The “August curse” has spared the Kremlin this year, but the same cannot be said of Russia’s central bank. The month has periodically been the venue of political surprises in Russia, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has apparently shot down any doubt that he retains full power. However, a massive exchange rate crash brought on
The full-scale Russian invasion has thrust Ukraine’s tech sector into the limelight and highlighted the importance of a national digitalization drive that was already well underway prior to the outbreak of hostilities. While international attention has understandably focused on the innovative defense tech developments that are currently helping Ukraine to defend itself on the battlefield,
After months of deliberation over supplying advanced fighter aircraft to Ukraine, Denmark and the Netherlands jointly agreed earlier this week to send Ukraine F-16 fighter jets after the United States signaled it would support the transfer. The timeline for Ukraine receiving these supersonic jets is predicated on Ukrainian pilots and ground crew completing training on
This article was updated on August 24 at 2:21 p.m. to reflect unfolding events. As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) is keeping a close eye on Russia’s movements across the military, cyber, and information domains. With more than seven years of experience monitoring the situation in
In Season 1, Episode 6 of the Guns for Hire podcast, host Alia Brahimi is joined by her Atlantic Council colleague Emadeddin Badi. They discuss the surge of African, Syrian and Russian mercenaries in Libya since 2019, the major value-add of Wagner Group contractors in terms of mortar and sniping capabilities, and how mercenary recruitment
The first line of the Ukrainian national anthem is perhaps best translated as “Ukraine’s glory has not yet perished.” Written in the middle of the nineteenth century at a time when the Russian imperial authorities were attempting to suppress all expressions of Ukrainian national identity, the anthem remains highly relevant and perfectly captures the determination
There are few more meaningful public holidays on the 2023 calendar than Ukrainian Independence Day. However, with the country locked in a brutal fight for national survival, few are in the mood to celebrate. Instead, this week’s thirty-second anniversary of the 1991 declaration of independence is an opportunity to reflect on the deep historical roots
JUST IN The plane was flying northwest, then events went south quickly. On Wednesday, Wagner Group founder Yevgeniy Prigozhin and nine other people were reportedly killed when their aircraft, en route from Moscow to Saint Petersburg, crashed under mysterious circumstances. In late June, Prigozhin led a short-lived mutiny in Russia that involved a convoy of
It was easier to approach Moscow in June than to leave it in August. Wagner Group mercenary leader Yevgeniy Prigozhin, who staged a short-lived mutiny against the Russian military two months ago, was reportedly killed in a plane crash along with nine other passengers on Wednesday while traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg, according to
As the world confronts Russia’s continued war against Ukraine, the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) increasing maritime aggressions, and an ever-growing North Korean nuclear arsenal, the Indo-Pacific region appears to be at an inflection point that will shape Taiwan’s status both regionally and internationally. All these issues and more have kept a spotlight on Taiwan,
