Executive Summary: Russian State Duma Deputy Viktor Vodolatsky, former ataman of the Don Cossacks, gave an interview on May 14 discussing plans to open new state-registered Cossack societies in the occupied territories of Ukraine, highlighting the Cossacks’ role in the Kremlin’s consolidation of control over... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia’s 2024 offensive has made some small gains while enduring heavy manpower and equipment losses. This approach reflects the Kremlin’s shift from carrying out a “special military operation” in Ukraine to digging in for a “long war” of attrition. Ukrainian defenses have been... MORE

Executive Summary Armenia plans to replace its aging Soviet-era Metsamor nuclear reactor by 2036 and is currently engaged in talks with other countries, including Russia and the United States, to replace it. Armenian Security Council Secretary Armen Grigoryan announced that talks with the United States... MORE

Executive Summary: As new peace proposals are published, Russian President Vladimir Putin does not appear to be any closer to accepting negotiations with Ukraine to conduct a ceasefire or end the war. The European Union, except for Hungary, is showing stronger support for Ukraine, aiming... MORE

Executive Summary: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit did not unveil any particular strategy—let alone a winning one—to deal with Russia’s war against Ukraine, postponing any draft strategy until next year and stopping short of recognizing that Ukraine is the immediate arena of a... MORE

Executive Summary: The series of brutal Russian strikes against Ukraine, especially on Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital, have raised the stakes of Moscow’s war before a possible start of a negotiation process, creating a precedent of brutality Russia must uphold to maintain the initiative.  These strikes have... MORE

Executive Summary: The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe declared that the “decolonization of the Russian Federation is a necessary condition for sustainable peace” and that Russia is pursuing a “policy of genocide” in Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine did... MORE

Executive Summary: NATO’s Washington Summit Declaration looks noncommittal and conditions-hedged regarding Ukraine’s eventual membership in the alliance. Member states believe that Ukraine’s accession would involve the alliance in a war with Russia so long as Moscow wages war against Ukraine. The alliance’s decision to designate... MORE

Executive Summary: This month marks 30 years since Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka came to power. In the coming months, a new presidential campaign will begin, leaving many questioning whether he will run again due to his age and overall health. Possible regime change and democratic... MORE

Executive Summary: Belarus officially joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) at the July summit in Astana, becoming the first European country to join. Minsk hopes to use SCO membership to synchronize the development of the north-south and east-west transit corridors, amplify its increasingly vocal anti-sanctions... MORE