Special report | Total war

Technology is deepening civilian involvement in war

Another chapter in our special report on the future of warfare considers the big legal questions raised by the fusion of civilian and military activity

A Ukrainian serviceman stands next to a vehicle that carries a Starlink satellite internet system
Image: Reuters

EARLY IN THE war 20 Russian fuel tankers rolled into Sedniv, a small town in Chernihiv province, north of Kyiv. “The locals called us,” says Major-General Viktor Nikolyuk, commander of Ukrainian forces in the north, “and said: what should we do?” His answer was simple: “Drain them.” Locals on horses and tractors, carrying bottles, barrels and teapots, siphoned off fuel with the cry of Slava Ukraini—glory to Ukraine. The general could hardly believe it when another round of tankers appeared shortly afterwards. Those, too, were relieved of their cargo.

This article appeared in the Special report section of the print edition under the headline “The home front”

From the July 8th 2023 edition

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