President Biden announced several new economic sanctions against Russia on Tuesday, one day after the Kremlin moved to formally invade two separatist regions of Eastern Ukraine that have long been under the control of its proxies. “This is the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine,” Biden said. “I’m going …
Read More »Germany freezes Nord Stream 2 gas project as Ukraine crisis deepens
Europe’s most divisive energy project, worth $11 billion, was finished in September. Germany on Tuesday halted the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline project, designed to double the flow of Russian gas direct to Germany, after Russia formally recognized two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine. Europe’s most divisive energy …
Read More »Russia’s Lavrov questions Ukraine’s right to sovereignty
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday questioned whether Ukraine had a right to sovereignty because he said the government in Kyiv did not represent the country’s constituent parts, the Interfax news agency reported. “If we talk about the principle of sovereignty and territorial integrity, one of the key documents …
Read More »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, …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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 …
Read More »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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