Eurasia

Putin: Minsk agreements no longer exist, we’ll provide military assistance

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a press conference Russia would deploy troops, but it is unclear when. Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the Minsk agreements, which were intended to end the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine, “no longer exist” and that Russia would provide military assistance to separatists, …

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Strengthening Belarus identity could complicate Putin’s soft annexation

A recent poll indicates strengthening national identity in Belarus and a decline in Soviet nostalgia following the country’s national awakening of 2020. The results of the survey represent unwelcome news for Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka as he seeks to steer the country towards ever-closer union with Vladimir Putin’s Russia. The …

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NATO must seize the current strategic opportunity in the Black Sea

How quickly tectonic change occurs. The first draft of this paper was written in October 2021 and aimed at convincing NATO of the need to focus more heavily on the Black Sea region. The reason for this major shift was the importance of the Black Sea region to Russia as …

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Russian Hybrid Threats Report: Despite debunking of false flags, Putin recognizes breakaway republics

As the crisis in Europe over Ukraine heats up, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) is keeping a close eye on Russia’s movements across the military, cyber, and information domains. With more than five years of experience monitoring the situation in Ukraine, as well as Russia’s use of …

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Russia just ordered troops into Ukraine again. What happens next?

Weeks of dire Western warnings began to bear out on Monday when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops into the two separatist regions of eastern Ukraine after recognizing their independence. Europe’s post-Cold War security order now hangs in the balance as many wonder whether those troops will stop at …

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Russian Troops March Into Donbas For ‘Peacekeeping’, UNSC Meeting Commences

Hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence and sovereignty of breakaway states Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) located in Ukraine’s eastern regions, Putin has sent Russian forces to enter the region for ‘peacekeeping’ missions in Ukrainian territory controlled by Russia since its proxy invasion …

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Support increases for new US bases in Eastern Europe as Russian troops move into Ukraine

The establishment of permanent American military bases in allied countries near Russia has been a NATO taboo for 25 years. But Russian President Vladimir Putin’s announcement Monday recognizing the independence of two self-proclaimed “people’s republics” in eastern Ukraine and subsequent movement of troops toward the breakaway territories could be the …

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Biden orders more troops, helicopters and F-35s to Eastern Europe as Russian troops move into Ukraine

President Joe Biden on Tuesday ordered an additional 800 U.S. troops, more than 30 helicopters and as many as eight F-35 fighter jets now in Europe to NATO countries on the alliance’s eastern flank as Russian troops begin to move into Ukraine. The roughly 800 U.S. troops will deploy to …

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Twenty questions (and expert answers) about what’s happening with Ukraine and Russia

As the crisis in Eastern Europe continues to unfold, we tapped our expert network to answer our burning questions about the implications for Russia, Ukraine, and the wider world. Why is Russia moving so aggressively against Ukraine right now? This crisis was entirely fabricated by Russian President Vladimir Putin; there …

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“A point of no return.” Ukraine’s civil society leaders appeal to US, EU for “severest sanctions” to stop Russia

Urgent appeal of civil society leaders of Ukraine to the Congress of the United States of America The lives of millions of Ukrainians are at stake, and hours of delay and wrong decisions may cost dear price. If the Russian Federation is not stopped by the severest sanctions now, a …

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