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Russia Pays the Price as Ukraine Targets Its Oil Refineries

Russia Pays the Price as Ukraine Targets Its Oil Refineries

OPINION — Following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Vladimir Putin expected a swift victory from his “special military operation.” Instead, it [...] More

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WE’RE NOT GOING TO WAR WITH FUZZY FACES: An announcement was made yesterday by chief Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell highlighting how the Secretary of War is cracking down on grooming standards for the troops. Parnell shared a memo that his boss sent to Pentagon leaders on August 20 (way back when Pete Hegseth was known as the Secretary of Defense.) For many years, servicemen could get medical waivers allowing them to grow beards if they had conditions that prevented them from getting close shaves. (There is a condition known as Pseudofolliculitis barbae - aka “razor bumps” - that impacts men of subequatorial African [...] More

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State Secrets

Former CIA Director General David Petraeus (Ret.) doesn’t mince words: Russia’s 19-drone incursion into Polish airspace was no accident — it was a deliberate test of NATO’s resolve. Joining The State Secrets Podcast from Kyiv, Ukraine, General Petraeus lays out Ukraine’s breathtaking innovation in drone warfare, noting that units now fly thousands of missions daily, with entire regiments springing up to meet demand. But the Russians are innovating, too. So, what does that mean for the future of this war and those to come?

Cover Stories: Spies, Books & Entertainment

Author and former Marine Elliot Ackerman’s latest tale is about an ex-CIA Ground Branch operator who goes by his call sign, “Skwerl” and a former Afghan special ops pilot who goes by the name “Big Cheese” so you’re probably already getting a good picture of Ackerman’s latest novel Sheepdogs, which follows Skwerl and Cheese on a globe-trotting adventure from Uganda to Marseille. Cipher Brief CEO & Publisher Suzanne Kelly welcomed Ackerman to the Cover Stories Studio to talk about missing handlers, hidden cargo and shadow war.