Russia forced what it calls “the collective West” into significant concessions for this year’s Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) annual meeting of foreign ministers. Using its statutory veto and blocking powers, Moscow forced the organization to replace Estonia with Malta to chair... MORE

On November 24, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement against Moldova joining the European Union’s sanctions against Russia. Press Secretary Maria Zakharova threatened that “the Moldovan decision will not go unanswered. Measures taken will be reported later” (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian... MORE

On November 23, the latest summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was held in Minsk. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan snubbed the meeting over a rift with the Kremlin. The leaders of the five other members—Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan—were present, including... MORE

On November 25, a “Big Circle” (Bol’shoi Krug) meeting of “over 200 delegates from 83 regions of Russia and 43 countries of the world” took place in Moscow to discuss Cossack issues and confirm the election of Chief Ataman Nikolai Dyakanov as leader of the... MORE

On November 19, the wives and mothers of mobilized Russian soldiers held a protest in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk against rumors of another mass mobilization and demanded the return of “their guys.” Similar protests have swept across Russia in recent weeks but were met... MORE

The Kremlin has welcomed the Israel-Hamas truce in Gaza that began on November 24. The pause, however, does not fit into Russia’s larger designs for the Middle East. From Moscow's perspective, further escalation would have been a much better option in disrupting the US-led world... MORE

The West’s inadequate arming of Ukraine predetermined costly failures for Kyiv’s counteroffensive. The effort to dislodge Russian forces from their entrenched positions in southeastern Ukraine has become a difficult endeavor both militarily and politically (Euromaidan Press, November 6). Kyiv felt obligated to meet unrealistic expectations... MORE

On October 26, Indian government-owned Goa Shipyard signed a substantial shipbuilding contract with Russia. The agreement calls for Goa to construct 24 river-sea class cargo ships for Russian clients in the Caspian Sea by 2027. The director of Caspian International Integration Club North-South, Dmitry Dubovik,... MORE

During the most recent Belt and Road summit in Beijing, Russia agreed to supply China with 70 million tons of grain, legumes, and oilseeds worth 2.5 trillion rubles (about $25.7 billion) over the next 12 years (TASS, October 17). Head of the Russian company New... MORE

Many observers of Russia’s war against Ukraine have been discussing what they term “an impending stalemate” on the battlefield (Kyiv Post, August 28; Euromaidan Press, November 4; The Moscow Times, November 11). Others have pushed for peace talks and formulated a future “Korea scenario” for... MORE