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:  New discussions about amending the Russian Constitution to allow for the death penalty have stimulated calls for more fundamental changes in the future, including dropping the document’s commitment to multinationalism and the existing non-Russian republics.  In the wake of recent terrorist attacks, doing... 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

Executive Summary: Moscow’s forces in Ukraine face increasing problems with the military, both at the front and at home. These issues are bound to affect Russia’s ability to fight in the coming months. At the front, Russian commanders are dealing with fragging, desertions, and corruption.... MORE

Executive Summary: The Kremlin is increasingly relying on the state-registered Cossack movement to feign interethnic harmony and national unity in Russia, pushing back against reports of growing social unrest throughout the country. While the Cossacks are touted as rising above ethnic differences, some still promote... MORE