Iran and Russia begin joint naval drill in Indian Ocean
The Iranian and Russian militaries have kicked off a joint naval drill in the Indian Ocean aimed at boosting security of maritime trade in the region, Iran’s state TV reported on Tuesday.
Russia
Biden debuts on world stage as president with G-7, Munich meetings
President Biden’s vow to expand U.S. engagement with allies will be put to the test later this week when he participates in a virtual meeting with leaders of the world’s wealthiest democracies and then delivers remarks to the annual Munich Security Conference.
Kosovo’s Anti-Deal Party To Fuel Tensions After Elections
Kosovo held parliamentary elections to form a new government amid concerns that the popularity of an anti-establishment party could undermine talks on normalizing relations with neighboring Serbia. Adding to problems is the coronavirus pandemic and an economic crisis in what is the Western Balkan’s most impoverished nation.
UN Security Council fail to agree joint declaration on Syria
The United Nations Security Council was unable to reach agreement on a joint declaration about the devastating war in Syria after yet another round of UN peace talks on Tuesday, i24News reports. It was hoped a new declaration would revive the grid-locked peace talks.
EU Furious As Russia Expels German, Swedish, and Polish Diplomats
Amid mounting international pressure over its perceived crackdown on dissent, Russia has expelled three diplomats from Germany, Sweden, and Poland, prompting an angry response from the European Union. Moscow says the diplomats joined unauthorized protests supporting opposition activist Alexei Navalny, who was jailed earlier this week.
U.S., Russia Extend New START Nuclear Arms Treaty For 5 Years
Russia and the United States have formally extended the New START nuclear arms-control treaty for another five years, just days before it was set to expire.
Russia Detains 1,400 People After Sentencing Kremlin Critic Navalny
Monitors say over 1,400 people have been detained in Russia during the latest protests supporting jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The riots came after a Moscow court sentenced him on Tuesday to nearly three years imprisonment.
Russia Jails Kremlin Critic Navalny For 3.5 Years; Hundreds Detained
A Moscow court has sentenced Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to 3 ½ years as the Kremlin defied Western calls for his release.
Blinken: Iran could be weeks away from enough nuclear material for bomb
Iran could be “weeks away” from having sufficient material to develop a nuclear weapon if it continues to violate the 2015 nuclear deal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Monday in an interview with NBC News.
Nuclear war with China or Russia ‘a very real possibility,’ U.S. Strategic Command chief warns
The United States must be ready for a nuclear war with China or Russia and seek new ways to deter both countries’ use of newly acquired advanced strategic weapons, the commander of the U.S. Strategic Command is warning in a major new review of the global balance of nuclear forces.
Thousands of Russian Protest Despite Mass Detentions
Thousands of people have been detained in unauthorized protests across Russia to demand the release of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny, activists said Sunday.
Russia’s Kremlin Critic Navalny Condemns Detention Amid More Protests
Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, who survived poisoning with a nerve agent, has condemned his detention as “blatantly illegal.” Alexei Navalny commented at an appeal hearing via a video ahead of planned protests.
Obstruction boomerang: FBI knew DOJ was preparing to fire Comey long before Trump ordered it
Newly declassified FBI memos provide startling new details that undercut the frenzied 2017 effort to investigate Donald Trump for obstruction, revealing the FBI knew Director James Comey’s firing had been conceived by Justice Department leadership long before the president pulled the trigger during a key moment in the Russia probe.
Conservatives fear Kevin Clinesmith sentencing could be the last word from John Durham
A federal judge will decide Friday whether to send former FBI lawyer Kevin Clinesmith to prison for lying so the agency could continue court-approved spying on a 2016 Trump campaign aide.
Russian parliament OKs New START nuclear treaty extension
The lower house of Russian parliament on Wednesday quickly approved the extension of the last remaining nuclear arms control pact days before it’s due to expire.
US, Russia agree to extend ‘New START’ nuclear arms treaty
The United States and Russia “agreed in principle” to extend the New START arms treaty by five years, the Kremlin reported on its website Tuesday following a phone call between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Declassified! The Russia informant transcript the FBI didn’t want Americans to see
Four days before the FBI secured a surveillance warrant against him in fall 2016, Trump campaign adviser Carter Page repeatedly knocked down the key allegations at the heart of the Russia collusion investigation while talking to a government informant who was wearing a wire.
More Protests In Russia After Thousands of Arrests
Supporters of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny have called for new protests after thousands were detained in the largest rallies against Russian President Vladimir Putin in years.
New Evidence Implicates FBI Higher-Ups in Dishonesty of Anti-Trump Lawyer
For the past year, defenders of the FBI have consistently downplayed the significance of an FBI staff lawyer falsifying evidence in the government’s investigation into Donald Trump’s relationship with Russia. They argue Kevin Clinesmith’s crime of altering a CIA document to obscure the fact that former Trump campaign aide Carter Page worked for U.S., not Russian, intelligence was a rare lapse in judgment by an overworked bureaucrat. It was not, his apologists say, part of any broader conspiracy to conceal exculpatory information from surveillance court judges, who never learned of Page’s history with the CIA before approving FBI warrants to wiretap him as a suspected Russian agent.
‘A Trap?’ Clinton’s Russia collusion research started much earlier, made Steele nervous
Efforts by Hillary Clinton supporters to craft the Russia collusion narrative to vilify Donald Trump began earlier than previously reported and eventually involved an “indiscreet” effort to buy foreign video footage that made even dossier author Christopher Steele uncomfortable, according to newly declassified FBI memos.