Tag: Russia
France Rebuilds Influence After Sahel Retreat
Nothing about France's presence in Africa was ever going to vanish. Some twenty African states use French as an official language, fourteen share a currency pegged to the euro, and the commercial and family networks running between Paris and the continent outlast every government now in office. What collapsed in…
Russian Hackers Target US Nuclear Scientists, Contractors
A Russia-linked hacking group has spent the past year targeting nuclear scientists, defense contractors, and government employees in a cyberespionage campaign exploiting a previously unknown flaw in Zimbra webmail software, according to a joint advisory from US and allied intelligence agencies released Thursday, per CNN.The group, tracked by Dutch intelligence…
Moscow Keeps Selling a Peace Ukraine Rejects
Thirty-five minutes in Manila settled nothing and clarified a great deal. When U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on July 23 on the sidelines of the ASEAN Regional Forum, a leading Indo-Pacific security forum, the two produced no proposal, no timetable and no breakthrough.…
Ukraine Hits Wildberries Hub, Targets Defense Plant
Ukraine struck a Wildberries logistics hub in Russia's Leningrad region on Friday, according to Reuters, which reported that Governor Alexander Drozdenko confirmed the warehouse caught fire and that three people were wounded. Wildberries said operations at two logistics sites in the region were suspended.The strike is the fifth reported attack…
U.S. Weighs Military Action in Mali
The Trump administration is considering direct military action in Mali against al-Qaeda affiliate JNIM, The Washington Post reported on July 22, citing current and former U.S. officials. Officials are reportedly divided; no strike order has been announced. A former official said one administration objective last year was securing overflight rights…
Russia’s Su-57 Stealth Fighter Reportedly Crashes Near Moscow
A Russian military aircraft crashed near Zvenigorod, west of Moscow, on Thursday during what local reports described as a training flight. The independent Russian outlet Astra said the jet was likely a Sukhoi Su-57, Russia's only operational fifth-generation fighter, a report later cited by UNITED24 Media. Russia's Ministry of Defense…
Trump Envoys Reopen Kyiv Channel While Rubio Meets Lavrov
Washington is pursuing two parallel Ukraine tracks. On July 22, U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner spoke directly with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, bypassing formal diplomatic channels that have produced little progress since the Iran war shifted Washington's attention away from Ukraine. A day later, Secretary of State Marco Rubio…
Ukraine Calls Emergency UN Meeting on Black Sea
Ukraine has requested an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting for July 27 after Russian attacks brought all shipping through its Black Sea maritime corridor to a halt, according to Kyiv Post. Acting Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said no vessels passed through the corridor Wednesday, at the height of the…
US Probes Russian Role in Iran Strikes on CIA Sites
US intelligence officials are investigating whether Russia helped Iran attack CIA facilities by providing targeting intelligence or enhanced drone technology, although no firm conclusion has been reached. Moscow denied involvement.At least two CIA-linked sites were struck in March: the agency’s station inside the US Embassy in Riyadh and another facility…
Angola Jails Russians Over Influence Plot
An Angolan court has sentenced two Russian nationals over an alleged operation to destabilise the country before its 2027 election. Political consultant Igor Ratchin received 11 years and interpreter Lev Lakshtanov eight, on charges from espionage to terrorism that carried up to 15 years; summaries differ on which of eleven…
