The Interdiction War: How Ukraine Is Cutting Russia's Southern Lifelines, plus Xi's Big Week and a Possible Iran Deal. The Big Five, 24 May
My weekly update on war & competition. This week, Ukraine's widening middle-strike campaign, the Xi-Putin summit in Beijing, peace in Iran and my Big 5 war and NATSEC reading recommendations.
The Big Five The Interdiction War: How Ukraine Is Cutting Russia's Southern Lifelines, plus Xi's Big Week and a Possible Iran Deal. The Big Five, 24 May My weekly update on war & competition. This week, Ukraine's widening middle-strike campaign, the Xi-Putin summit in Beijing, peace in Iran and my Big 5 war and NATSEC reading recommendations. Mick Ryan May 24, 2026 92 4 21 Share Image: @DefenceU Russia's demands for a unilateral surrender of the entire Donetsk region are just another example of how the Kremlin is concealing its inability on the battlefield while trying to move one step closer
saved by
related reading
- The Impact of Drones on the Battlefield: Lessons of the Russia-Ukraine War from a French Perspectivehudson.org
- Leaderless, Cut Off, and Alone: The Risks to Taiwan in the Wake of Ukrainewarontherocks.com
- At the Trump-Xi Summit, China Will Have the Upper Handcfr.org
- What Happens Next in Ukraine Could Change Europe Forevertime.com
- Why Beijing isn't taking the bait with Trump | Brookingsbrookings.edu
- The big sanctions: A quick explainernoahpinion.substack.com
- "Russia's Pearl Harbor"bowoftheseus.substack.com
- Into the Breach: Ukraine’s Counter-Offensive Beginswarontherocks.com
- Potential US responses to the Russian use of non-strategic nuclear weapons in Ukraine - Bulletin of the Atomic Scientiststhebulletin.org
- What Does America Want From China? | Foreign Affairsforeignaffairs.com
- The No-Fly Zone Delusion | Foreign Affairsforeignaffairs.com
- The Iran War Just Expandedyoutube.com