Just weeks before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping proclaimed a “partnership without limits” between Russia and China. The autocrats reaffirmed the bond this year on the anniversary of the invasion. Now Ukrainian forces have captured two Chinese nationals fighting for Russia and have intelligence indicating there are many more.
The Russo-Ukrainian War represents an existential clash between democracy and autocracy, as the deep cooperation between these two authoritarian powers illustrates. A Ukrainian loss, Serhii Plokhy argues in the new issue of the Journal of Democracy, could endanger democracy across the globe.
David vs. Goliath: Defeating Russian Autocracy
Ukraine versus Russia is a modern David versus Goliath conflict that matters not only for the future of Ukraine, but for that of democracy itself.
Serhii PlokhyWhy Ukraine Shouldn’t Negotiate with Putin
Many pundits cry for a negotiated settlement to end the war between Russia and Ukraine. But they misunderstand Vladimir Putin’s motives. The only just end to the war will be in the trenches, not at the bargaining table.
Robert PersonWhy Russians Are Souring on Putin’s War
Vladimir Putin wants to stir patriotic fervor for his war in Ukraine. But most Russians don’t think the war is worth the cost, and it’s putting the Kremlin in a bind.
Thomas SherlockUkraine and Russia: War and Political Regimes
Will Russia’s war tip the Kremlin even further toward tyranny while fortifying Ukraine’s democracy? That will depend on Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky as much as on the course of the war itself.
Timothy J. ColtonWhat Putin Fears Most
Forget his excuses. Russia’s autocrat doesn’t worry about NATO. What terrifies him is the prospect of a flourishing Ukrainian democracy.
Robert Person and Michael McFaul
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