Editorial paper at Robert Lansing Institute

From Georgia to Armenia: Russia’s Use of Economic Warfare to Preserve Regional Influence

Russia’s Federal Service for Surveillance on Consumer Rights Protection and Human Wellbeing (“Rospotrebnadzor”) announced the suspension of sales and the withdrawal from circulation in Russia of wines and cognacs produced…

May 25, 2026Armenia, Georgia, Russia

Geopolitics Nonproliferation Warfare

Russia’s Nuclear Shadow over Europe: Belarus as the Kremlin’s Forward Nuclear Platform

Russia, as part of large-scale three-day exercises on the preparation and potential use of nuclear weapons (May 19–21), delivered nuclear munitions to field storage sites on the territory of Belarus.…

May 22, 2026Belarus, nuclear weapons, Russia

Democracy Governance

Ethiopia’s June 2026 Elections: Controlled Continuity Amid War, Fragmentation, and Regional Risk

Ethiopia’s general election, scheduled for 1 June 2026, is formally a nationwide vote for all 547 seats in the House of Peoples’ Representatives, alongside regional council contests. The National Election Board of Ethiopia…

May 21, 2026elections, Ethiopia

Propaganda and Disinformation Psyops

Germany as the “Threat”: How Pro-Kremlin Networks Seek to Undermine European Defense Unity

The statements made by Florian Philippot regarding Germany’s military modernization represent more than an isolated political opinion or Eurosceptic rhetoric. They reflect a broader information narrative actively promoted by pro-Kremlin influence networks seeking…

May 21, 2026France, Germany, Phillippot, Russia

Coup Democracy Governance

Niger Under General Tiani: The Institutionalization of Military Rule and the Reconfiguration of Power in the Sahel

The decision by Abdourahamane Tiani to formalize a five-year transitional presidency marks a decisive transformation of Niger from a coup-led transitional state into a consolidated military regime with long-term geopolitical ambitions. Far from representing…

May 20, 2026Niger

Governance Intelligence ops

Hungary’s Break with the Kremlin: Péter Magyar Moves to Dismantle Russia’s Spy Network in Budapest

The new Hungarian government of Péter Magyar is preparing to dismantle and expel more than a dozen officers of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and the Main Directorate of the General Staff…

May 20, 2026GRU, Hungary, Russia, SVR

Governance Propaganda and Disinformation Psyops

Kremlin Narratives Inside Europe: Florian Philippot, Euroclear, and Russia’s Information Warfare Against Support for Ukraine

The reaction of Florian Philippot, leader of the marginal French far-right movement The Patriots, to the lawsuit filed by the Central Bank of Russia against the Belgian depository Euroclear demonstrates how pro-Kremlin political actors inside Europe…

May 19, 2026France, Phillippot, Russia

Democracy Governance

Armenia’s Parliamentary Elections 2026: A Battle for the State’s Geopolitical Future

The upcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia scheduled for June 7, 2026, represent the most consequential political contest in the country since the 2018 Velvet Revolution. More than a routine electoral cycle, the vote…

May 18, 2026Armenia

Conflict Intelligence ops National Security Warfare

Russia’s Passportization of Transnistria: A Hidden Mobilization Reserve for the Kremlin’s Future Wars

Russia’s Passport Expansion in Transnistria: A Hybrid Mobilization Tool and a Potential Prelude to Regional Escalation President of the Republic of Moldova Maia Sandu sharply criticized Vladimir Putin’s decree simplifying the acquisition…

May 18, 2026Moldova, Russia, Transnistria

Geoeconomics Geopolitics ideology

Russia’s Strategic Defeat in Africa: How the Kremlin’s Militarized Approach Is Losing to France’s Long-Term Economic Model

France’s foreign minister declared that Russia has suffered a geopolitical defeat in Africa. Commenting on Moscow’s attempts to expand its influence in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, the French foreign minister described the Russian model…

May 15, 2026France, Russia

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