Russia Archives - Robert Lansing Institute

Russian Shahed Strike on Romania and the Targeting of a Turkish Vessel in the Black Sea: Accident, Escalation, or Deliberate Strategy?

The reported impact of a Russian-origin Shahed-type drone on a residential building in the Romanian city of Galați, combined with the reported strike on a Turkish-operated vessel departing a Ukrainian…

May 29, 2026NATO, Romania, Russia, Turkiye, Ukraine

Geopolitics

Armenia as Russia’s Last Stronghold in the South Caucasus: Why the Kremlin’s Retreat Could Trigger a Wider Eurasian Geopolitical Collapse

The gradual erosion of Russian influence in Armenia may become one of the most strategically important geopolitical shifts in Eurasia since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Armenia has long represented…

May 28, 2026Armenia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Turkiye, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

National Security Terrorism Warfare

The Invisible Attack: How Russia’s GPS Spoofing Campaign Threatens European Aviation and NATO Security

Russia is capable of deliberately distorting GPS signals across parts of Europe, creating risks for security and navigation. According to Darius Kulešius, deputy head of Lithuania’s communications regulator, Russia has…

May 27, 2026EW, NATO, Russia, spoofing

Economy Geoeconomics

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

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

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

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

Russia