It is December 2023. The full-scale invasion of Ukraine is about to enter its third year. Russia’s assault, which was supposed to last no more than a month, has gone on for twenty times as long and there are few signs of it ending soon. That sentiment is both celebrated and cursed across the shattered country of Ukraine. 

This war will decide whether Russia’s actions are the last dying twitches of 20th-century fascism or the bolshy teenage kicks of the 21st. The outcome will affect the entire world. 

So as we stare into 2024, we are all in this arena whether we like it or not.

In the final episode of Defence in Depth this year, Dominic Nicholls, The Telegraph’s Associate Editor, looks at the big questions raised by the war in Ukraine in 2023 as the conflict looks set to continue into 2024. 

Watch Dominic’s video analysis above. Find more episodes of Defence in Depth on The Telegraph’s YouTube channel.