Tangle PREVIEW - The Friday Edition Part 2: The Atlantic's Anne Applebaum on the future of the Ukraine war
Oct 17, 2025
Anne Applebaum, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and expert on authoritarianism, shares her insights on the Ukraine war's evolving landscape. She highlights how Ukraine's drone strategy is impacting Russian logistics and discusses domestic strains within Russia that could signal shifts in support for the war. Applebaum reflects on the muddled U.S. strategy and the resilience of Ukrainians who feel they must fight to avoid occupation. She also addresses the implications of Putin's rhetoric and the risks of nuclear escalation, emphasizing that it remains mostly a bluff.
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The War Has Become A Drone Conflict
- The war is now predominantly a drone war and far more high-tech than typical attrition conflicts.
- Ukraine's drone capabilities have shifted the battlefield value away from tanks and artillery toward precision strikes.
Striking Russia's Fuel Lifelines
- Ukrainian long-range drones have successfully hit major Russian oil infrastructure and cut exports.
- That damage correlates with a drop in Russian oil imports and widespread fuel shortages inside Russia.
How Colonial Wars Break Down
- Colonial wars end when the home population and elites conclude the costs outweigh the gains.
- Evidence of elite dissent in Russia includes recent suspicious deaths of senior political and business figures.