Russia has developed longer-range bombs that offer the Russian Air Force inexpensive, survivable tools for long-range strikes, including on Ukrainian cities that were previously safe from glide bombs.
Moscow has introduced a new law allowing for reservists to be mustered to counter Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian oil refineries and other key facilities.
Ukraine’s Azov Corps announced that it has been tasked with stabilizing the situation near the eastern city of Dobropillia following recent Russian advances.
The August 8 agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan that was brokered in Washington created the US-managed “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” and granted Azerbaijan a link to its Nakhchivan exclave. While the deal preserves Iran’s overland access to Armenia and Europe, Tehran sees it as a strategic setback that could weaken its role in regional trade, bolster Turkish and Azerbaijani influence, and reduce its leverage with the West.
Russia has employed a new guided glide bomb in Ukraine that appears to be a more powerful derivative of a similar munition introduced last year. The latest weapon is part of Russian efforts to develop a growing variety of cheap standoff munitions.
Turkey’s attempt to join BRICS, a bloc that seeks to undermine the foundations of the Western world order, is only one of many transgressions against the interests of its ostensible allies in NATO, the US, and Europe.
Russia has developed a new loitering munition called the V2U that, according to Ukrainian reports, can use AI to navigate and strike targets and may be able to collaborate with other drones as part of a swarm. If these reports are accurate, the V2U marks a significant step forward in Russian autonomous drone development.
Yemeni President Rashad al Alimi and Russian President Vladimir Putin held the first presidential-level meeting between the two countries in recent years. The heads of state discussed bilateral relationships and regional security, but the visit was clouded by Russia’s ongoing friendliness with the Houthis.
Russia has replaced its aging Ground Forces commander with a younger officer who has extensive combat experience in Ukraine. This decision could help the Russian army as it develops and implements post-war reforms. However, the most consequential personnel decisions have yet to come.
Turkish plans to establish a presence and air defenses on Syrian soil would hinder Israel’s operational freedom, a situation Israel is unlikely to accept in the post-October 7 Middle East.
On the heels of its withdrawal from most of Russia’s Kursk region, Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into neighboring Belgorod Oblast. The operation appears to be more limited in scale and objectives than Kyiv’s August 2024 Kursk offensive.
The Trump Administration returned the Houthis to the FTO list after President Donald Trump issued an executive order targeting the group on the second day of his term. The US Treasury followed the FTO designation with a round of sanctions against senior Houthi operatives involved in financing, weapons procurement, and cooperation with the terrorist group’s partners.
A permanent cutoff of all aid likely would not cause a Ukrainian collapse, but it would result in more Ukrainian lives and land lost and more infrastructure destroyed. Challenges would build over time and could exacerbate Kyiv’s manpower shortage, boosting Russian efforts to grind down Ukrainian forces and granting Moscow greater leverage in negotiations.
Ukraine announced a new initiative to expand some of its best drone units and replicate their strengths across the force. Amid a shortage of infantry, Kyiv is leaning even more on drone units to serve as a force multiplier in support of ground troops.
North Korean troops in Russia’s Kursk region have pulled back from the front lines following heavy losses, US and Ukrainian officials say, while Pyongyang is reportedly preparing to deploy more forces. North Korean troops have put the Ukrainian defense in Kursk under greater stress, but reinforcements will be necessary to sustain that pressure.
On January 29, Ahmed al Sharaa was declared the new president of Syria in the transitional government that came into power after the collapse of the Assad regime on December 8. This declaration led to congratulations from several Arab states in the region, and the Qatari emir arrived in Damascus on January 30, the first head of state to visit the new ruler. These developments are part of a broad diplomatic outreach by Sharaa and his new foreign minister.
Russia and Ukraine traded attacks in the Kursk region this week as Moscow looks to continue clawing back its territory. Meanwhile, Russian forces appear to have taken the eastern city of Kurakhove but failed to encircle the Ukrainian forces there.
Turkey has steadily increased its foothold in the central Sahel by providing arms, security assistance, and more to regional juntas. Similarly, The Group for Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), Al Qaeda’s branch for the Sahel and West Africa, is on its own upward trajectory, standing as one of the region’s most dominant violent actors. The jihadist group’s external messaging suggests it perceives Turkey to be an obstacle as it seeks to expand its territorial control and influence.
Russia unveiled plans to form a new branch dealing with unmanned systems, echoing a similar move by Ukraine. This decision reflects both the increasing importance of drones and a desire to systematize related evolutions within the Russian military.
Russian forces are currently focused on encircling the eastern city of Kurakhove. Their rate of advance has accelerated in recent weeks as Ukraine grapples with a manpower shortage.
Russia is close to capturing the city of Vuhledar, a defensive stronghold in eastern Ukraine. Vuhledar’s fall will further stretch Kyiv’s forces and aid Russia’s efforts to push Ukraine out of southern Donetsk Oblast.
Russian forces are on the attack in the Kursk region. While it is unclear exactly how much progress they have made, Russia appears to have retaken at least some territory.
Ukraine’s surprise offensive in the Kursk region is a daring gambit likely intended to divert Russian forces and shift the war’s momentum. But it also comes with major risks for Ukraine, which is short on reserves and struggling to hold its lines in Donetsk Oblast.
New footage confirms Russia has begun using three-ton bombs equipped with “UMPK” wing and guidance kits, adding to the serious threat that Russian glide bombs already pose to Ukraine. Here is what we know about the new weapon and its implications for the war.
Ukraine announced the commander of its nascent Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi. Sukharevskyi detailed various plans for the USF and how Ukraine plans to continue leveraging unmanned technology in its conflict with Russia.
Recent photos shared on social media offer insights on a new Russian glide bomb that has seen growing use in Ukraine: the UMPB D-30SN.
As Russia’s Kharkiv offensive has forced Ukraine to divert forces badly needed elsewhere, the Russians are trying to capitalize on the eastern front.
Long-delayed U.S. aid is finally on its way to Ukraine as Russia presses forward near Avdiivka and Chasiv Yar. A look inside those battles.
Ukraine’s parliament finally passed a bill aimed at redressing its manpower shortage. But Kyiv’s lack of urgency has given Russia an opportunity to make gains.
The battle was generally favorable for Ukraine, as it destroyed a lot of Russian combat power. But Ukraine waited too long to withdraw and failed to prepare a solid second line of defense.