Kremlin

Russia’s method of investing in its defense infrastructure is quite different from America’s. The Kremlin knows it can’t build or sustain a military that could directly compete with the U.S., or even China. Thus, develops audacious “doomsday” 100-megaton nuclear weapons and high-profile projects like their fifth-generation fighter that won’t be produced in any substantial numbers. […]

Last month, Russia launched a large-scale series of training exercises known as Vostok (Eat). Like last year’s Zapad (West) drills, these exercises approximate a large-scale conflict on one side of Russia’s expansive territorial claims. These drills are usually quite the spectacle, with Russian officials making a habit of lying about how large (or small) the […]

Budapest, Hungary—Russian businessmen have been paying hundreds of thousands of euros to buy visas from the Hungarian government. Starting in 2013, the Hungarian government distributed visas in exchange for the purchase of government bonds worth from $290,000 to $300,000. Although the EU successfully ceased the operation, more than 20,000 individuals took the opportunity and purchased a […]

On Thursday, the Justice Department announced the indictment of seven Russian intelligence officials, as accusations and allegations regarding Russia’s intelligence community continue to mount. All seven defendants are members of Russia’s GRU, KGB’s successor and rough equivalent to the CIA. The charges include hacking, wire fraud, identity theft, and money laundering carried out in an […]

If you’ve found yourself feeling as though there’s no way to escape domestic politics in this era of heightened partisan bickering, you may have Russia to thank. Recent studies into online behavior tied to Kremlin-linked accounts in recent years have repeatedly shown how Russian operatives engage with Americans regarding far more than presidential candidates. Although […]

China has a long history of skipping the research and development stage when it comes to fielding new military aircraft, instead opting to purchase or outright steal aviation technology from peers and competitors like the United States and Russia. Much ado about China’s fifth-generation J-20 and forthcoming J-31 platforms has already been made in the […]

Facing a stagnate economy and international economic sanctions, Russia is focusing on high profile endeavors meant to pile up headlines rather than kill counts. Programs like their 5th generation Su-57 multi-role fighter, their advanced T-14 Armata battle tank, and their ground fighting infantry drone Uran-9 have all seen more action on op-ed columns and analysis […]

Russia is no stranger to luring washed-up American celebrities to their international causes as a means of clinging to their last remaining bits of fame. Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst, for instance, fell in love with the Russian people so much that he moved to recently annexed Crimea to begin making Kremlin-funded films. Vladimir Putin’s […]

Despite a fairly limited budget and access to resources, the past few years have been dominated by discussions of Russia’s covert and hybrid warfare efforts the world over. With a Gross Domestic Product that’s a bit more than 1/18th the size of America’s and a defense budget that’s roughly 1/10th that of the most dominant […]

Reports have begun to surface that suggest Russia is doubling down not only on their use of nuclear submarines, but on the importance of hypersonic-capable missile platforms, as they appear to be adjusting their defense budget to fast track the development of eight new nuclear missile submarines purpose built for the next generation of Russian […]

Russia’s annual military exercises occur within a four year rotation, with each year within that cycle devoted to a particular facet of Russian military operations. Last year, they held their massive Zapad (meaning “West”) drills in Belarus, prompting concerns from NATO allies in the Baltics. This year, their Vostok exercises (this time, meaning “East”) took […]

Swiss officials issued a clear demand to Russia’s Foreign Ministry to cease their illegal spying efforts within their nation on Sunday, following the revelation of another case of espionage carried out by Russian operatives within the past week. For the third time this year, the Swiss foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to answer for […]