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Russia

Two men in a serious conversation, one in a suit, the other in a military uniform.

The Kremlin Files: Russia’s Way to the Gray Zone

THE KREMLIN FILES / COLUMN — (Note: This is the first in a two-part series on Russian gray zone, or hybrid warfare. In a future article, the author [...] More

EuropeRussia

The Latest

Putin Again Bungles Strategy: Why His War of Attrition will Sink Russia

Gregory Sims

Putin Again Bungles Strategy: Why His War of Attrition will Sink Russia

OPINION — On February 14, 2022, with Russia poised to invade Ukraine, I questioned whether Vladimir Putin’s reign to that point had revealed him to [...] More

RussiaUkraineEuropeAlternative Perspectives
Russia is Waging a Sabotage Shadow War on Europe

Russia is Waging a Sabotage Shadow War on Europe

DEEP DIVE — In the darkness of night on November 15, a massive explosion ripped through a stretch of the Warsaw-Lublin railway line close to Mika, [...] More

RussiaEurope

Putin Sees “Useful Meetings”, the U.S. Should See a Trap Set for Inexperienced Negotiators

Rob Dannenberg

Putin Sees “Useful Meetings”, the U.S. Should See a Trap Set for Inexperienced Negotiators

EXPERT OPINION / PERSPECTIVE -- Reports from Moscow suggest that U.S. representatives Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are “optimistic” about the [...] More

RussiaUkraineEurope
The Kremlin's Kill List: Inside a Culture of State-Sponsored Murder

The Kremlin's Kill List: Inside a Culture of State-Sponsored Murder

EXPERT OPINION / PERSPECTIVE — The 2024 spy swap between Russia and the West exposed a brutal truth: Moscow still treats innocent civilians as [...] More

RussiaEurope

The U.S. Needs to Restore Deterrence Credibility Against Putin

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

The U.S. Needs to Restore Deterrence Credibility Against Putin

OPINION — President Donald Trump’s 28-point peace plan is a humanitarian attempt to halt the killing and destruction in Ukraine, although Russia’s [...] More

RussiaAmbassador Joseph DeTraniUkraineEurope
Do Oil Sanctions Still Work?

Do Oil Sanctions Still Work?

DEEP DIVE — On October 22, 2025, in his boldest move yet to force Vladimir Putin back to the negotiating table, President Trump unleashed sweeping [...] More

RussiaEurope

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

Rob Dannenberg

Snatching Defeat from the Jaws of Victory

EXPERT OPINION – The recently leaked 28-point peace plan to end the war in Ukraine is nothing short of an appeasement that satisfies the maximalist [...] More

RussiaUkraineEurope
A file picture taken 12 July 2007 shows the headquarters (aka Lubianka) of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the former KGB in Moscow.

Russia’s Intelligence Services After the War

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Russia’s intelligence services (RIS) have failed spectacularly in Ukraine: in planning, execution, and analysis, yet they will [...] More

RussiaEuropeIntelligence

Why Putin Is Losing The War In Ukraine That He Thinks He Is Winning

Gilbert W. Merkx

Why Putin Is Losing The War In Ukraine That He Thinks He Is Winning

OPINION — The Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in January 2022 is now approaching its fourth year. The cost for Ukraine has been very high, but [...] More

RussiaUkraineGilbert W. MerkxEuropeAlternative Perspectives

Countering the Kremlin’s Five Most Effective Narratives About Ukraine

Dave Pitts

Countering the Kremlin’s Five Most Effective Narratives About Ukraine

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — In the summer of 2008, as Russian tanks rolled toward the borders of Georgia, the battle had already begun—shaped decisively by [...] More

RussiaDave PittsUkraineEurope

Putin’s Strategic Failure: How the Ukraine War Is Eroding Russia From Within

Rob Dannenberg

Putin’s Strategic Failure: How the Ukraine War Is Eroding Russia From Within

And there is one sure thing about the fall of gods: they do not fall a little; they crash and shatter or sink deeply into green muck.- John [...] More

RussiaUkraineEurope
Can Western Sanctions Stop Putin’s War?

Can Western Sanctions Stop Putin’s War?

DEEP DIVE – Looking at the recent headlines from Russia, this much seems clear: the West’s sanctions against the country are finally working.Oil [...] More

RussiaEurope