Op-Ed: Russia’s new ‘fake news’ bills demonstrate censorship, oppression

The idea behind wanting to ban fake news seems simple enough: you find the “news” content that isn’t representing the truth objectively and legitimately, then prevent those sites from disseminating their material. However, in practice, laws are written and enforced by a nation’s government—making a legal ban on “fake news” into something else: a powerful […]

Outdated intel? Russia includes closed US military bases in their hypersonic nuke target list

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a nuclear warning to the United States, saying Russia’s nuclear arsenal would target the U.S. if America decided to deploy any nuclear weapons to the European continent following its formal withdrawal from the INF treaty. Putin’s remarks were reminiscent of a national address the Russian president delivered two […]

A fighter’s analysis of Putin training with the Russian judo team

This new footage of Vladimir Putin training with Russia’s judo team is exactly the sort of stunt world leaders with influence like to flaunt. The role of a nation’s president requires someone to be of sound mind and body. Further, public perception matters. Voters may second-guess backing a president without the health, stamina, or heart […]

Moscow has a plan to censor Russian internet–Google is already helping

The Kremlin announced plans to temporarily disconnect Russian internet users from the global internet infrastructure. All internet traffic will be re-directed through internal Russian state routing points and servers managed by Roskomnazor, the government’s federal communications service. Russian news agencies indicate this is a move intended to prepare the nation for potential fallout of a […]

Russia put up fake independent news outlets on Facebook, many sponsored by Sputnik

Early Thursday, Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook’s head of Cybersecurity Policy, announced the social media giant removed hundreds of fake pages and profiles on both Facebook and Instagram that misrepresented themselves as independent new outlets and individuals. Many of these fake news outlet pages were linked directly back to Russia’s state-owned news agency, Sputnik. “Today we removed […]

Russia’s ‘Zircon’ missile reportedly hits Mach 8 in recent test

The race for hypersonic missile supremacy is in full swing, with Russia testing yet another advanced platform this month. On December 10th, Russia conducted a test launch of their new Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile. According to reports, the platform’s engines fired as they were intended and the missile achieved a sustained speed of approximately 6,138 […]

Breaking: American arrested in Russia for espionage

On Monday, December 31st, Russian security services arrested an American man in Moscow on charges of espionage. Paul Whelan, who, according to his family, was visiting the Russian capital in order to attend a wedding, was arrested by the FSB—Russia’s domestic security service—for “carrying out an act of espionage.” A U.S. Marine veteran, Whelan had […]

Russia’s ‘Zircon’ missile reportedly hits Mach 8 in recent test

The race for hypersonic missile supremacy is in full swing, with Russia testing yet another advanced platform this month. On December 10th, Russia conducted a test launch of their new Zircon hypersonic anti-ship missile. According to reports, the platform’s engines fired as they were intended and the missile achieved a sustained speed of approximately 6,138 […]