Amy B. Zegart
Ukrainian drones hit the Andreapol oil pumping station and missile arsenal in Russia’s Tver Oblast overnight on Jan. 29, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent.
Drones operated by the SBU and the Special …
Syria’s new government has allegedly requested that Russia hand over former President Bashar al-Assad and his close aides, Reuters reported on Jan. 28, citing a Syrian source close to the matter.
The demand was reportedly raised during the first …
Russia has increased its military budget by 25% in 2025, underscoring the need for stronger sanctions, more weapons, and greater assistance from Ukraine’s international partners, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Jan. 29.
“Russia …
The intensity of Russian assault operations in Ukraine is declining but remains high, according to an analysis by the monitoring group DeepState, published on Jan. 28.
Russian forces have concentrated 44% of their attacks in the Pokrovsk sector, a …
The number of Russians signing contracts at Moscow recruitment centres to fight in the war against Ukraine has fallen five-fold since its peak in late summer of last year, the independent Russian outlet Verstka reported on Jan. 29.
The daily number of …
Syria’s new government pressed Russia for compensation and the correction of “past mistakes” during its first talks with a Kremlin delegation on Jan. 28, following the ouster of Russian-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad in December. …
In times of war, the fundamental questions of survival, morality, and identity not only dominate the discourse but also expose the fissures in global political ideologies. Amid the clamor of media narratives and entrenched partisan frameworks, a few …
Russian President Vladimir Putin is starting 2025 with a bang. In a nod to U.S. President Donald Trump’s desire for a settlement in Ukraine, the Kremlin has announced its readiness for negotiations “without preconditions.”
However, the devil is in …
In its latest round of sanctions, the European Union (EU) is proposing to introduce a phased ban of Russian aluminium, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 28 citing unnamed sources.
The bloc, which covers 8% of its annual aluminium needs by Russian imports, …
An Australian volunteer soldier fighting for Ukraine who was reported to have been executed by Russian forces after being taken prisoner is alive, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Jan. 29.
“The Australian government has received …
U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio has backtracked on a near-total freeze of U.S. foreign aid, issuing a waiver for “life-saving humanitarian assistance,” the Washington Post (WP) reported on. Jan 28 citing memos sent to aid organizations. …
President Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered a report on U.S.-funded projects in Ukraine affected by President Donald Trump’s freeze on foreign assistance, he said during his evening address on Jan. 28.
U.S. President Donald Trump suspended all U.S. …
Russian officials arrived in Damascus, Syria on Jan.28, the first such delegation to visit the country since its Kremlin-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad was ousted from power in December, AP reported, citing Russian state media.
Assad was ousted from …
Verification within Meta’s Third-Party Fact-Checking Program
A video circulating on social media — including on Threads — shows former Dutch MEP Marcel de Graaff calling for the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Putin to be revoked. …
A Lukoil oil refinery in the Russian oblast of Nizhny Novgorod was struck by multiple Ukrainian drones in the early hours of Jan. 29, a military intelligence (HUR) source told the Kyiv Independent.
Drone strikes were reported by local officials across …
Russia has lost 834,670 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported on Jan. 29.
This number includes 1,670 casualties Russian forces suffered just over …
EU Chief Diplomat Kaja Kallas spoke with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 28 in their first official phone conversation since the Trump administration took office.
“Good call with Sec. Rubio,” Kallas wrote on X.
“We discussed global …
Two people were killed in the city of Mykolaiv amid a Russian missile strike, regional governor Vitalii Kim reported on Jan. 28.
“Sadly, two women were killed as a result of the Russian missile strike on Mykolaiv,” Kim said on Telegram. “They …
A federal judge temporarily halted the Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) memo that sought to freeze up to $3 billion in funding for various U.S. federal aid programs, the New York Times (NYT) reported on Jan. 28.
U.S. …
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukraine launched waves of drone attacks targeting oil and power facilities in western parts of Russia overnight on Jan. 29, according to local officials.
Drone strikes were reported …
Taras Kuchma, Drohobych Mayor in Lviv Oblast, was fined for disrupting mobilization activities, Ukrainian media outlet Zaxid.net reported on Jan. 28.
Ukraine updated its legislation in the spring of 2024, assigning several mobilization …
China urged the United States and Russia on Jan. 28 to “further reduce” their nuclear stockpiles as a necessary step before Beijing would consider joining potential disarmament talks proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
In a video …
The United States has transferred around 90 Patriot air defense interceptors from storage in Israel to Poland for delivery to Ukraine, sources familiar with the operation told Axios.
The transfer comes as part of efforts by the Pentagon to bolster …
It probably made sense on paper.
In his first week in office, U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a 90–day freeze on U.S. foreign aid to review whether the distribution aligned with his foreign policy. I can see how Trump supporters and his team …
