On the anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, this talk by Dr Jill S Russell will examine the emerging logistics history of the Ukraine War and what that this means for the future security environment.

At the forefront of the Ukrainian and Allied strategies, logistics from the political to the tactical level and across to civilian life, are responsible for a defence and liberation counter-offensive that defied prognostications at every stage of the conflict and effectively constrained the possibility for Russian escalation across all fronts.

Managing its role as the Second Arsenal of Democracy with historic finesse, NATO has led a remarkable campaign of support to the invaded nation. In turn, Ukraine has used a Logistics Strategy to weaken the Russian forces and enable their defeat while simultaneously investing resources in the repair and restoration of liberated or otherwise damaged infrastructure.

The contemporaneous attention to civilian logistics as the second strand of Ukrainian strategy is a reorientation of conventional priorities and timing in recent conflicts. Its success in building and maintaining popular support for the conflict could drive significant reconsideration of concepts and doctrines across NATO defence establishments.

The talk by National Security and Strategy expert Dr Jill S Russell, hosted by the KCL Research Centre in International Relations and Dr Pablo de Orellana of the Department of War Studies, will be followed by a Q&A.

Dr Jill S Russell is a National Security and Strategy analyst and policymaker based between New York and London. A graduate of War Studies at KCL, where she completed her doctorate in strategy and logistics, she has taught and researched for over a decade with a focus upon the military practice. She is currently working on a new concept and doctrine of logistics and urban operations focused on harm reduction and restoration, with a view to establishing a leading strategic position for logistics in security policy.

The event will be held online and in-person. For those joining online, the Zoom link will be sent by email two days before the event.