Little Armenia Could Play a Big Role if Russia and Turkey Ever Go to War
It’s no secret that the relationship between Russia and Turkey is dismal, with the countries clashing over their respective roles in the Syrian civil war. Russia backs the Syrian regime. Turkey backs the regime’s opponents. What is less-known is a little country that has huge geopolitical significance and a... Read more
Will the Ceasefire in Syria Hold?
After five years of brutal civil war in Syria, is there finally light at the end of the tunnel? A new ceasefire deal brokered by the United States and Russia in late February offers some hope. The terms of the deal require the Americans and Russians to bring their... Read more
Believe It or Not, Russia Dislikes Relying on Military Contractors
On Jan. 28, the Duma began discussing the possibility of legalizing private military companies in Russia. The law, which counts influential vice prime minister Dmitry Rogozin as a supporter, has one major goal — to ensure that Iraqi oil fields where Russian firms Rosneft and Gazprom operate no longer... Read more
Russia Asked for American Rescue Copters in Syria
Shortly after Russia deployed an air wing to western Syria in order to help save the embattled regime of Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, Moscow asked the United States to supply rescue helicopters to keep watch over Russian aviators. The Pentagon said no, according to a brief story by... Read more
Cómo derrotar a Rusia al estilo finlandés
Artículo patrocinado por Publicaciones Osprey. En noviembre de 1939 tuvo lugar una conversación en el Kremlin que Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter y Toni Wirtanen, autores del nuevo libro “Finland at War: The Winter War 1939-40” de Publicaciones Osprey, describen como “profética.”... Read more
How to Defeat Russia, Finland-Style
Osprey Publishing sponsored this post. In November 1939 a conversation took place in the Kremlin that Vesa Nenye, Peter Munter and Toni Wirtanen — authors of the new book Finland at War: The Winter War 1939-40 from Osprey Publishing — describe as “prophetic.” After centuries of tension, newly independent... Read more
Russian Bombing Helps Islamic State Advance
Surprise, surprise — Russia’s intervention in Syria is backfiring, The New York Times reports. The Kremlin has said its military had entered Syria to fight the Islamic State, but the Russian forces have concentrated much of their firepower on insurgent groups aligned against President Bashar Al Assad, including the... Read more
Russia Says It’s No Problem Tracking America’s Space Plane
Russian army general Anatoly Nestechuk told radio station RSN that his troops have no difficulty keeping track of the U.S. Air Force’s secretive X-37B robotic space plane during its yearlong missions in low orbit. “It is for us the easiest task to look for the X-37B,” Nestechuk said. “It... Read more
The Big Thing the Russian Air Force Still Can’t Do
After two decades of neglect, the Russian air force is enjoying a petrodollar-funded renaissance. In 2010, the air force and naval aviation bought just 19 new fixed-wing airplanes. The number of new planes swelled to 24 in 2011, 35 in 2012, 51 a year later and a whopping 101... Read more
America’s Far-Off Hypersonic Weapons Freak Out Russia
In a near-future war, 1,000 missiles scream toward Russia at Mach 20. Each one a pinpoint strike hitting the Kremlin’s nuclear missiles, military radars, submarine bases — you name it. Within minutes, 80 percent of Russia’s nuclear arsenal is destroyed without the United States launching a single nuclear weapon... Read more

Robert Beckhusen

Managing Editor