Russia Archives - Page 2 of 59 - Robert Lansing Institute

Shifting Sands: Azeri-Russian Tensions Surface Amid Diaspora Strains and Media Arrests

The Russian police raids in Yekaterinburg targeting the Azerbaijani diaspora appear to have been triggered by a complex mix of internal intelligence turf wars, geopolitical messaging to Baku, and concerns over organized crime…

July 1, 2025Azerbaijan, Russia

Geoeconomics Geopolitics National Security

U.S. Sanctions Lifted on Rosatom: The Case of Hungary’s Paks II Nuclear Power Plant

The Biden administration has quietly authorized a sanctions exemption for Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom to allow completion of Hungary’s Paks II nuclear power plant. This move, occurring amid ongoing Western sanctions on Russia…

June 30, 2025Hungary, Rosatom, Russia, Ukraine, USA

Propaganda and Disinformation

Whispers in the East: Why Russia Spreads Disinformation About Xi Jinping’s Health — Actors, Motives, and Strategic Intent

Claims: Several Russian-language outlets and Telegram channels have circulated rumors suggesting Xi suffered a stroke or is battling cancer, citing absence from key meetings, physical changes, and unverified insider tips Timing: These rumors…

June 27, 2025China, Russia

Coup Geopolitics ideology Intelligence ops

The Coup Attempt in Serbia — Kremlin Influence, Balkan Instability, and Strategic Fallout

The attempted coup in Serbia represents a critical turning point in Balkan politics, exposing fragile domestic institutions and Serbia’s delicate balance between the EU and Russia. While the plot was swiftly neutralized,…

June 26, 2025Russia, Serbia

Coup Intelligence ops

Coup Attempt in Armenia — Kremlin Shadows, Domestic Fractures, and Future Risks for Pashinyan

Executive Summary The recent coup attempt in Armenia marks the most serious threat to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s authority since the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. This event reveals a volatile intersection…

June 25, 2025Armenia, Russia

Governance

Why Lukashenko Freed Tsikhanouski Now: Reasons, Consequences & Russian Involvement

I. WHO IS TSIKHANOUSKI, REALLY? Nominally: A popular blogger and political prisoner, husband of Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya. In reality: He is widely believed to have been cultivated by Russia’s Ambassador to Belarus,…

June 24, 2025Belarus, Russia, USA

Geopolitics

Hungary’s Shadow Play in Chad: The Orbán Doctrine Enters Africa

Hungary’s decision — led by Gáspár Orbán, son of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — to deploy 200 soldiers to Chad appears inconsistent with Budapest’s official policy of non-intervention and de-escalation in global…

June 23, 2025Hungary, Russia

Geopolitics National Security Warfare

Fortress North: The Strategic Logic Behind Russia’s New Military Base Near Finland

Russia’s recent decision to build a new military base close to the Finnish border marks a deliberate escalation in its confrontation with NATO. This move—timed just after Finland joined NATO—signals…

June 20, 2025Finland, NATO, Russia

Conflict Geopolitics

Russia and Iran After the Escalation with Israel: Strategic Partners, Conditional Allies

Executive Summary Despite years of strategic alignment, Russia did not provide direct military or political support to Iran during its recent confrontation with Israel. This reflects a calculated restraint rooted in Russia’s own geopolitical…

June 19, 2025Iran, Israel, Russia, USA

Geoeconomics Intelligence ops National Security

Africa’s New Overseers: Inside Russia’s Covert Gold Empire”

Russia’s involvement in building a gold refinery plant in Mali is not just an economic move — it’s a strategic maneuver involving sanctions evasion, geopolitical influence, and shadow financing of military operations in Africa and…

June 18, 2025gold, GRU, Russia, SVR, Wagner Group

Russia