A nation must think before it acts.
Rob Lee is a Senior Fellow in the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s Eurasia Program and a former Marine infantry officer. He is a leading military analyst and open-source researcher with a focus on the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Russian military strategy. His analysis has appeared in major publications such as The New York Times, Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, The Economist, Meduza and War on the Rocks.
He holds a BA in History from Hamilton College and MA in International Affairs with a regional specialization in Russia and the former Soviet states from Columbia University.
His current book project examines lessons from the Russo-Ukrainian war for the future of Russian power and conventional warfare.
Articles
- Russia’s New Battlefield Tactics in Ukraine - Kyiv Independent - September, 2025
- As Long as Russia is Advancing, the War will Continue - Kyiv Independent - February, 2025
- Ukraine’s Gamble | The Risks and Rewards of the Offensive Into Russia’s Kursk Region - Foreign Affairs - September, 2024
- Russia Has Opened Up a New Front. What Comes Next? - The New York Times - May, 2024
- Russia Launches New Offensive in Ukraine - Conversations - May, 2024
- Hold, Build, and Strike: A Vision for Rebuilding Ukraine’s Advantage in 2024 - War on the Rocks - January, 2024
- Perseverance and Adaptation: Ukraine’s Counteroffensive at Three Months - War on the Rocks - September, 2023
- Russia’s War in Ukraine: Critical Vulnerabilities to Russia’s Military Operations and Systems - Reports - June, 2023
- Ukraine’s Fight Inside Russia, Behind Enemy Lines - Meduza - May, 2023
- Beyond Ukraine’s Offensive | The West Needs to Prepare the Country’s Military for a Long War - Foreign Affairs - May, 2023
- ‘Putin Does Not Want Bad News’: U.S. Military Expert Assesses Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine After One Year - Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty - February, 2023
- How the Battle for the Donbas Shaped Ukraine’s Success - Analysis - December, 2022
- The Current State of Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine - Meduza - November, 2022
- The Tank Is Not Obsolete, and Other Observations About the Future of Combat - War on the Rocks - September, 2022
- Ukraine’s Push to Liberate Kherson and Russia’s Manpower Problem - Meduza - September, 2022
- Not Built for Purpose: The Russian Military’s Ill-Fated Force Design - War on the Rocks - June, 2022
- Why attrition will be a critical factor in the battle for Donbas - The Economist - April, 2022
- Russia-Ukraine crisis explored with RUSI and Foreign Policy Research Institute - UK Parliament Defence Committee - February, 2022
- Moscow’s Compellence Strategy - Analysis - January, 2022
- Russia’s Coercive Diplomacy: Why Did the Kremlin Mass Its Forces Near Ukraine This Spring? - Reports - August, 2021
Events
- Russia’s War in Ukraine: The Road Ahead -
- Two Years In: What’s Next for Russia’s War in Ukraine? -
- The State of Play in Ukraine -
- Russia’s War in Ukraine: Analyzing the Western Military and Economic Response -
- Russia-Ukraine Tensions: Will Moscow’s Compellence Strategy Work? -
- Tensions between Russia and Ukraine: How likely is another war? -
Audio/Video
- Part 2 | Surviving Two Years in Russian Captivity -
- Part 1 | Surviving Two Years in Russian Captivity -
- Russia Launches New Offensive in Ukraine -
- The State of Play in Ukraine -
- Examining Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine -
- The Risk of War: Russia’s Options for War in Ukraine -
- The Risk of War in Ukraine: Moscow’s Military Posture -
- Russia’s Coercive Diplomacy: Looking Back at the Ukraine Crisis -