Latest Articles about Military/Security
After Samarkand Summit, the OTS Charts a More Independent Course
On November 11, a summit of the leaders of the Organization of Turkic States (OTS) convened in Samarkand, Uzbekistan (Report.az, November 5). This major gathering came amid the OTS’s re-emerging significance as a key regional organization and a critical platform for rapprochement between the Central... MORE
Russia’s Defense Industry Growing Increasingly Turbulent
Moscow has actively tried to restore at least part of its arms lost in Ukraine after almost nine months of its bloody war. Publicly, the Kremlin declares that nothing crucially serious is plaguing this re-production and that the domestic defense factories will have no problem... MORE
Beyond Demonstrations and Polls: The Real Face of Anti-War Attitudes in Russia
Both supporters and opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war against Ukraine all too often rely on two primary factors to determine the amount of public opposition to his policies among the Russian population. Many assume that protests are the best measure, concluding... MORE
Minsk Triggers Joint Deployment of Troops With Russia
On October 31, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka approved the draft agreement with Russia on the establishment and functioning of combat centers for the joint training of Belarusian and Russian servicemen (Belta, October 31). As such, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense has now been tasked with... MORE
Will General Surovikin Fix Russia’s C2 Problems?
Following Russian General Sergey Surovikin’s interview on October 19, the Kremlin’s information warfare machine aimed to put a positive spin on the general’s words of “tough decisions” to come for Russian forces in Ukraine (YouTube, October 25). Surovikin’s interview immediately resulted in widespread reactions from... MORE
Western Belarus Policies: The Geostrategic and Moral Dimensions
In recent weeks, Belarusian civilians have been called up for military training in increasing numbers, with mobilization instructions attached to their military identification. Is this a prelude to entering the war against Ukraine, show for the Russians or preparation for contingencies? According to Artyom Shraibman,... MORE
Kremlin Analysts Call for Killing of Political Emigrants Abroad
As his war against Ukraine falters, and against the backdrop of Ukrainian forces’ liberation of Kherson, Russian President Vladimir Putin has no other choice than to increase repression at home and abroad. On November 2, on the Telegram channel Nezygar, which is associated with the... MORE
Downplaying the Fall of Kherson, Moscow Aims to Freeze War
The liberation of Kherson by Ukrainian forces on November 11 was both predictable and surprising. The strategic imperative for withdrawing Russian troops from the indefensible position along the west side of the Dnipro River had been abundantly clear long before the “difficult decision” presented by... MORE
Russian UAVs: What Has Gone Wrong?
Since the beginning of its large-scale aggression against Ukraine, Russia has demonstrated relatively poor capabilities regarding its unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), much poorer than one would expect given the extensive resources Moscow has dedicated to this aspect of its military. Throughout the past 12 years,... MORE
Ukraine Poised to Liberate Western Kherson
On November 9, in a televised conference, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and the commander of Russian forces in Ukraine, General Sergei Surovikin, announced another major Russian setback (TASS, November 9). At Surovikin’s recommendation, Shoigu approved the pullback of Russian forces from the right bank of... MORE