After several weeks of ostensible silence, discussions over a potential Russian airbase in Belarus have taken on new vigor. As early as September, President Vladimir Putin of Russia asked his government to sign the airbase agreement with Belarus. The initial public reaction of Putin’s Belarusian... MORE

Since initiating their military operations in Syria, the Russian Armed Forces continue to test and experiment with weapons systems and various platforms in the course of the campaign. These tests appear to relate to a wide variety of advanced systems and seem designed to assess... MORE

Despite differing political agendas in Syria’s ongoing civil war, Russia and the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) are now sending significant naval forces to Syria’s Mediterranean coastline. The eastern Mediterranean is becoming crowded, as ten countries, in addition to Russia and Turkey,... MORE

The Russian authorities have lost control over three key movements of people in the North Caucasus—from rural areas to the cities, from the North Caucasus region to Moscow and other Russian centers, and from the region to Syria and the Middle East more generally. That... MORE

In a reversal of previous statements about Russia’s long-delayed sale of Sukhoi-35 fighter jets to China, Russian military-industrial conglomerate Rostec’s President Sergey Chemezov confirmed that the negotiation has been completed and “we have signed a contract” (Takungbao Online, November 19). Media discussions of the purchase... MORE

At the end of November, Chinese President Xi Jinping chaired a three-day Central Military Commission (CMC) forum on wide-ranging reform in the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), hosting senior military officers from the four general departments and other major work units. The outcomes heralded in... MORE

Kabardino-Balkarian jamaat has regained little of its strength since its leader, Amir Abdullah (Robert Zankishiev), was killed in a police operation in Nalchik on November 10 (TASS, November 10). In fact, the jamaat has suffered new, even more substantial losses. On November 22, the authorities... MORE

On November 28, the Kremlin announced the implementation of a series of economic sanctions against Turkey in response to the latter’s shooting down of a Russian Su-24 military jet that had violated Turkish airspace (Kremlin.ru, November 29). In line with Ankara’s previously announced rules of... MORE

The Russian state-run propaganda machine is currently fanning anti-Turkish vitriol full-time. Economic ties between Russia and Turkey are being effectively severed, while military forces have been put on high alert. Is this escalation a mere PR exercise to mobilize the public so that it may... MORE

President Vladimir Putin’s decision to militarily intervene in Syria came after long and careful preparations to mitigate the risks of conflict escalation. However, two events complicated Russia’s involvement and demanded a revision of this overall strategy: the Islamic State (IS) attacks in Paris as well... MORE