Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war. The perspectives gathered here are varied, candid, and often surprising, together forming a more complete picture of Ukraine as it really is.Frontline and StrategyЦензор.НЕТ — Cenzor.netNews and opinion site with a strong pro-defense, typically conservative voice“40 Years of the Chernobyl Tragedy: Lessons That the World Must Finally Learn”By Valeriy Chaly/April 26, 2026On Chornobyl’s 40th anniversary, Valeriy Chaly argues the world failed to learn its lessons. Russia has turned the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant into a weapon — causing 14 blackouts in early 2026 alone — while a drone struck the protective arch over Chornobyl’s fourth reactor. He says the International Atomic Energy Agency and United Nations remain paralyzed by institutional weakness and Russian influence. The author connects this to Ukraine’s post-Budapest Memorandum betrayal: having surrendered the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal under false security guarantees, Ukraine now faces nuclear blackmail from a guarantor. His piece demands Russian nuclear de-occupation, Russia’s removal from the Atomic Energy Board, and NATO membership for Ukraine as the only credible compensation for the danger Russia poses to the entirety of the region through its careless treatment of nuclear power.“While Ukraine honors the memory of the Chornobyl liquidators, Russian forces continue cynically playing with fire at the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. The occupiers are not merely blackmailing the world — they are already crossing critical lines: a Russian drone struck
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