Tag: Russia

An analysis of Uzbekistan and its role in the subtle but important changes in the security dynamic of Central Asia, and why you should care about it.

Recent comments on Twitter and on SOFREP.com’s Facebook page have spurred some of us here at the site to wonder if we are experiencing first-hand a Russian covert action program to counter-message what the Russian government sees as articles and opinions hostile to Russian interests. Recent SOFREP articles by Brandon Webb and Eric Jones, for […]

The consequences for a resurgent Russia’s policies undermining territorial integrity of several states in eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia have become more apparent since the annexation of Crimea last March and during the ongoing war in eastern Ukraine. Eurasia has quickly become a battleground in the conflict brewing between, on one side, the […]

The 23rd of October, 2014 marked the handover of the last U.S. Marine Corps base to Afghan control. During the ceremony, Camp Leatherneck, along with British-run Camp Bastion, were handed over to Afghan forces, marking the close of the NATO and allied mission in Regional Command Southwest, overseeing Helmand and Nimroz provinces. On 28 December, […]

With the recent codification of the joint forces agreement binding Georgian breakaway region Abkhazia and Russia, observers of the South Caucasus have anxiously anticipated a similar change in Moscow’s relations with South Ossetia. As a prelude to my next article, updating the situation in South Ossetia, here I will examine the strategic importance of Georgia […]

Why do countries such as Ukraine, Moldova, and Georgia matter to United States policymakers? What in the world (or at least Eurasia) is going on over there, and why is such a complicated situation of concern to the U.S. and Europe?

With the recent codification of the joint forces agreement binding Georgian breakaway region Abkhazia and Russia, observers of the South Caucasus have anxiously anticipated a similar change in Moscow’s relations with South Ossetia. You can find background on the issues involving Russian involvement in Georgia in my previous articles on Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Georgia: Russia […]

For as long as history has included naval military power, Russia has been on a quest to “reach the warm sea.” Something most Western nations take for granted, the presence of a port that doesn’t freeze in the winter can mean the difference between a thriving nation and one brought to its knees economically and militarily. […]

The new Russian Unified Strategic Command (Obedinonnye Strategicheskoe Komandovanie—OSK) “Sever” was deemed operational on December 1, 2014. It has been created to strengthen the vast border’s security and protect the growing Russian interests in the Arctic. But the question is if the creation of OSK Sever could jeopardize allied security in the Arctic? In October 2013, […]

As explained in Parts One through Three of “Beyond Ukraine”, Russia strategists have essentially calcified the country’s approach towards undermining the influence of the European community in integration efforts of former Soviet republics. Cultivating support for insurrectionist activity in order to undermine the territorial integrity of states such as Ukrain and Georgia is one part […]

In the first two parts of this series, I outlined Russian foreign-policy priorities as each relates to the state’s national interests. I have examined how those drivers have converged to begin impacting conflict zones in Eastern Europe and Central Asia in the past 12 months. Over the last few months, I have focused most of […]

France’s $1.6 billion deal to sell two Mistral-class warships to Russia has been postponed. The recent downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was the turning point in the sale. However, France was still ready to go forward with the transfer of the first ship, the Vladivostok, if all the conditions were respected. These conditions included a […]