The ongoing expansion of wireless internet connectivity around the world has concurrently raised a host of unresolved issues about cyberspace, including access, conductivity, taxation and cyberwar, as states attempt to secure their digital frontier while boosting their influence against competitors. And cutting-edge technology innovation is,... MORE

On January 2, Russian media quietly reported that, “in Khabarovsk [Russian Far East], unsanctioned actions in support of former Governor Sergei Furgal came to an end” (RIA Novosti, January 2). The referenced “unsanctioned actions” refer to the mass rallies that occurred regularly since July of... MORE

An estimated 10,000 people gathered in the Novolaksky district of Dagestan, on February 23, to commemorate the anniversary of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin’s deportation of the Chechens in 1944. The deputy speaker of the Chechen parliament, Shaid Zhamaldaev, attended the event, but no high-ranking Dagestani... MORE

Reports claiming that Russia will, within a few weeks, welcome Iran as a new member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) may be premature, but they are still likely to be realized in the not-too-distant future, some Russian analysts argue (RitmEurasia, February 26). These reports... MORE

After repeatedly and unsuccessfully pleading with the Kremlin to release imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the European Union and the United States, in a coordinated move, imposed additional sanctions packages against Russia. Seven top security, defense and Kremlin administration officials were personally blacklisted. Some of... MORE

Since Moscow’s entry into the civil war in Syria in September 2015, its experimentation with high-precision cruise missile strikes has served to boost this element of the Russian defense industry and to convince the political-military leadership to prioritize the further development of such systems (see... MORE

Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka landed in Sochi, Russia, on Friday, February 19, and left on Tuesday, February 23. His meeting with President Vladimir Putin occurred on Monday and lasted six hours, following a joint skiing escapade. The two heads of state also talked on the... MORE

*To read Part One, please click here. On February 1, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin signed a decree approving the launch of six large investment projects in the Arctic that are to be completed by 2027 (Government.ru, February 1; see Part One in EDM, February... MORE

Russia’s involvement in Africa over the last decade has attracted attention particularly when it has involved Moscow’s use of private military companies to support one or another side of civil conflicts there (see Jamestown.org, January 10, 2020; see EDM, January 20, 2021) or when it... MORE

The top brass of Armenia’s Armed Forces along with a broad coalition of political groups have moved to oust Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his government from power, thus far nonviolently (see EDM, February 25, 26). From the first hours of this confrontation (February 25),... MORE