Executive Summary: Nominally “apolitical” ecological protests are becoming seedbeds of political activism in Russia because of the importance of the environment to Russian citizens and Moscow’s clumsy approach to its maintenance. The Vladimir Putin regime is increasingly aware of the threat posed by environmental activism... MORE

Executive Summary: The Kremlin is reportedly considering “post-war normalization” scenarios, involving the rehabilitation of public figures and return of emigrants who left at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine to project internal stability amid prospects for a peace deal with Ukraine. Russia continues... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Steven Witkoff, U.S. President Donald Trump’s key negotiator, last Friday, in St. Petersburg, likely to buy himself more time before making any concessions. On Sunday, Russian missiles struck the Ukrainian city of Sumy, killing 34 people including... MORE

Executive Summary: Ukraine’s defense forces announced a Space Policy Directorate to develop a national satellite communication system as a key element of Command and Control and military technology development  The Ukrainian Armed Forces are in critical need of a robust satellite communications system, either domestically... MORE

Executive Summary: Xenophobia toward immigrants and ethnic minorities in Russia has reached nearly its highest level in decades, prompting some groups to form ethnic enclaves, which, in turn, has exacerbated hostility toward these groups. Both immigrants and ethnic minorities, as well as Russian nationalists who... MORE

Executive Summary: The Black Sea is the only theater in which Ukraine is prevailing over Russia in the ongoing war. The Kremlin regards the U.S.-brokered, deadline-driven ceasefire talks as an opportunity to reverse Ukraine’s successes in this theater. A maritime ceasefire without demarcation lines and... MORE

Executive Summary: Georgia seeks a diplomatic reset with the U.S. President Donald Trump Administration following strained relations due to contested October 2024 parliamentary elections and subsequent protests. The Georgian government accuses an invisible “deep state” of anti-Georgian sentiment in the West and hopes that the... MORE

Executive Summary: Sweden’s Security Service warns of an alarming shift in Russian espionage tactics, involving the recruitment of individuals suffering from substance addiction  for sabotage missions as part of a broader hybrid warfare strategy targeting Sweden and Europe. Sweden’s recent accession to the North Atlantic... MORE

Executive Summary: Kazakhstan launched a new container rail service linking the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and Poland, reinforcing its position as a vital transit hub through Eurasia. The China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan (CKU) railway, a part of the PRC’s “One Belt, One Road” initiative, has emerged as... MORE