Executive Summary:  Kazakhstan is looking to bolster trade relations beyond Eurasian Russia to the European Union and the United States partly due to Moscow’s war against Ukraine and sanctions imposed against Russia, limiting economic opportunities. The rich natural resource deposits in Kazakhstan will likely attract... MORE

Executive Summary: The Ukrainian defense industry has production capacities for purchasing, producing, and repairing weapons that exceed the available budget and thus needs more external funding from foreign investors. The strengthening of Ukraine’s domestic defense sector is critical for providing a steady supply of munitions... MORE

Executive Summary: The war in Ukraine is leading both Moscow and Kyiv to engage in increased cyberattacks that are destructive to both infrastructure and civilian lives from meddling with energy networks to manipulating people into committing violent acts. Ukraine has conducted a large-scale call center... MORE

Executive Summary: Ukrainian forces require more assistance in repairing, maintaining, and training for Western-made air defense systems. They also need additional air defense assets, especially surface-to-air missiles and corresponding systems, drone interceptors, and infrared search and track capabilities.  Ukraine’s Western partners can temporarily fill these... MORE

Executive Summary: Senior advisers to former US President Donald Trump issued recommendations for ending Russia’s war against Ukraine, observing that the Biden administration has lacked a strategy for Russian defeat and Ukraine is losing the long war of attrition. The recommendation of a quick transition... MORE

Executive Summary: Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka recently made a series of public pronouncements that have provoked Armenia and Israel and placed Belarus in an even more precarious geopolitical position. Lukashenka’s flippant comments in Azerbaijan, tense relationship with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and series of... MORE

Executive Summary: In June, Kazakhstan voiced its plans to declassify data on rare-earth and rare-metal deposits as well as a renewed effort to attract Western investment to mine and process the country’s vast reserves. Russia’s war against Ukraine has exposed the European Union and Western... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to assert that Russia maintains the initiative in its war against Ukraine while facing a deteriorating economy, significant manpower shortages, and strengthened Western solidarity. The growing supply of artillery shells, gradual improvement of Ukraine’s missile defense system, and... MORE

Executive Summary: Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov recently claimed that 520,000 workers have been added to the country’s military-industrial complex since the beginning of 2023, though he conceded that the sector is still facing a deficit of 160,000 employees. These estimates, however, misrepresent a... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia’s long war against Ukraine has highlighted the importance of front-line air defense systems as well as the accompanying munitions and reconnaissance/communication capabilities. The proliferation of precision air attack weapons and the unprecedented number of simultaneous air threats have elevated the importance of... MORE