Tag: Russia
Azerbaijan’s Iran War Balancing Act Faces Limits
From Karabakh to the Iran war, Baku keeps testing its own limits.Azerbaijan’s conduct through the 2026 war between the United States, Israel, and Iran fits a pattern stretching back years: a small state repeatedly testing how far it can push bigger neighbors before pulling back. A new Institute for National…
Trump Ties Cuba Threat to Post-Iran Pivot
President Trump said Monday that Washington is investigating whether Iran has stored drones in Cuba, warning of swift action if confirmed, according to MercoPress. “If they do have that… we’ll take care of it in short order,” he told reporters, though he immediately called the claim unverified.The accusation builds on…
Japan Builds First Postwar Intelligence Agency
Japan is building its first centralized intelligence agency since World War II, launching a National Intelligence Bureau this summer with roughly 700 staff under a council chaired by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, according to The New York Times.That structural phase, passed by the Diet in May, is the easier half…
EU and UK Sanction Russian Hackers Behind Europe Attacks
The European Union and the United Kingdom sanctioned Russian intelligence officers, hackers and private companies on July 13 over a cyberespionage campaign Brussels says has targeted European governments and critical infrastructure since 2010. The EU imposed asset freezes and travel bans on nine individuals and four entities, while Britain sanctioned…
Moldova Can See Russian Drones but Cannot Stop Them
A Russian Geran-2 attack drone crossed into Moldova overnight and blew up near Copanca, a village in the southern Căușeni district about 30 kilometres from the Ukrainian border, European Pravda reported. Moldova's Defence Ministry said the drone strayed in around 1 a.m. on July 13, as Russia struck Ukraine's neighbouring…
Ankara Summit Shows NATO Rediscovering Its Purpose
NATO was built in 1949 to contain a Soviet threat its founders believed diplomacy alone could not hold. When the Soviet Union collapsed, the Alliance spent three decades answering a nagging question: what was it still for? The Ankara summit declaration gave an unusually direct answer.NATO names Russia and rediscovers…
Lavrov’s Africa Tour Signals Trouble for Moscow’s Sahel Allies
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Niger this week promising deeper military cooperation with Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, the three military governments that make up the Alliance of Sahel States, or AES. The timing tells its own story. Moscow’s closest partners in the region are under pressure, and…
Russia Finds a Way to Stay in Tartous
Russia has found a way to keep its foothold in Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, pairing a reduced naval presence at Tartous with a new commercial logistics hub. Under the plan, one of the port's two berths would handle cargo while the other stays open to the Russian…
Ukraine Hits Syzran Refinery as Fuel Logistics Campaign Widens
Ukraine's General Staff said its forces struck the Syzran Oil Refinery in Russia's Samara region overnight, causing a fire at one of the Middle Volga's largest refining facilities. The military said explosions were recorded and the extent of the damage was still being assessed, while Samara regional authorities acknowledged a…
Russia Strikes Odesa Ports Overnight
Russia fired 13 missiles and 115 drones at Ukraine overnight, combining guided missiles with Shahed attack drones and low-cost decoys in another effort to stretch Ukrainian air defenses while targeting Black Sea logistics. Ukraine's Air Force said defenders destroyed or electronically suppressed 102 of the 128 aerial weapons, while two…
