Russia Archives - Robert Lansing Institute

Manufactured Enemies: The Strategic Logic Behind Niger’s War Talk with France”

A member of Niger's ruling junta has urged his country's citizens to prepare for "war" with France, as relations with the former colonial power hit new lows. Why Now: Strategic…

February 13, 2026France, Niger, Russia

Intelligence ops National Security

From Scandal to Security Threat: Protecting High-Value Individuals Named in the Epstein Files from Russian Intelligence Targeting

The release of millions of “Epstein files” has created a large, searchable reputational dataset that foreign intelligence services can exploit for recruitment, coercion, and disinformation—even when the underlying material does not…

February 13, 2026Epstein, GRU, Russia, SVR, USA

Conflict Geopolitics National Security

Moscow’s Arctic Red Lines: How Russia Could Respond to the Militarisation of Greenland

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that if Greenland is militarized and actions threatening Russia are implemented there, Moscow will take military-technical measures. “Of course, in the event of the militarization of…

February 12, 2026Greenland, Russia, USA

Democracy Geopolitics Intelligence ops Propaganda and Disinformation War crimes

Prosecuting Resistance, Forgetting Aggression: Kosovo and the Failure of Proportional Justice

More than two decades after the Kosovo war, international justice has produced an outcome that remains deeply contested: the Serbian state, whose forces carried out systematic and widespread crimes against…

February 10, 2026Kosovo, Russia, Serbia

Conflict ideology Intelligence ops Propaganda and Disinformation

Threat Assessment: Kremlin Exploitation of Pacifist Networks in Germany

The Kremlin is seeking to exploit German pacifist groups to disrupt the Munich Security Conference. Ahead of the Munich Security Conference scheduled for February 13–15, 2026, Russian intelligence services intend…

February 10, 2026Germany, pacifism, Russia

Geopolitics

A Crisis That Pays Dividends Elsewhere

Russia Is the Audience Iran is not the central audience of the current US confrontation; Russia is. The confrontation involving Iran is unfolding inside a geopolitical system already under sustained…

February 9, 2026Iran, Russia, USA

Conflict Geopolitics National Security Warfare

Russia’s Borderlock in Central Africa: Gold, Gray Zones, and the Erosion of U.S. Leverage

Russia’s actions along the Sudan–CAR border following the gold-mine incident represent not a security response, but a deliberate territorial control operation. By sealing cross-border routes, detaining civilians, and denying access to observers, Moscow…

February 9, 2026CAR, gold, Russia, Sudan, USA

Conflict Propaganda and Disinformation Psyops Warfare

Hybrid War Goes Orbital: Russia’s Threats Against SpaceX and the United States

In early February 2026, SpaceX, in cooperation with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, introduced a “whitelisting” system for Starlink terminals. This move was a response to Russia’s large-scale use of unauthorized Starlink…

February 6, 2026Russia, Ukraine, USA

Geoeconomics

From Parliament to Parallel Trade: The AfD, Belarus, and the Mechanics of Sanctions Evasion

AfD lawmaker from Saxony Jörg Dornau, who is suspected of violating the ban on exporting goods to Belarus, was summoned for questioning, and searches were conducted at all properties he owns.…

February 5, 2026AfD, Belarus, Germany, Russia, Sanctions

Geoeconomics Geopolitics Intelligence ops Propaganda and Disinformation

Frexit Without Exit: How Anti-EU Movements Shape French Politics Without Winning Power

A march by supporters of France’s withdrawal from the European Union (“Frexit”) took place in central Paris. On February 2, 2026, more than a thousand people gathered in the French…

February 4, 2026EU, France, Russia

Russia