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Russia

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

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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

Why Nuclear Negotiations with Russia Are Worth It

Walter Pincus

Why Nuclear Negotiations with Russia Are Worth It

FINE PRINT / OPINION — “In order to prevent the emergence of a new strategic arms race and to preserve an acceptable degree of predictability and [...] More

RussiaNuclearWalter PincusFine PrintEurope

Riding the Tiger: Why Xi and Putin’s ‘Axis of Autocracies’ Could End the Way Churchill Predicted

Mark Kelton

Riding the Tiger: Why Xi and Putin’s ‘Axis of Autocracies’ Could End the Way Churchill Predicted

“Dictators,” Churchill observed, “ride to and fro on tigers from which they dare not dismount.” “And,” he added, “the tigers are getting [...] More

RussiaChinaEuropeAsia

China is Forgetting its History with Russia

Ambassador Joseph DeTrani

China is Forgetting its History with Russia

OPINION — For the past month, it was an onslaught of news and photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in meetings [...] More

RussiaChinaAmbassador Joseph DeTraniEuropeAsia
Can NATO Still Scare Putin?

Can NATO Still Scare Putin?

EXPERT INTERVIEW – Polish President Karol Nawrocki signed a classified decree over the weekend allowing armed forces of NATO member states to be [...] More

RussiaEuropeUkraine

Inside Ukraine's Innovation Under Fire

Joey Gagnard

Inside Ukraine's Innovation Under Fire

Cipher Brief exclusive: Retired CW5 Joey Gagnard details how Ukrainian commanders are rewriting the rulebook on tech, tactics, and survival.EXPERT [...] More

Joey GagnardRussiaUkraineTech/CyberEuropemilitary
Putin's Drone Hit a NATO Nerve in Poland, Opening an Opportunity for Ukraine

Putin's Drone Hit a NATO Nerve in Poland, Opening an Opportunity for Ukraine

EXPERT INTERVIEW – More Western leaders and national security experts are now saying that Russia’s recent drone incursion into Poland was not a [...] More

RussiaUkraineNATOEurope

Why Russia Remains a Key Threat Behind the China Axis

Glenn Corn

Why Russia Remains a Key Threat Behind the China Axis

OPINION — You can never count Russia out. More than three years after Vladimir Putin’s failed blitzkrieg on Kyiv, Moscow is proving it still has [...] More

RussiaChinaEuropeAsia

The Math of Moscow’s War: Five Thousand Kilometers, One Million Dead and Wounded

Walter Pincus

The Math of Moscow’s War: Five Thousand Kilometers, One Million Dead and Wounded

OPINION -- “Since January 2024, Russian forces have seized approximately 5,000 square kilometers [1,931 square miles] of additional Ukrainian [...] More

RussiaUkraineWalter PincusEurope

Ex-NATO Commander Warns Western Inaction Built “Sanctuary” for Russia

General Philip M. Breedlove

Ex-NATO Commander Warns Western Inaction Built “Sanctuary” for Russia

EXPERT Q&A — Russia’s massive drone attack overnight on six Ukrainian regions, which hit energy and gas transport infrastructure and cut off power to [...] More

RussiaChinaUkraineMiddle EastEuropeAsia

We Blinked When Russia Invaded. Naïve Diplomacy Won’t Fix it.

Joey Gagnard

We Blinked When Russia Invaded. Naïve Diplomacy Won’t Fix it.

OPINION -- I am a pessimist when it comes to the Russia-Ukraine situation. Talks at the White House this week between President Trump, Ukrainian [...] More

Joey GagnardRussiaUkraineEurope
Unity at the White House Sharpens Pressure on Putin

Unity at the White House Sharpens Pressure on Putin

CIPHER BRIEF REPORTING -- President Donald Trump said Monday that he is moving forward with plans to arrange a meeting between Russian President [...] More

RussiaCentral and Eastern EuropeUkraineEurope