Latest Articles about Military/Security
Terek Cossacks Experience Internal Challenges and Government’s Distrust
The Terek Cossack Military is facing a crisis as the Cossacks and the Russian authorities cannot find a candidate for the leadership position in the organization that would satisfy both sides. The initial plan to hold elections for the new ataman (Cossack chieftain) in February... MORE
Caucasus Emirate and Islamic State Split Slows Militant Activities in North Caucasus
Since last November, the commanders of the North Caucasus jamaats, one after another, have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State and its leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (see EDM, January 16). It is well known that the Caucasus Emirate replaced the idea of an independent Chechen... MORE
Putin Weighs Conflict Escalation and De-Escalation Options
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her French counterpart, Francois Hollande, have been leading intense diplomatic efforts to de-escalate the crisis Ukraine. Yet, as Russian media reported, the Merkel-Hollande summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 6, in Moscow, following their trip to meet President... MORE
Kazakhstan’s Military Reform Faces Many Headwinds
It has been a little over 100 days since Imangali Tasmagambetov’s appointment as the new defense minister of Kazakhstan last October. Born in the oil-rich Mangistau province, in the country’s west, the 58-year-old minister has had a particularly impressive career in politics. He first made... MORE
Russian Efforts to Derail Ukrainian Mobilization Campaign
In view of the most recent escalation of the military conflict in its eastern regions, Ukraine has launched a nation-wide mobilization campaign meant to boost the number of the country’s military personnel by 100,000 to a total of 250,000. To be deployed in three waves,... MORE
Kadyrov Proposes Using Chechen Forces to Suppress Dissent Across Russia
Ramzan Kadyrov has warned that Chechen forces may be deployed in other regions of Russia to fight terrorism and extremism. “If there are such indications [of terrorism and extremism] in Moscow or other regions of the country, we will be at the forefront to fight... MORE
Russia Seeks to Boost Arms Exports in 2015, Despite Western Sanctions
On January 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting of the Commission for Military Technology Cooperation with Foreign States. Putin opened his remarks by stating that he wanted “to begin with a look back at the work done last year” and then told attendees,... MORE
Diplomacy Delivers Another Pause for Struggling Ukraine and Sinking Russia
The week of February 2 registered an explosion in political intrigue around the war in eastern Ukraine, and some sort of pause in hostilities is likely to ensue. Undoubtedly, this is a positive development, but it would be an overstatement to describe the late-night talks... MORE
Kadyrov Proposes Using Chechen Forces to Suppress Dissent Across Russia
Ramzan Kadyrov has warned that Chechen forces may be deployed in other regions of Russia to fight terrorism and extremism. “If there are such indications [of terrorism and extremism] in Moscow or other regions of the country, we will be at the forefront to fight... MORE
The Partisan Movements in Belarus During World War II (Part Two)
Perhaps in no other modern-day country, with the exception of Israel, have Jews historically made up a larger percentage of the overall population as in Belarus. For example, in 1897, Jews comprised 14.2 percent of the residents of Belarusian territory; and in Grodno and Minsk... MORE