Eurasia

The Fire That Didn’t Burn: Transnistria’s Unanswered Call for Russian Support

On February 28, the legislature of Transnistria, a pro-Russia, de facto independent state internationally recognized as part of Moldova, appealed to Moscow for “protection” from the pro-European government in Chisinau. This preceded Russian President Vladimir Putin’s annual address the...

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Putin’s Warped Idea of Russian History

The total wartime losses of Russia and Ukraine are difficult to estimate. Neither country publishes accurate data, exaggerating the enemy’s losses and downplaying their own. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukraine allegedly lost 406,000 people killed and...

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The Visegrád Four: Disunity in Central Europe

When the Russian army rolled into Ukraine in late February of 2022, it was clear that the invasion would create serious political and security repercussions for countries across the region. In addition to the immediate threat to Ukraine’s independence,...

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Navalny’s Death and the Future of Dissent in Russia

On February 16, Russian authorities announced that long-time opposition figure and Putin critic, Alexei Navalny, had died in prison while serving a nineteen-year-long sentence. Navalny, forty-seven, tirelessly challenged Putin’s corrupt, authoritarian regime, often at a high cost, and was...

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Can Europe Hold the Line on Ukraine?

When it comes to supporting Ukraine, the European Union has taken a decisive lead over the United States. On February 1, Brussels passed a massive, four-year, 50 billion euro (roughly $53.7 billion) package of aid to Ukraine. At the...

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Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the “Special Military Operation” in Ukraine

  Key Findings Russia’s Black Sea Fleet’s supremacy on the Black Sea naval theater was contested in the early stage of the conflict. Ukraine’s anti-surface and drone capacities have challenged the Black Sea Fleet’s supremacy at sea, creating a...

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The Baltic Defense Line

The three Baltic states jointly announced on Jan. 19, 2024, their intention to build a defensive line along their borders with Russia and Belarus. Initial details are scarce. The defensive line will not include coastal defenses — Baltic coasts...

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Membership Drive: The European Union’s Renewed Focus on the European Integration Project

The start of a new year is typically considered a time to “start fresh” with new goals. In that spirit, the European Union has decided to get a head start on pursuing an enduring one—European integration. On Dec. 14,...

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A “Frozen Conflict” Boils Over: Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 and Future Implications

Executive Summary This report has two objectives: first, to present an account of the conflict with an emphasis on analytically useful categories and context up to the present, and second, to discuss local, regional, and global consequences of the...

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Russia Steps Up the Competition in Africa

Amidst the smoldering wreckage of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane, it appeared that Wagner Group would suffer without its senior leadership, putting its African projects in jeopardy. Yet, Russia is stepping up in Africa after the demise of Prigozhin. What will...

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