Tag: Ukraine

Opinion: France’s Political Crisis and Its Ripple Effects Across Europe
4Dec José Carlos PalmaBy José Carlos PalmaNo Comments
José Carlos Palma, Strategic Horizons by José Carlos Palma

Opinion: France’s Political Crisis and Its Ripple Effects Across Europe

By José Carlos Palma* The ousting of French Prime Minister Michel Barnier by an unprecedented alliance of the left and far right represents more than just a domestic political crisis; it signals a seismic shift with profound implications for the European Union’s stability and cohesion. As Europe grapples with multifaceted challenges—a political stalemate in Germany, the war in Ukraine, and the impending presidency of Donald Trump in the United States—France’s internal turmoil could exacerbate the fractures in an already fragile union. France’s Role in European Leadership France, alongside Germany, has traditionally been a cornerstone of the European Union. President Emmanuel Macron’s vision of a “sovereign Europe” has sought to counterbalance external pressures from Russia, China, and...
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Understanding the Limited Opposition to Russia’s Ukraine War: A Sociological Perspective
2Nov ISSGBy ISSGNo Comments
Russia and Eurasia, Study Office

Understanding the Limited Opposition to Russia’s Ukraine War: A Sociological Perspective

Photo: Russian soldiers head towards a train station in Volgograd Oblast By José Carlos Palma * Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, and the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, have faced relatively limited opposition from the Russian populace. Despite international concerns and the conflict's longevity, a recent study by Russian sociologist Lev Gudkov, head of the independent Leveda Center, provides insights into the factors contributing to this lack of widespread anti-war sentiment. Stifled Dissent: Strict Censorship and State Propaganda One of the key reasons for the lack of opposition to the Ukraine war in Russia is the presence of strict censorship and pervasive state propaganda. Gudkov notes that the majority of Russians are deprived of independent news sources due to censorshi...
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Geopolitical and Technocratic: EU International Actorness and Russia’s War Against Ukraine
16Mar ISSGBy ISSGNo Comments
Europe

Geopolitical and Technocratic: EU International Actorness and Russia’s War Against Ukraine

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022 marked the start of the largest and most brutal war at the heart of the European continent since World War II. It inevitably came as a "cold shower" for the EU and Member States' politicians, demonstrating with absolute certainty the fragility of the international and European security order. The EU responded to the invasion with unprecedented sanctions against Russia and Belarus and multi-faceted resolute support to Ukraine. The latter included the breaking of many previously existing taboos, such as the first ever use of the European Peace Facility to procure weapons for a third country at war or offering collective protection to about 8 million Ukrainian citizens and residents, fleeing the war. The war prompted EU leaders to...
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Is China Losing Patience with Russia’s War?
24Feb ISSGBy ISSGNo Comments
Asia

Is China Losing Patience with Russia’s War?

By NOAH ROTHMAN * China’s supposed peace overture is likely a product of its unease with how its junior partner in Eurasia has prosecuted the conflict. All Our Opinion in Your Inbox NR Daily is delivered right to you every afternoon. No charge. SUBSCRIBE For months, political observers have been confronted with growing evidence that the formerly durable consensus in the West around the need to support Ukraine in its defense against Russia’s war of territorial expansion is eroding. This developing trend has been met with both trepidation and jubilance, depending on the observer’s political affinities. The risks associated with drawing a potentially fallacious straight-line projection into the future notwithstanding, the trend is real, and no one can afford to ignore it. ...
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There are almost 6,000 Russian soldiers in Belarus – Intelligence Agency
26Jan ISSGBy ISSGNo Comments
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Privacy

There are almost 6,000 Russian soldiers in Belarus – Intelligence Agency

There are almost 6,000 Russian soldiers on the territory of Belarus. According to the press service of the Main Intelligence Agency of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the corresponding statement was made by the representative of the Main Intelligence Agency Vadym Skibitsky on the air of the national telethon. "Today, the land component on the territory of Belarus is 5,800 military personnel. The second mechanized division has now moved to the territory of Russia, and has also entered the territory of Ukraine. This is Luhansk region. Now units of the sixth division, units of territorial troops, are entering there for training. This is not at all like that the contingent that was at the beginning of the aggression. There is no powerful aviation component, despite the training, there is...
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Why Is Russia Recruiting Former Afghan Soldiers For Its War Against Ukraine? – Analysis
16Jan ISSGBy ISSGNo Comments
Defense Strategy and Capabilities, Defense & Security

Why Is Russia Recruiting Former Afghan Soldiers For Its War Against Ukraine? – Analysis

By The Jamestown Foundation According to multiple reports, Russia is recruiting Afghan security personnel, who were previously trained by the United States, for its war effort against Ukraine. The former Afghan elite commandos and soldiers are reportedly joining the Russian private military company known as the Wagner Group, a private mercenary force playing a prominent role in Moscow’s war against Ukraine—especially in the recent intense fighting around Bakhmut (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, December 27, 2022). Before its military withdrawal, which was completed in 2021, the US built and trained the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces, spending almost $90 billion over the past 20 years. US Navy SEALs and the British Special Air Service handled most of the training for these u...
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Technology remains key to geopolitical success
14Jan ISSGBy ISSGNo Comments
Technology and Innovation

Technology remains key to geopolitical success

BY BRAD GLOSSERMAN * The quest to master the development of new technologies has been a defining characteristic of modern Japan. Commodore Matthew C. Perry’s 1853 visit demonstrated the necessity of technological superiority to secure the nation’s defense; the naval officer’s “invitation” to open to the outside world was issued by the guns and cannons with which his fleet was armed. It was a compelling request. Recognition of Japan’s backwardness prompted the Meiji Restoration and frantic efforts to catch up. Among the goals of the Iwakura Mission to the United States and Europe between 1871 and 1873 was a study of national industrial structures and the technologies that they produced. While the link between technology and national defense was clear when Perry’s fleet sailed into Ed...
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Russia plans to mobilize 500,000 soldiers in days. If they don’t deliver victory, then ‘Putin will collapse,’ says Ukrainian spy chief.
7Jan ISSGBy ISSGNo Comments
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Privacy

Russia plans to mobilize 500,000 soldiers in days. If they don’t deliver victory, then ‘Putin will collapse,’ says Ukrainian spy chief.

The Ukrainian military is warning that Putin is planning to mobilize up to half a million new troops in preparation for a new offensive in Ukraine. Speaking to the German news site T-Online, Andriy Chernyak, a Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service representative, said that they believe the mobilization will be announced on January 15, after the Orthodox Christian Christmas. Chernyak estimated 500,000 people would be mobilized, with those living in cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg to be most impacted. Vadym Skibitsky, Ukraine's deputy military intelligence chief, said the recruits would be used in attacks that will begin in the spring in the east and south of Ukraine, reported the Evening Standard. "We expect them to conduct offensives in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions, as well as...
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Russia’s war in Ukraine marks ‘sea change’ in use of intelligence, GCHQ boss says
7Jan ISSGBy ISSGNo Comments
Intelligence, Surveillance, and Privacy

Russia’s war in Ukraine marks ‘sea change’ in use of intelligence, GCHQ boss says

  The conflict in Ukraine has represented a “sea change” in the release of secret intelligence to inform public debate, the head of the GCHQ spy agency has said. Sir Jeremy Fleming said the release of details by western intelligence agencies of the Russian military build-up in the run up to the invasion had helped counter Moscow’s narrative that Ukraine was threatening its neighbour. However, speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, he acknowledged that it had proved more effective in theWest than in other parts of the world. https://twitter.com/BBCr4today/status/1608418515169546241 “There is no point in collecting it (secret intelligence) unless you use it,” he said. “The sea change we have seen during this conflict, getting the intelligence out there and us...
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