drones were used.

What started as a limited action could end as a war no one planned.

In my latest Ukraine Dispatch, I examine ground based air defence. Based on interviews conducted in country, this explores defending strategic targets as well as defending against aerial threats along the frontline. You can read my full report here. mickryan.substack.com/p/ukraine-di...

A massive Russian attack pummeled Ukraine’s energy and port infrastructure on Oct. 22. Emergency power outages were implemented in most regions of the country throughout the day as energy workers battled to repair damaged infrastructure, in some cases while still under bombardment.

Plain terrorism, nothing else. Footage has emerged of the Russian drone strike hitting a private kindergarten in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Children were inside when the strike landed.

In my new #Ukraine Dispatch, I cover my recent visit to the new Directorate of Assault Units, my discussion with its founding commander, as well as its learning and adaptation under fire. mickryan.substack.com/p/ukraine-di...

What reason is there to think that the Budapest summit will be any more successful than the one in Alaska? There is no indication that Putin is willing to make any new concessions, yet Trump just can’t say no to his Russian counterpart. wapo.st/49eip6r

Ukraine has been at the frontline of learning about modern war in the past 3 years. But more crucially, they have learned much in their dealings with Trump about America’s new global security posture. Perhaps this is the most important lesson for us to learn. www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...

My latest Ukraine Dispatch is out. This time, my interview with Nataliia Lutsenko from the War & Politics 24 channel. mickryan.substack.com/p/ukraine-di...

Last night, I caught up with my friends Yuri and Gennadiy in Kyiv. It was wonderful to see them. And they had a BIG surprise for me. My latest #Ukraine Dispatch is now available. mickryan.substack.com/p/ukraine-di...

Humble yet real super heroes. How fortunate are we to share a planet with amazing people like Sofia, Mivina and Becca!

“This president acts as though one election makes 236 years of constitutional order irrelevant. Instead of trying to work within the Constitution, or to amend it, President Trump is testing how far he can ignore it.”

Is it just me or does this feel like Groundhog Day?

My first Ukraine Dispatch for my latest visit to this wonderful nation is now available. Trigger warning: while the subject is military training in #Ukraine, my dispatch does start with a story about Australian reptiles. mickryan.substack.com/p/ukraine-di...

Here is my recent conversation with Jordan on the ChinaTalk Podcast and Newsletter about learning from Ukraine and applying the right lessons for any future conflict in the Pacific, including Taiwan. podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/l...

Recently I published a report that explored how we might ‘translate’ Ukraine lessons for application in the Pacific region. You can download the full report at this link: researchcentre.army.gov.au/sites/defaul...