As the Russian drawdown from Syria continues, more information continues to emerge about the forces Moscow had committed to shoring up the Assad regime. One telling aspect is how involved Russia’s Spetsnaz special forces were in the deployment. They were involved in two of their three core missions — reconnaissance and special security missions —…
Category: Russia
Military Defense News: Russia’s Lethal New Kalina Class Submarine
Russia is set to start construction of its new Kalina-class diesel-electric submarine after the last two Lada-class vessels are completed. The Project 677 Lada-class—which Moscow is terminating after three units are completed—has proven to be a disappointment. “The two Lada-class Project 677 submarines will be delivered as scheduled — in 2018 and 2019,” a spokesman…
Up Close and Personal in the Russian/Ukranian Conflict
Things have been various levels of blistering between the Ukraine and Russia over the Crimean Peninsula for a long time now. Recently we came across a compilation of front-line footage that was released late last year. Body cameras aren’t just popular for surfing and skydiving anymore. Inside you’ll gain some insights on some of the heavier…
Military Defense News: Next-Gen Russian Subs Constructed of Stealthier Composite Materials
Next-generation Russian nuclear submarines may use composite structures — imagine something akin to a cutting-edge carbon fiber — in an attempt to drastically reduce their acoustical signatures. But this wouldn’t be the first time Moscow has experimented with novel materials to build submarines. Before its collapse, the Soviet Union pioneered the use of titanium hulls…
The Long History of “Little Green Men” Tactics and How They Were Defeated
In both Crimea and the subsequent fighting in the Donbas region of Ukraine, Russia’s signature tactic has been the use of so-called “Green Men,” soldiers without identifying insignia whose identity as Russian soldiers the Kremlin denied. Ukraine, Georgia, and even NATO members like Estonia now fear that they could be the next target for Russia’s…
The Russian Corner: Russias New T-14 Armata Tank in Production
I am sure the Baltic States are just overjoyed to hear this. As soon as they get their Air Defenses up, Russia hits them with a New and Improved Ground Weapon threat. And People say we are not in another Cold War? Ha! -SF Russia’s T-14 main battle tank—which is part of the Armata family…
“War is My Life”: A Journey Along The Front Line In Ukraine
SHCHASTYA, Ukraine—The late winter weather in Ukraine alternates among frigid, cool, snow, and rain—teasing the arrival of spring. The 2-year-old war, which has ravaged eastern Ukraine, killing more than 10,000 and displacing more than 1 million, is as fickle as the weather—teasing the possibility of peace without ever achieving it. Both sides of the conflict renewed…
Espionage Files: Another Russian Dead by “Mysterious Circumstances”??
What No Radioactive Poisoning this time Putin? The SVR is getting sloppy. -SF In November, the Free Thought Project reported that Mikhail Lesin, the former head of media affairs for the Russian government, and the founder of Russia Today (RT), was found dead in the hotel room that he was staying at in Washington DC….
Cold War Files: The Americans are Coming
…or is it the Russians? The popular FX series premieres episode one of season four on Wednesday. (March 16th). In case you’re not already read in on the cold-war drama, prepare to be taken back to 1980s Virginia and into the household of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, a seemingly normal American couple who are actually…
Russian Hybrid Warfare and Other Dark Arts
Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea, hybrid warfare has become conversational short form in the West for describing Moscow’s sneaky ways of fighting war. If there’s one thing you’ve learned over the past two years about Russia, it’s that it uses hybrid warfare, a dangerous Kremlin innovation the West must learn to grapple with. In two…