Section: The Jamestown Foundation (USA)
Steppe Eagle- 2015 Exercise Unites CSTO and NATO forces in Kazakhstan
On April 6, the military exercise Steppe Eagle–2015 officially began with an opening ceremony at Kazakhstan’s Ilisky Training Area. Kazakhstan’s Airmobile Forces commander General-Major Daulet Ospanov remarked, “The experience gained by our soldiers is very valuable.” While the United States’ defense attaché to Kazakhstan,...
Russia and Yemen’s Agony
Russia’s position on the fighting in Yemen needs to be understood in terms of its overall approach to the Middle East. And Moscow’s approach to the region has become more confident and strident, as Washington’s has become ever more confused and disjointed. Vitaly Naumkin, a leading Russian analyst, observes that Russia seeks to...
Security Service Suspects Moscow Behind Explosions Shaking Ukrainian Cities
Although, for now, the ceasefire agreements reached in February 2015 appear to be mostly holding in eastern Ukraine, nationwide feelings of anxiety and stress persist. This is not only due to the fear that Vladimir Putin may restart the war in May, but also due to the growing challenge of petty terrorism. In various cities across the country,...
Are Russian Military Exercises in the North Caucasus a Signal to Azerbaijan and Georgia?
Russian defense and interior ministry troops have each staged large-scale military exercises, one after another. Military drills take place across Russia practically year-round, but what was interesting about a recent series of exercises is that they were conducted in the mountainous regions of the North Caucasus. Russia’s borders with...
Was France Preparing to Supply the Latest Anti-Aircraft and Anti-Missile Systems to Georgia?
Irakli Alasania, the former Georgian minister of defense (October 2012–November 2014), recently lifted the veil of secrecy over a mysterious document he signed during his visit to France in October 2014 (Newsday.ge, October 28, 2014). That memorandum of understanding (MoU), which was agreed to in Paris, had resulted in the most serious crisis in...
Abuse of Chechens and Ingush in Russian Prisons Creates Legions of Enemies
Sixteen years have passed since the start of the second Russian-Chechen war, but Chechen and Ingush detainees from various parts of the Russian Federation continue to cry out for help. In accordance with Russian law, the convicts are often sent to the farthest corners of the country to serve their sentences, most often to Siberia and the Russian...
Ukraine Defuses Pro-Russia Instigations in Odesa Province
President Petro Poroshenko recently instructed the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) to “nip any separatist organizations in the bud […] so that Ukraine should not again have to pay a heavy price later on,” as is now the case in Donetsk-Luhansk (Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, March 25). In the spirit of preventive action, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies...
Russian Military and Paramilitary Forces Preparing to Suppress Internal Dissent
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings are sky-high, and his aggressive anti-Western policies enjoy wide support. Over 50 percent agree “Russia is moving in the right direction,” despite its present economic doldrums (Interfax, February 26). Only 13 percent of Russians disapprove of Putin’s work record—not that a small...
State Duma Members Call on Russian President to Abolish Federal Districts
On April 4, the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported that a group of State Duma deputies are preparing to call on the country’s president and government to reform or even abolish the federal districts in the Russian Federation. Removing the federal districts from the Russian administrative map would save the government about $50...
His Master’s Voice: Lavrov Tours Latin America
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s recent tour of Latin America aimed to build on Moscow’s previous successes among pro-Russian regimes there—Cuba, Nicaragua, Venezuela—as well as to establish stronger ties with pro-US countries like Colombia. But beyond bilateral relations, Lavrov also endeavored to enhance Russia’...
