As Russian officials play down the economic impact of President Vladimir Putin’s order to invade Ukraine, the emergence of end-of-year data from 2022 in recent weeks has painted a mixed picture of the economy’s performance. There were some positive signs: inflation receded after hitting a peak in April, while oil …

For those in Russia’s ruling elite set on reaching the top, the war in Ukraine is an unexpected new career elevator. Ever sensitive to the whims of President Vladimir Putin, the presidential administration is increasingly keen to reward veterans of the conflict. It is not, however, actual combat veterans who …

In every city in Russia and Ukraine there are monuments to past wars and the millions who were sacrificed to the ambitions of leaders who chose to realize their objectives with guns, bombs, and bayonets. With brutal battles raging now in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s meaningless war against Ukraine, many …

An independent media outlet tallying the number of Russian military fatalities in Ukraine advertised this week for volunteers because — for the first time since the start of the war — it did not have enough people to process the incoming reports of deaths. Mediazona’s staffing issues are just one …

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Throughout Russia’s war on Ukraine, the Kremlin’s disinformation efforts have sought to craft and disseminate false narratives that serve several political goals and influence public opinion about the conflict.Since April 2022, Russian-backed information manipulation networks online have sought to seed and amplify a number of false narratives regarding Sweden and …

A late January drone strike on a military production plant in Isfahan, Iran, purportedly conducted by Israel, was likely intended to send a message to Iranian leaders that they are vulnerable to attack.The strike is unlikely to change Iran’s behavior but signals Israel’s intent to escalate if Iran continues to …

PROPER DEGREE OF GRATITUDE & THANKS IS DUE SEYMOUR HERSH The recent revelations of investigative journalist Seymour Hersh, Pulitzer Prize Winner for his reportage on the infamous My Lai Massacre during the Vietnam War, has just broken the colossal true story of how America took out Russia’s Nord Stream I …

The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Friday that Washington owed the world an explanation, following the publication of journalist Seymour Hersh’s report, claiming the U.S. was behind the September 2022 attack on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. Media reports said: “We have noted the reports,” Mao Ning said, responding …

Ali Tawfiq Samra was appointed director of the Air Defense Department of the regime’s militias, according to Shaam Network. Media sources close to the Assad regime revealed the appointment of an officer with the rank of Major General named Ali Tawfiq Samra as director of the Air Defense Department of …