Russia

Trump’s sudden pledge that Ukraine can reclaim all occupied land is less a policy than a gamble—one that only matters if he backs it with steel, not slogans.

From Waltz’s bruising confirmation to the U.N., to a nation preparing for Charlie Kirk’s massive memorial, Polish jets scrambling against Russian strikes, and Qatar freezing mediation after an Israeli hit in Doha, the world feels like it’s moving from one crisis stage to the next without pause. Welcome to SOFREP’s Saturday Evening Brief for September 20, 2025.

From Capitol Hill’s grilling of FBI Director Kash Patel over Charlie Kirk’s assassination, to U.S. officers quietly observing Russia-Belarus war games, and Donald Trump’s reversal on TikTok, the week showed Washington balancing political firestorms, military brinkmanship, and digital-age dealmaking all at once. Here is your Tuesday evening SOFREP News Brief for September 16th, 2025.

The so-called “Española” brigade—born from Russia’s football hooligan underworld—has become both a neo-Nazi mercenary force and a combat testbed for Moscow’s newest assault rifles in Ukraine.

Erika Kirk vows to carry on her slain husband’s work as Tyler Robinson faces charges for the Utah killing, Ryan Routh flails in court over his alleged Trump assassination attempt, and President Trump pressures NATO to unite on sanctions against Russia and tariffs on China. It’s Saturday, September 13th, 2025. This is your SOFREP Evening Brief.

Russia will not break me, and I will carry the fight against its lies and brutality wherever I can.

Russia’s illegal militarization of Wrangel Island transforms a UNESCO wildlife sanctuary into a forward outpost of Arctic imperialism, threatening both the environment and U.S. national security.

Congress faces shutdown fight, Houthis hit tanker, Xi, Putin, Modi unite at SCO summit. Your SOFREP intel drop for Monday, September 1, 2025.

Russia strikes Kyiv, Germany boosts arms, NATO spending rises. Welcome to your SOFREP Morning Brief for Thursday, August 28, 2025.

I came home from Bucha with the faces of the dead fixed in my mind and a single, stubborn question riding shotgun: how do we make Putin and his enablers answer for what they did?

Ceding Ukrainian land to Russia would not only violate Ukraine’s sovereignty and international law, but also reward aggression, embolden further expansionism, and undermine the global order the U.S. and its allies are bound to defend.

A 22-year-old tank crewman with a top-secret clearance allegedly tried to trade America’s most guarded armor secrets for a Russian passport, proving the deadliest threats can come from within.