When we talk about Russian aggression, the conversation often revolves around missiles, drones, the destruction of civilian infrastructure, and propaganda. Yet one of the most insidious fronts of this war lies far from the battlefield — in lecture halls, academic conferences, and research networks. A study by Japanese scholar Sanshiro Hosaka offers a rare window into how this intellectual front operates.

I’ve been living for a week now in apartment №40 of the Slovo (“Word”) House in Kharkiv — the apartment of Ukrainian journalist Petro Lisoviy. It’s hard to describe the sensation — as if time folds in on itself. You wake up not simply in a room but in a point of singularity, where the air still carries the voices of poets and dreamers who believed that The Word could save a nation.

So, Ukraine passed the stress test. Did it fix the machine? Law No. 12414 was rolled back in about a week; that shows resilience. It doesn’t show habit. Habit is publishing the rationale before orders land, writing clear rules where power meets oversight, and letting parliament work without being swatted back. If those basics don’t stick, July reads as an exception, not a standard.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine fought a total war and kept the state running. Martial law centralized power and paused national elections. Even so, courts, parliament, independent media and anti-corruption bodies kept working under fire.

On Aug. 28, 2025, the Ukrainian parliament published a law allowing men aged 18 to 22 to leave the country. The document came into force after several years of debate and anticipation, as young men of this age group had been under a complete travel ban since the beginning of the full-scale war. Its adoption is therefore described by many as one of the most awaited decisions in recent years.

Mass protests are unfolding in the Republic of Altai. Local residents are blocking highways and taking part in rallies thousands strong. People are outraged by the contempt of Russia’s leadership, which sends in its own appointees to top posts while ignoring the interests of locals.