Why subscribe?

In Back to the Front I offer field dispatches, updates, commentary and analysis on Ukraine & Russia as well as the Middle East, eastern Europe and the Balkans and where the world is going.

For 15 years I worked full-time as a foreign and war correspondent for the Daily Telegraph. Now I divide my time between London, remote British Columbia - where I run a wilderness lodge in the spring and autumn - Budapest, where I teach university students, and Ukraine.

Over the years I have covered Ukraine and Russia extensively, as well as the Bosnian war, the Kosovo war, the Iraq war, the Afghan war, the Chechen war and multiple uprisings, revolutions and coups.

There are many blogs and newsletters out there focussing on these countries. I hope to combine two different elements to make my offerings stand out.

Firstly, I will tap into the knowledge and experience I have from following developments in these countries - especially the former Soviet bloc - since the 1990s.

But I also make regular reporting trips to the places I write about, including some to the frontline. It is, I feel, important to tread the earth, and talk to the locals, lest we become lost in abstracts and lose sight of what war is really about - the people affected.

Most of my offerings are free. But if you value them please consider paying for a subscription. Paid subscriptions are what allow me to devote so much time to this newsletter. Posts will usually come out every week, more often when events demand, and less often when I am in the Canadian wilderness (May-June and Sept-Oct).