When the world's at stake,
go beyond the headlines.

Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war. The perspectives gathered here are varied, candid, and often surprising, together forming a more complete picture of Ukraine as it really is.Frontline and StrategyОбозреватель — Obozrevatel (“Observer”)Major Ukrainian outlet that sits center-right in its editorial voice“Ukraine Has the Right To Eliminate the Threat From Belarus, or The Sovereignty of a State Cannot Be a Shield for Aggression”By Mykola Golomsha/June 23, 2026Under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter, any state has the undeniable right to defend its citizens from armed attack — and that right extends to eliminating military equipment being used to target and coordinate missile strikes against Ukrainian cities, regardless of which side of a border it sits on, according to Mykola Golomsha. A country that allows its territory to be used for strikes against a neighbor forfeits the right to call those facilities untouchable, he claims. He goes on to write that Belarus cannot play neutral while actively enabling the killing of Ukrainian civilians, making his message quite simple: Neutralize the threat yourselves, or Ukraine will do it for you.“Ukrainian leadership swore an oath to protect its people — not to stand by while missile strikes are coordinated against them from neighboring soil. If a military facility is being used to target Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, or any other Ukrainian city, the question is no longer whether Ukraine has the right to