Drawing on the experiences of academics in the field has long been a cornerstone of The Conversation’s coverage of conflict. Back in 2014 we provided eyewitness, expert reportage of pro-Ukraine protests in Donbas.

Eight years on, and Frank Ledwidge, a senior lecturer in Military Strategy and Law at the University of Portsmouth in England, is in Kyiv. He sends this reality check regarding the prospects of even containing the latest Russian offensives in the east of the country.

Romain Huët, of Université Rennes 2 in France, meanwhile, has written a series of compelling dispatches from across the country. His most recent documents the emotional experiences he had alongside locals delivering aid in Donbas earlier this year.

Another recent visitor to Ukraine was Boris Johnson, the UK prime minister. With his time as premier now apparently coming to an end, we bring fascinating polling on what the British public make of him, and, crucially, who might succeed him.

Stephen Khan

Executive Editor, The Conversation International
Defiant: everyday life in Kyiv, July 2022. EPA-EFE/Oleg Petrasyuk

Ukraine is losing this war at the moment. The west needs to massively step up its military aid

Frank Ledwidge, University of Portsmouth

Ukraine is losing this war at the moment. The west needs to massively step up its military aid to the country.

Boris Johnson: four key insights from recent polls can help us see where the crisis is heading

Hannah Bunting, University of Southampton; Daniel Devine, University of Oxford

The prime minister’s personal popularity has plummeted but the people who decide how to replace him still can’t agree on a successor.

Delay and deflect: How women gig workers respond to sexual harassment

Ning Ma, University of British Columbia; Dongwook Yoon, University of British Columbia

Rating services on ride and task apps disadvantage gig workers, whose future work assignments are affected by their ratings. Women workers are made vulnerable, and have to contend with harassment.

  • The case of the acclaimed South African novel that ‘borrows’ from Samuel Beckett

    Rick de Villiers, University of the Free State

    Buys, the award-winning novel by Willem Anker, uses lines without credit from the Irish writer - not the first such literary controversy it has raised.

  • How technology allows us to reveal secrets of Amazonian biodiversity

    Oliver Metcalf, Manchester Metropolitan University; Liana Chesini Rossi, University of São Paulo State

    Tropical forest covers 12% of the planet’s land surface yet hosts around two thirds of all terrestrial species. Amazonia, which spans the vast Amazon River basin and the Guiana Shield in South America…

  • A window into the number of trans teens living in America

    Jody L. Herman, University of California, Los Angeles; Andrew Ryan Flores, American University; Kathryn K. O’Neill, University of California, Los Angeles

    A new study that breaks down the number of trans teens by state could give policymakers a better idea of how many kids will be affected by anti-trans legislation.

  • Is netball actually bad for knees and ankles? What does the research say?

    Sallie Cowan, La Trobe University; Brooke Patterson, La Trobe University; Kay Crossley, La Trobe University

    Yes, there is a risk of injuring yourself while playing netball but the overall risk of serious injury is relatively small – and far outweighed by the benefit of being active and part of a team.

Sister Rosetta Tharpe, singer who inspired Elvis: one of many women sidelined from musical history

Freya Jarman, University of Liverpool

Everyone knows the Elvis story, but what’s less known is the story of the Black women singers and musicians who forged the way.