EDITORIAL

Welcome to the first edition of Monitor magazine of 2023, in which BBC Monitoring’s analysts provide unique perspectives on stories around the world. Just over a year since Russia invaded Ukraine, and I remain incredibly proud of our Russian and Ukrainian teams and the amazing resilience they have shown. Our cover story is the brainchild of the guest editor – Nel Hodge from our central Planning Team – who brought together a Russian expert and a Ukrainian expert to share their reflections on the war. It is a fascinating read. Planning Editor Simona Kralova takes us behind the scenes of our first in-person seminar since the pandemic, which covered the global impact of the war. And Gennadiy Kot, the editorial lead of our Ukraine team, describes how he and the rest of the team have kept the show on the road.

Beyond the Ukraine war, this edition covers a couple of media developments around the world. One of our Somali specialists looks at the implications of a new crackdown on al-Shabab's media operation in the country. We also look at the recent deterioration of media freedom in Tunisia.

You can read about an exciting new development – the launch of BBC Monitoring’s first podcast. Senior journalist and podcast presenter Krassi Twigg describes The Global Jigsaw, which will launch on BBC Sounds and the World Service in May.

I’ll leave the last words to Nel to describe her experience of editing the magazine:

“It was a delight to return to magazine editing after so many years, and to take part in showcasing the work produced by my colleagues. I hope you enjoy reading the 29th edition of Monitor as much as I’ve enjoyed editing it”

Happy reading!

Liz Howell