Executive Summary: Russia is reviving the Cold War-era Balaklava submarine base in Crimea as it faces frequent and precise maritime strikes from Ukrainian forces. The base’s outdated dimensions, however, prevent it from housing modern submarines, limiting its strategic value and forcing Russia to reposition key... MORE

Executive Summary Sources close to the Kremlin have indicated that the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the so-called “special military operation,” is nearing its inevitable end as resources for further offensive actions are running low. Part of the radical nationalist segment of the Russian population refuses... MORE

Executive Summary: Facing a critical manpower shortage, Ukraine has adopted a decentralized recruitment model, empowering top-performing units to handle their own recruitment, training, and deployment. This approach, known as military entrepreneurism, contrasts with traditional centralized conscription. Units such as the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade and... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia is planning extensive events for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II (WWII), using historical memory as a tool to legitimize its Ukraine invasion. Russian President Vladimir Putin declared 2025 the “Year of the Defender of the Fatherland,” and... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia has developed a new intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM), Oreshnik, based on its RS-26 Rubezh intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). In November 2024, Russian armed forces conducted a combined missile strike on a Ukrainian military-industrial complex facility as a test for the missile. The... MORE

Executive Summary: Pro-Kremlin analysts look upon possible negotiations with the United States about the fate of Ukraine only from a position of strength. Moscow’s demands, however, clearly do not correspond with its real capabilities. Russian military analysts push for negotiations by relying on Russia’s military... MORE

Executive Summary: The Kremlin is increasingly using the Cossack identity to justify its war in Ukraine, portraying them as liberators of Russian land. The Cossack’s use of Orthodox symbolism and historical narratives reinforce their role in neo-imperial mythmaking. The All-Russian Cossack Society highlights Cossack military... MORE

Executive Summary:  Turkmenistan is rapidly expanding and modernizing its military to allow Ashgabat to defend itself against domestic challenges, threats from Afghanistan, and increasing competition on the Caspian, as well as to support its expanded political and economic activity internationally.  While it still lags militarily... MORE

Executive Summary: General Robert Brieger, chairman of the European Union’s Military Committee, proposed a UN-mandated peace-support mission to be deployed in Ukraine following a Russia-Ukraine armistice. The European Union or some of its member states would participate alongside countries from the “Global South” acceptable to... MORE

Executive Summary: The beginning of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration highlights contrasting views of Russia’s war in Ukraine. The West views it as a non-sensical distortion that should be stopped, and Russian President Vladimir Putin views it as a confrontation with the West. The state... MORE