Jenny Mathers - Why Experts Underestimate Ukraine’s Potential and Over-estimating Russia’s Strengths

Every time Ukraine pulls off another ‘improbable’ victory, or achieves a substantial breakthrough, journalists and military analysts return to their familiar refrain that ‘the war will now grind on indefinitely’ or that ‘there will be no more advances until spring’. From the battle of Kyiv, to Kharkiv and now Kherson, the stark evidence of extraordinary Ukrainian capability and boundless Russian incompetence is quickly forgotten. It seems that underestimating Ukraine’s potential and over-estimating Russia’s strength is a comfort zone the experts cannot tear themselves away from. Jenny Mathers is a senior academic with expertise in Russian politics and security, gender, and conflict. She has been a Senior Lecturer at Aberystwyth University since 1992. Jenny Mathers is experienced in Policy Analysis, Political Science, and lecturing. She is a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) focused on International Relations gained from Somerville College, Oxford University.