China

Russia

Economics

Energy

Military & Security

Politics

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, China, in multiple formats, and they signed 11 cooperation documents, the Financial Times reported on May 16. 

Russia, China: Xi and Putin Pledge Deepened Cooperation, But Major Breakthroughs Prove Illusive

Ukraine

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Russian troops attacked two locations in Ukraine's Kharkiv region and gained a foothold in a number of Ukrainian settlements along the Russia-Ukraine border, Reuters reported on May 10.

Ukraine, Russia: Russia Opens New Front With Attacks in Kharkiv Region

A Ukrainian drone attacked an oil refinery in Russia's republic of Bashkortostan, which is located around 1,500 kilometers (about 932 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border, The Moscow Times reported on May 9. 

Ukraine, Russia: Ukraine Attacks Russian Refinery in Bashkortostan in Farthest Strike Yet

Vladimir Putin was inaugurated for a fifth term as Russia's president at a ceremony at the Kremlin that was boycotted by the United States and only attended by six of 27 EU member states (France, Hungary, Slovakia, Greece, Malta and Cyprus), Reuters reported on May 7. 

Russia: Putin Inaugurated for Fifth Term as Opposition Calls His Election Illegitimate

United States

Russian authorities arrested a U.S. service member on theft charges in Vladivostok in Russia's Far East, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported on May 7.

Russia, U.S.: Russia Arrests American on Theft Charges

Cyber

Environment, Science & Technology

Science & Technology

U.S. government agencies indicted and sanctioned Dmitry Yuryevich Khoroshev, a 31-year-old Russian national, for his role as the administrator and developer of LockBit, one of the most prolific global ransomware groups in the world, Reuters reported on May 7.

U.S.: Government Indicts Prolific LockBit Ransomware Group Leader

Russia's Defense Ministry announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin had authorized exercises in order to increase the readiness of non-strategic nuclear forces to carry out combat missions, AP reported May 6.

Russia, Ukraine: Russia To Conduct Non-Strategic Nuclear Exercises in Response to Western Statements

Eritrea

Cuba

Nicaragua

Venezuela

Egypt

Iran

Saudi Arabia

Turkey

Norway

Belarus

Reporters Without Borders published its 2024 World Press Freedom Index, indicating that suppression of journalists and political attacks on the press have "significantly intensified" in the last year, The Guardian reported on May 3.

Global: Press Freedom Declines Amid Pivotal Elections Around the World

Assessments

Ukrainian soldiers fire at a Russian position in Ukraine's Kharkiv region on April 21, 2024. 

While initially intended to draw Ukrainian resources away from the Donbas region, Russia's new front in the northeastern Kharkiv region will likely become core to Moscow's war efforts in 2025.

Russia's New Front in Kharkiv Raises the Stakes for Ukraine and the West

Snapshots

Georgia

Georgian students protest the government's controversial ''foreign agents'' bill in Tbilisi on May 13, 2024. 

While the bill's passage may increase and radicalize supporters of the pro-Western opposition, the ruling GD party is still favored to win upcoming elections, ensuring the country's continued reorientation toward Russia.

Georgia Is Set To Adopt Its Controversial 'Foreign Agents' Bill. What Now?

Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Andrey Belousov visits the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on May 13, 2024, in Moscow, Russia. Belousov was named defense minister on May 12. 

The move to replace former Defense Minister Shoigu with a trusted economist signals an intent to better align Russia's military-industrial complex with the government's broader economic strategy.

Putin Taps an Economist To Head Russia's Defense Ministry

Brazil

Chile

Spain

U.S.-China Relations

A look at what the coming week will bring -- and a list of recommended RANE articles from the week that was.

The Weekly Rundown: Putin Goes to China, New U.S. Tariffs on China

Russian President Vladimir Putin (right) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (left), surrounded by their respective delegations, hold a meeting in Beijing, China, on Oct. 18, 2023. 

The Russian president will likely push for greater trade, military and energy cooperation, but a breakthrough is unlikely unless it happens on China's terms.

What To Expect During Putin's Trip to China

Kyrgyzstan

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on Dec. 15, 2023, in in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

Democratic backsliding will likely complicate government efforts to attract Western investment, but could portend improved relations with neighbors and Russia and China.

Gauging the Implications of Kyrgyzstan's Democratic Backsliding

Chad

Panama

France

Serbia

Hungary

Panamanian presidential candidate Jose Raul Mulino on May 1, 2024, in Panama City. Panamanians will vote May 5 to select their next president and all 71 members of the National Assembly.

The Weekly Rundown: Panama Holds General Elections, Xi Visits Europe

Europe

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) reservoirs are seen at the Yamal LNG plant in the port of Sabetta, located on the Yamal Peninsula in northwest Siberia, Russia.

The restrictions would further complicate Russia's efforts to increase LNG production, while having only a limited impact on the EU's natural gas supplies.

The Implications of the EU's Proposed Sanctions on Russian LNG

Moldova

People hold Moldovan national flags as they gather outside the presidential palace in Chisinau on Dec. 14, 2023, to celebrate the European Council's decision to open accession talks with Moldova.

In the lead-up to the October presidential election and referendum on Moldova's EU integration, Moscow and its Moldovan political allies will step up their efforts to destabilize the country's pro-European government.

In Moldova, Two Key Votes Portend More Pro-Russian Political Agitation

Guests attend a naming ceremony for the Valentin Pikul black class tanker of Russia's Rosneft oil company on Sept. 11, 2023, in Bolshoi Kamen, outside of Vladivostok, Russia. 

Russia's current economic challenges are unlikely to prompt Moscow to de-escalate in Ukraine this year or next, though a drop in oil revenues may eventually combine with other factors to change its calculations in the long term.

Reassessing Russia's Ability To Finance Its War in Ukraine

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko gives a speech during his annual address to the Belarusian People and the National Assembly in Minsk on Jan. 28, 2022.

The upcoming All-Belarusian People's Assembly is poised to deepen Belarus' ties with Russia while also laying the groundwork for President Lukashenko's eventual succession process.

In Belarus, a Congress Will Lock in Integration With Russia -- and Lukashenko's Legacy

First-year cadets of the Military Institute of the Taras Shevchenko National University take their oaths on Sept. 8, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine.

While the law will bolster Kyiv's ability to continue resisting Russia's invasion, it carries political risks and will not let Ukraine deal a decisive blow against Russia.

What Ukraine's Mobilization Law Will Mean for the War With Russia

<p>Despite being the largest country in the world by area, the Russian Federation occupies territory that is indefensible and unforgiving. The core of Russia, running from the Volga grain belts up through Moscow proper to the Baltic Sea, lacks any natural features to fortify it from attack. This is why the country has traditionally anchored its territory to major geographic barriers far from its core in an attempt to keep foreign powers distant. As a result, Russia has inevitably had to reach east across the frozen tundra of Siberia to the Pacific Ocean, southeast to the Tien Shen mountains of Central Asia, south to the Caucasus Mountains bordering Iran and Turkey, and finally west to the Carpathian Mountains in Central Europe. But, there is one major hole in this geographic expanse: The Northern European plane. The Northern European plane is a gap between the Carpathian Mountains and the Baltic sea which, at its narrowest, is 480 kilometers (300 miles) across. This narrow point, referred to as the Polish funnel, lies just West of Warsaw and reaches down Krakow in the south. Russia has faced three major attackers along this axis; Napoleon, Wilhelm II, and Hitler. Most recently, the expansion of NATO and the European Union into Central and Eastern Europe has raised Russian hackles. Moscow would much prefer to control the lands between Russia and the Polish funnel &mdash; pushing as far west as possible &mdash; knowing full well that once an attacker has passed that narrow chokepoint, it is an open march to Russia&#39;s heartland. For this reason, Moscow seeks to occupy or influence its borderlands, or at the very least, maintain their neutrality. Looking beyond its indefensible borders and largely hollow interior, Russia boasts a diverse population of 144,463,450 people and a powerful military. These armed forces, backed by an autocratic political system, help protect the country&#39;s unwieldy land mass. Russia&#39;s economy is inherently fragile and highly dependent on commodity exports ranging from grain to energy. The country is traditionally at its most powerful when a strong, heavy-handed leader is in charge, such as current Russian President Vladimir Putin. Despite this, though, the Kremlin must continually deal with internal political divisions, rising ethnic tensions and regional dissidence.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Russia, China: Xi and Putin Pledge Deepened Cooperation, But Major Breakthroughs Prove Illusive

Ukraine, Russia: Russia Opens New Front With Attacks in Kharkiv Region

Ukraine, Russia: Ukraine Attacks Russian Refinery in Bashkortostan in Farthest Strike Yet

Russia: Putin Inaugurated for Fifth Term as Opposition Calls His Election Illegitimate

Russia, U.S.: Russia Arrests American on Theft Charges

U.S.: Government Indicts Prolific LockBit Ransomware Group Leader

Russia, Ukraine: Russia To Conduct Non-Strategic Nuclear Exercises in Response to Western Statements

Global: Press Freedom Declines Amid Pivotal Elections Around the World

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