In the aftermath of the coordinated United States (US)-Israel airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, the Islamic Parliament of Iran passed a resolution recommending a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz—a 32-kilometre-wide passageway between Iran and Oman that opens in the Arabian Sea. Although the final decision rests with Iran’s Supreme …

Agents from Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) raided the independent cultural space Revolt Center in Syktyvkar, the capital of the Komi Republic, on Tuesday morning. According to the Telegram channel Novaya Respublika, officers also searched the homes of the center’s staff, “from managers to baristas.” The raids are reportedly linked …

Roman Starovoit, Russia’s former transport minister, was officially dismissed from his post on July 7. That very evening, news broke that he had died by suicide. Investigators say his body was found with a gunshot wound inside his personal vehicle in the Moscow region. Before his appointment to the Transport …