Join the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS) for a talk on the status of and challenges to Ukraine's armed forces. Ukraine's armed forces were in state of deep crisis at the onset of conflict with Russia in 2014. Over the last 5 years, Ukraine has taken steps to increase the combat readiness of its armed forces. Despite limited resources, Ukraine has modernized its existing toolkit and introduced new equipment, including unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM) and tactical-level communications equipment designed to withstand Russian electronic warfare. These developments have chipped away at Ukraine’s power disparity with Russia, but the Ukrainian armed forces still face near and medium term challenges. Mykola Bielieskov of the Kyiv-based Institute of World Policy will chart the trajectory of the Ukrainian Armed Forces since 2014, its current state and future prospects with an eye toward Ukraine's conflict with Russia. Michael Kofman of CNA will provide an overview of Russian tactics and equipment in eastern Ukraine. Jeffrey Mankoff of CSIS will moderate. Registration is required; information can be found on the event site.

Speakers:

Mykola Bielieskov, deputy director, Institute of World Policy (Kyiv)

Michael Kofman (discussant), senior research scientist, Russia Studies Program, CNA

Jeffrey Mankoff (moderator), senior fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program, CSIS