How Elon Musk Turned on Ukraine
No reliable alternatives exist to Musk’s satellite network, and Ukraine cannot survive for long without it.
Simon Shuster
Simon Shuster is a staff writer at The Atlantic. He has reported on armed conflicts and authoritarian regimes for nearly two decades. His best-selling book, The Showman, chronicles the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Before joining The Atlantic in 2025, he worked as a correspondent for Time in New York, Berlin, and Moscow.
Latest
Win McNamee / Getty The New Subterranean Front
As drones fill the skies over the war zone, the fighting in Ukraine has moved into a network of gas pipelines deep belowground.
Sasha Maslov Why Trump Is Furious at Ukraine
The president thinks the country is trying to undermine his party’s chances in the midterm elections.
Efrem Lukatsky / AP Ukraine Finds a New Set of Targets
As Donald Trump intervenes to protect Russia’s oil refineries, Ukraine plays the few cards it has left.
Nikoletta Stoyanova / Getty Trump’s October Surprise
Just ahead of the midterm elections, the president again helps Russia.
Andrew Harnik / Getty Trump’s Latest Appeal to Russia Could Outrage Even His Allies
Trump’s envoy wants to trade Russian political prisoners for U.S. sanctions relief, creating a path to business deals before the war in Ukraine ends.
Andrew Harnik / Getty Will Taiwan Just Give Up?
The Taiwanese don’t trust Trump, and they don’t believe America will come to their defense. A deal with China is starting to look inevitable.
Cheng-Chia Huang for The Atlantic Ukraine Planned to Swarm Moscow Airports With AI-Guided Drones
The stalled operation, code-named “M&Ms,” sought to isolate Russian elites and force Vladimir Putin to negotiate a truce.
Andrey Rudakov / Bloomberg / Getty NATO’s Nightmare
The U.S. and Europe have no clear plan for a joint attack from Russia and China.
Xie Huanchi / Xinhua / Getty Ukraine’s Short-Lived Comeback
The chorus of optimism has quieted on several fronts, including Zelensky’s struggle with corruption and his relations with Trump.
Illustration by The Atlantic. Sources: Nicolas Tucat / AFP / Getty; Anna Moneymaker / Getty.
