• Ukraine unveils key individuals behind Russia's sanction-evading 'shadow fleet'

    The Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has released new data on the captains steering Russia's elusive "shadow" tanker fleet. Captains hold ultimate authority on a ship, possessing vital knowledge about its ownership, the value of its cargo, and the vessel’s conditions. According to this fresh disclosure on the War&Sanctions website, information about 57 captains and 45 vessels involved in transporting sanctioned oil is now in the public domain. Some of these tankers …

  • Sudan and Russia finalize naval base agreement

    Sudan's Foreign Minister Ali Yusuf Sharif announced that Sudan and Russia are is in full agreement on establishing a Russian naval base in Sudan.

    This statement was made during a joint press conference with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The agreement for constructing the naval facility in Port Sudan was initially signed in 2020, with discussions starting as early as 2017.

    The base is intended to host up to four Russian ships and no more than 300 personnel. The agreement faced …

  • Russian regions hit with massive drone attack

    In the Russian city of Lipetsk, a woman sustained injuries following a drone incident, according to Lipetsk regional governor Igor Artamonov.

    As reported on Thursday, February 13, via his Telegram channel, debris from the unmanned aerial vehicle left the employee of the Lipetsk Aeration Station, a key water treatment facility in southern Lipetsk, with shrapnel wounds. She has since been hospitalized.

    Significantly, the station is located near the Novolipetsk Steel Plant, highlighted as one of …

  • Trump's surprise phone call with Putin shakes Europe, raises concerns for Ukraine amid Russia's gains

    According to Carlo Masala, an expert from Munich's Bundeswehr University, the U.S. withdrawal from the Russia-Ukraine war signifies a victory for Russia. However, Ukrainian officials dismiss this perspective as "utter nonsense."

    Talks between Russia and the United States are unfolding "over the heads" of Ukrainians and Europeans, presenting an "apocalyptic" scenario, Masala expressed in an interview with German tabloid BILD.

    U.S. President Donald Trump's phone call to Russia and talks with …

  • Russia faces arsenal depletion, turns to North Korea for military support

    Defense analyst Serhiy Zghurets reports that Russia is facing challenges in rebuilding its military stockpiles. However, the Kremlin may have found an ally in North Korea, which has been eager to bolster Russia's arsenal. Despite ongoing conflicts on the Ukrainian front, Russia is struggling to keep up with the equipment losses.

    In an interview on Espreso TV aired on February 12, Zghurets of Defense Express highlighted the depletion of some of Russia's most combat-ready Soviet-era stockpiles, …

  • Putin's financial safety net melts away: Russia's National Wealth Fund could run out Sooner than expected

    As Russia grapples with economic challenges, its primary financial cushion—the National Wealth Fund—could become depleted within six months if oil prices significantly drop.

    The National Wealth Fund, once bolstered by substantial revenues from oil and gas, is rapidly diminishing. Since the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, this financial buffer has been utilized to plug budget gaps but is now shrinking significantly.

    By February 1, the liquid assets of the fund, which include gold and foreign …

  • Polish President Duda expresses hope Trump's business acumen can bring Putin to negotiation table on Ukraine

    During the World Government Summit in Dubai, Polish President Andrzej Duda expressed hope that U.S. leader Donald Trump could leverage the necessary influence to bring Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to the negotiating table.

    "I'm counting on President Trump, who loudly declares his desire to end the war in Ukraine, to present and implement solutions that will not only be a political and economic victory, but also compel Vladimir Putin to negotiate," stated the Polish leader.

    Duda emphasized …

  • New US asylum regulations lead to surge in detentions of Russian migrants

    Recent changes in entry and asylum procedures for Russian citizens have resulted in a wave of arrests at the U.S. border. Russian nationals seeking political asylum in the United States have been experiencing significant difficulties for several months, immigration attorneys and asylum seekers told The Moscow Times.

    Many Russians who pre-registered with the CBP One program find themselves in immigration detention centers indefinitely after crossing the border, awaiting decisions on their cases. …

  • Kremlin rejects Zelensky's territory swap proposal as 'impossible'

    Russia has firmly stated it will never discuss exchanging its territory, rejecting a claim by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

    Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Moscow will not negotiate territory swaps with Ukraine. This comes after Zelensky suggested swapping parts of the Kursk region, controlled by Ukrainian forces, for land captured by Russia.

    Peskov insisted that such a territorial exchange is out of the question, ensuring that Ukrainian forces would be expelled from …

  • Syrian Army blocks Russian convoy transporting air defense missiles to Tartus naval base

    A convoy of approximately 35 Russian military trucks, heavily laden with air defense missiles and other weaponry, was stopped in Syria by the Syrian army. The convoy was en route to the port of Tartus, carrying the military equipment, including the transport-launch containers with S-300 and S-400 anti-aircraft missiles, back to Russia. The convoy was blocked and forced to return to the Khmeimim base in the Latakia countryside, as reported by journalist Mete Sohtaoglu.

    In an analysis by Defence …