Russia

Russia Plans Spring Offensive in Ukraine, Warns Ex-NATO Chief Wesley Clark

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Russian-backed separatists are planning a fresh offensive in eastern Ukraine that could come within a matter of months, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, warned March 30. “What is happening now is preparations for a renewed offensive from the east,” and this could take place following Orthodox Easter, on April 12, […]

General Hodges: Ukraine Target of Massive Amounts of Artillery and Rocket Fire

By Defense News

The fighting that has been going on in Ukraine is a very serious, kinetic, violent steel-on-steel fight. This is not some rebels sniping at each other.

Dutch Foreign Minister Worried About Russia’s Nuclear Exercises and Threats

By Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands

NATO’s collective strength lies in the solidarity among its members: one for all and all for one. The Netherlands is helping the alliance to make changes, for instance by enhancing the deployability and responsiveness of NATO units.

NATO Military Commander: Alliance Needs to Improve Intelligence Sharing

By Mike Corder, AP

NATO’s top commander in Europe said Wednesday that alliance nations must be willing to share their intelligence faster if its new rapid-reaction force is to be effective in countering threats.

Less-Stringent Minsk II Terms Paved the Way for Renewed Sanctions

By John E. Herbst

On March 19, delegates at the European Union Summit in Brussels agreed to extend tough sanctions against Moscow—until year’s end if necessary—to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to implement the Minsk II ceasefire. Under terms of that deal, signed on February 12, EU sanctions won’t be lifted until Ukraine takes back full control of its […]

Managing Differences on European Security in 2015

By Atlantic Council, Russian International Affairs Council and the European Leadership Network

This report is the result of a series of brainstorming sessions that took place between the summer of 2013 and the winter of 2014-2015, and between American, Russian, and European experts. The teams were led by Ellen Tauscher, the Vice Chair of the Atlantic Council’s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security and the former US […]

What’s Russia Doing in Africa?

Atlantic Council’s Pham shares insights on Russia’s acitivities on the continent Under pressure from the West over its actions in Ukraine, including the annexation of Crimea, Russia is increasingly turning its attention to Africa, says J. Peter Pham, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Africa Center. “Recent developments have validated these concerns as the siloviki around […]

Russia’s Resurgent Interest in Africa

By J. Peter Pham, AfricaSource

One year after the disputed referendum to join Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula to Russia, the Kremlin is increasingly finding in Africa a welcome break from what has otherwise been its continued international diplomatic and economic isolation