Russia’s FSB spooked CIA on Prigozhin ‘coup’
It wouldn’t have escaped the attention of Russian intelligence analysts that Prigozhin’s ranting and ravings from Donetsk from last autumn and winter began originally on the operational aspects of the Bakhmut war front in Donetsk oblast, but incrementally began acquiring political overtones. The ‘known known’ here is that the Russian intelligence was under instructions to be in ‘listening mode’
The rise and fall of Wagner Group’s Yevgeny Prigozhin
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s increasingly defiant public posturing was becoming a serious distraction for the Kremlin. One possibility is that Russian intelligence gave him a long rope to hang himself
Biden walks back on Ukraine’s NATO accession
The heart of the matter is that Biden realizes that the ongoing Ukrainian offensive is heading for a train crash and the decimation of Kiev’s remaining army
Russia won’t let Ukraine be a bleeding wound
NATO expected the Ukrainian forces to punch through key Russian fortifications by now. In reality, they are struggling to get anywhere near the sprawling layered fortifications and in that desperate attempt, are taking massive losses
The rise and rise of far-right in Germany
A recent poll indicated that 20% of voters might support the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD). There is no mistaking that it is a political earthquake and in the coming years, the party could become indispensable in the formation of a federal government in Berlin
Asia-Pacific is where China-Russia ‘no limits’ partnership will be put to test
The Northeast Asian theater is going to be a crucial arena in the brewing big-power confrontation, what with the Arctic hotting up and the Northern Sea Route becoming operational. This will catapult the strategic importance of the Russian Far East and Siberia as the powerhouse of the world economy in the 21st century
Kakhovka dam breach is a perfect crime
The breach in the Nova Kakhovka dam is a catastrophe of colossal proportions. However, identifying who is responsible is made difficult by the fact that both Ukraine and Russia can be deemed as “winners” or “losers” after the incident
Russia, China take holistic view of Pamirs, Hindu Kush
The Xi’an Declaration, issued after the First China-Central Asia Summit at Xi’an on May 18-19, takes a direct hit at the West’s interference in the region. It also contradicts the notion in Washington and Brussels that Russia and China’s dominance on the Central Asian steppe is not sustainable