Eurasia

Security Incidents In Moldova’s Transnistrian Region: Pretext For Escalation Or Smokescreen? – Analysis

Following the start of Russia’s large-scale military re-invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, concerns arose about the role that the Transnistrian region of Moldova could play in the Kremlin’s war plans. The territory has been under Russian military occupation since 1992, with Moscow’s military, security and civilian officials directing, assisting …

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Russian Talk About Transnistria Underscores Putin’s Ukraine War Isn’t Just Sending Messages To Kyiv

Only the most naïve believe that Putin’s war in Ukraine is only about Ukraine, but Dmitry Ofitserov-Belsky says that new talk about extending the Russian operation into Moldova’s Transnistria underscores the fact that the Kremlin wants all non-Russian countries to draw conclusions for themselves from what is happening in Ukraine. …

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Israeli police enter tense holy site as Jewish visits resume

Israeli police entered a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem to clear away Palestinian protesters on Thursday, after Jewish visits that had been paused for the Muslim holidays resumed. Recent weeks have seen several rounds of clashes at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, the third holiest site for Muslims, which is built …

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What If the War in Ukraine Doesn’t End?

The Global Consequences of a Long Conflict All wars end, and their closing moments are often vivid and memorable. Take, for instance, Confederate General Robert E. Lee’s surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in April 1865, which brought an end to the U.S. Civil War. Or the armistice that …

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The New Cold War Could Soon Heat Up

Why Russia and the West Might Escalate the Fight Over Ukraine In the ten weeks since Russia began its assault on Ukraine, tensions between Russia and Western countries have been greater than at any point since the Cuban missile crisis. U.S. President Joe Biden has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin, …

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US Army in Germany resumes training Ukrainian forces, with focus on Western weaponry

A Ukrainian officer had an encouraging message for the contingent of U.S. soldiers that left a Ukrainian military base shortly before Russia launched its full-fledged invasion of the country in February. “That (Ukrainian) officer specifically stated that the biggest mistake that the Russians made was giving us eight years to …

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Turkey’s inflation surges to 70%, putting Erdogan in bind

Turkey’s annual inflation jumped to a two-decade high of 69.97% in April, according to data on Thursday, fuelled by the Russia-Ukraine conflict and rising energy and commodity prices after last year’s lira crash. The surge in prices has badly strained households just over a year before presidential and parliamentary elections …

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Russia’s gas blackmail: Putin is bringing a knife to a gun fight

By weaponising gas exports, Putin is digging the grave of Russia’s economy. On Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin escalated the geo-economic war between his country and the West by suspending gas deliveries to Poland and Bulgaria, citing the two countries’ refusal to pay in Russian roubles. The move, decried by …

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Europe scrambles for long-term fix after Putin cuts off gas

European energy providers open Russian rouble accounts for gas, challenging bloc’s united front against Moscow. As Poles and Bulgarians worry their cookers and heaters will run dry, the rest of Europe is scrambling to respond after Vladimir Putin’s latest chess move over the Ukraine conflict – cutting off the gas …

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Will Vladimir Putin succeed in seizing southwestern Ukraine?

After failing to capture the capital Kyiv and northern Ukraine, Russia now focuses on completing its conquest of the south. It took several cruise missiles to destroy a bridge that linked southwestern Ukraine with Romania – and stood hundreds of kilometres away from the front lines of the Russian-Ukrainian war. …

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