February, 2022

• 16 February

  Islamic State collaborators received Turkish citizenship, official report shows

  

  A leaked report has revealed details about how the jihadi group used Turkey to traffic money and obtain supplies. Shortly after the Islamic State’s (IS’s) leader was killed in a Syrian hideout near the Turkish border, a leaked report by Turkey’s Financial Crimes Investigation Board (MASAK) revealed details about how …

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• 16 February

  Turkish opposition forms plan to oust Erdogan, restore parliament’s power

  

  At a weekend summit, six party heads charted a path to ending the executive presidential system that critics say has eroded the country’s democratic institutions. Leaders of six Turkish opposition parties convened this past weekend in Ankara to chart a path back from the executive presidential system, which they say …

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• 16 February

  No sign yet of Russian pullback from Ukraine border, NATO says

  

  NATO’s top official cast doubt Tuesday on a Russian claim that it had begun pulling some forces away from Ukraine’s borders, saying Moscow still has enough firepower assembled to launch a cross-border invasion on short notice. “So far, we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground,” NATO Secretary-General Jens …

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• 16 February

  Russia threatens to fire on foreign vessels in its waters after Navy sub incident

  

  Russia is prepared to fire on foreign ships and submarines that illegally enter its territorial waters, according to a senior official quoted by an independent Russian news agency. Any decision to attack would be taken only at the “highest level,” said Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov, deputy head of the main operational department …

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• 16 February

  101st Airborne soldiers are among additional 3,000 US troops deployed to Poland

  

  Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division at Fort Campbell, Ky., are among the 3,000 additional U.S. troops deploying to Poland to help NATO allies fortify their defenses as a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine looms, Army officials said Tuesday. A U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity Friday, omitted …

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• 16 February

  Biden: Russian invasion of Ukraine remains ‘distinctly possible’ despite recent talks

  

  President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine remains despite claims from Russian officials that they prefer a diplomatic resolution to the ongoing tensions in Eastern Europe. Biden said he would welcome continued diplomatic talks, though military analysts “indicate that [Russian forces] remain very …

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• 16 February

  Russia Begins To Withdraw Troops From Ukraine Border-One Day Before Predicted Invasion

  

  A Russian Ministry of Defence spokesman has announced that Russia will begin withdrawing troops from the Ukraine border saying these units have completed their military training exercises in the region. “Units of the southern and western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road …

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• 16 February

  Six months of Taliban: Afghans safer, poorer, less hopeful

  Afghanistan has undergone a dramatic transformation in half a year of Taliban rule. The country feels safer, less violent than it has in decades, but the once aid-fueled economy is barreling toward collapse. Tens of thousands of Afghans have fled or have been evacuated, including large numbers of educated elites. …

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• 16 February

  Russians scoff at Western fears of Ukraine invasion

  While the U.S. warns that Russia could invade Ukraine any day, the drumbeat of war is all but unheard in Moscow, where pundits and ordinary people alike don’t expect President Vladimir Putin to launch an attack on its ex-Soviet neighbor. The Kremlin has cast the U.S. warnings of an imminent …

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• 16 February

  Greek-Turkish relations in the pre-election arena

  Greek-Turkish relations are not moving forward. The (Greek) prime minister may have started his administration believing that progress could be made, but today the impasse is obvious and no light can be seen at the end of the tunnel. Greece, Turkey and Cyprus have entered a pre-election trajectory. It has …

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