Britain says Russia has “almost certainly established a major new ground forces formation” that could include “volunteer” battalions to support its Ukrainian invasion. The emergence of a significantly volunteer-style corps would underscore the challenges that face Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war planners as they try to subdue Russia’s …

Beijing has “successfully completed” weeklong exercises around Taiwan, though additional military activity in the region can be expected, a Chinese military official announced Wednesday. China plans to continue “military training and preparations,” organize patrols in the Taiwan Strait and “resolutely defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Eastern Theater Command spokesman …

The Pentagon has warned Iran not to provide armed drones to Russia for use in Ukraine. Russian officials have received training on Iranian military drones in Iran in recent weeks, a US official confirmed to Al-Monitor. US intelligence believes the training is part of a recent agreement between Tehran and …

Gas payments in rubles will help Turkey reduce its foreign-currency demand. The economic outcomes of the recent Turkish-Russian summit and a string of financial moves by the Russian builder of a nuclear power plant in Turkey have come as fresh signs that Turkey is becoming a safe harbor for sanctions-hit …

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says the Iranian regime and “its terrorist partners” aren’t just a threat to the Middle East, but also a critical risk for the United States. In a number of tweets on Monday, the FBI said Iran and its proxy groups “don’t just endanger the Middle …

Amid the military standoff in the Taiwan Strait triggered by the visit of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan last week, the US is planning to send warships through the Taiwan Strait “in the coming days,” the publication of the United States Naval Institute reported Tuesday. On Monday, the …

Sanctions against Russian financial operations leave Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia without fuel. On Tuesday, the Russian pipeline operator Transneft reported that the Ukrainian company UkrTransNafta stopped pumping Russian crude through the southern branch of the Russian Druzhba pipeline, which supplies three European countries. The Ukrainian company acknowledged that …

A Turkish drone strike Tuesday killed at least four people in a northeast Syrian city held by Kurdish forces, the latest in a flurry of attacks, a war monitor said. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack struck near a hospital in Qamishli, the de-facto capital of …

Ethiopia’s Somali region is mobilizing against al-Shabab militants to prevent further incursions by the group. The region had been hailed as the most peaceful in Ethiopia since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed came to power in 2018. But that was put to the test three weeks ago when al-Shabab fighters forced …

Mali on Tuesday received military jets and a combat helicopter from Russia. During a ceremony, L-39 and Sukhoi-25 jets as well as Mi-24P helicopter gunships were displayed. Defense Minister Sadio Camara paid tribute to what he called Mali’s “win-win partnership with the Russian Federation.” The new deliveries “strengthen our reconnaissance …