United States

Ukraine

Russia

Military & Security

Politics

Russia-Ukraine Conflict

Incoming U.S. national security adviser Mike Waltz laid out several points of the incoming Trump administration's approach to the Russia-Ukraine war, most notably a request for Ukraine to lower its mobilization age from the current 25 to 18, ABC News reported on Jan. 12.

Ukraine: U.S. National Security Adviser Pushes Ukraine To Lower Mobilization Age

North Korea

South Korea's National Intelligence Service confirmed North Korea decided to send four brigades with a total of 12,000 troops to support Russia in its war with Ukraine, adding that the North Korean forces had been issued Russian military uniforms, weapons and fake identification documents, Reuters reported on Oct. 18.

North Korea, Russia, Ukraine: North Korean Forces Training in Russia To Participate in War With Ukraine

Russian troops established two footholds in territory west of the Seversky Donets Canal inside Ukraine's town of Chasiv Yar after renewing their offensive earlier the same week, The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 18.

Ukraine, Russia: Russian Forces Enter Chasiv Yar, Crossing Canal

South Korea

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that North Korea was assisting Russia with military personnel and workers in Russian factories, citing Ukrainian intelligence, The Wall Street Journal reported on Oct. 16.

North Korea, Ukraine: North Korean Troops Supporting Russia's War Against Ukraine, Zelensky Says

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky presented Ukraine's five-point "victory plan" for the war with Russia to his country's parliament, the Rada, AP reported on Oct. 16.

Ukraine, Russia: Zelensky Presents 'Victory Plan' to Ukrainian People

Iran

Europe

Economics

EU foreign ministers approved new sanctions on seven individuals and seven entities linked to Iran over accusations that Iran sent ballistic missiles to Russia for use in Ukraine, the European Council announced in an Oct. 14 press release.

EU, Iran: Europe Announces New Sanctions on Iran Over Ballistic Missile Transfers to Russia

A Russian offensive in the Ukrainian-occupied Korenevsky and Sudzhansky districts of Russia's Kursk region resulted in Ukrainian troops losing the largest piece of their salient in the region since Sept. 14, Agentstvo reported on Oct. 11.

Russia, Ukraine: Russia Conducts Largest Attack on Kursk Salient in Over a Month

Russian cyber threat groups are increasingly engaging in cyberespionage campaigns rather than disruptive cyberattacks in Ukraine in an effort to enable Russian battlefield gains, U.S. National Security Agency official Dave Luber claimed during a conference on Oct. 9.

Ukraine: Russian Cyber Activity Shifting From Disruptive Attacks to Espionage, Says Top U.S. Official

Annual

Forecasts

As the war in Ukraine enters its second year, the combination of limited energy supplies, high inflation and monetary tightening will negatively impact economic growth in the Global North and increase the risk of financial, political and food crises in the Global South. Against this backdrop, the world’s largest economies (most notably the U.S., China and the EU) will seek to shield themselves at a time of rising global uncertainty, leading to increased protectionism and limiting the room for multilateral cooperation on issues ranging from multilateral institutions to climate change. 

Sectioned Content: 2023 Annual Forecast

Columns

On Geopolitics

Germany

A compressor gas station of the Yamal–Europe pipeline is seen on Feb. 19, 2022, in Wloclawek, Poland. 

Energy

The expiration of the Russia-Ukraine transit deal underscores Europe's ongoing efforts to sever its reliance on Russian resources, with far-reaching implications for energy markets and geopolitics in the region and beyond. 

The End of Russian Gas via Ukraine Cements Europe's Energy Landscape

Snapshots

Moldova

An illustration of Russian and Moldovan flags.

The near rejection of the vote on EU membership reflects the continued strength of pro-Russian political forces ahead of the country's 2025 parliamentary election.

The Close Results of Moldova's Referendum Raise Fears of a Pro-Russian Government

Assessments

Mozambique

Brazil

Israel

Tunisia

A man in Maputo walks past a wall covered with electoral posters in support of Daniel Chapo, the ruling party candidate in Mozambique’s presidential election, on Oct. 4, 2024. 

Israel-Hamas Conflict

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

The Weekly Rundown: Biden Visits Germany as Mozambique, Tunisia and Brazil Hold Elections

A Russian RS-24 Yars nuclear missile complex arrives during the main rehearsals of the Victory Day military parade in Moscow's Red Square on May 5, 2024.

The changes aim to threaten the West by making even more explicit Moscow's preexisting ability to use nuclear weapons in response to Ukrainian attacks. But the move won't stop Western efforts to maintain support for Ukraine.

With an Updated Nuclear Doctrine, Russia Looks To Slow Western Support for Ukraine

Media

Mexico

China

France

Forecast Webcast

Environment, Science & Technology

Global Elections

Science & Technology

Join our analysts for this webcast recording exploring key topics identified in RANE's 2024 Fourth-Quarter Geopolitical Forecast.

2024 Fourth-Quarter Geopolitical Forecast Webcast

A man looks at the road blocked by striped tape on December 13, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine, following two nights of ballistic missile attacks on the city.

Ukraine faces its most challenging post-invasion winter yet due to intensified Russian attacks on energy infrastructure that may drive more Ukrainians to flee and worsen the country's manpower shortage.

Ukraine Faces Harshest Winter Yet Amid Intensified Russian Attacks on Energy Infrastructure

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during the Summit on Peace in Ukraine on June 15, 2024, in Lucerne, Switzerland. 

If elected U.S. president, Harris would likely initially maintain Biden's approach to Ukraine, but new White House officials, political pressure and events on the battlefield could change her administration's policies and strategy.

How Could a Harris Presidency Impact the War in Ukraine?

Palestinian Territories

Australia

Samoa

Federated States of Micronesia

Fiji

Kiribati

Marshall Islands

Nauru

New Zealand

Palau

Papua New Guinea

Solomon Islands

Tonga

Tuvalu

Vanuatu

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky holds a flag during a ceremony on Ukraine's Independence Day on Aug. 24, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. 

The Weekly Rundown: Gaza Cease-Fire Talks Resume, Ukraine Observes Third Post-Invasion Independence Day

India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrives for a working session on the second day of the G-7 summit in Schloss Elmau, Germany, on June 27, 2022. 

The trip is likely aimed at addressing backlash from the prime minister's recent visit to Russia, as India tries to mitigate Western criticism and reinforce its neutrality in the Ukraine conflict.

Modi's Upcoming Visit to Ukraine Reflects India's Balancing Act

A recreational sailing yacht suspected of use in the sabotage of undersea gas pipelines stands in dry dock on the headland of Bug on Ruegen Island on March 17, 2023, near Dranske, Germany. In a high-profile article published late on Aug. 14, The Wall Street Journal provided the latest and arguably most detailed publicly available account that Ukraine was responsible for sabotaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea in late September 2022.

The Wall Street Journal provided the latest and arguably most detailed publicly available account that Ukraine was responsible for sabotaging the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines, a reminder to us of the importance of acknowledging and doing our best to mitigate our analytic biases.

What New Revelations About the Nord Stream Attack Can Remind Us About Analytical Biases

Podcasts

How would a Trump administration's Ukraine policy differ from a Harris administration's Ukraine policy? 

Essential Geopolitics: What a Trump Presidency Would Mean for the Russia-Ukraine War

<p>Ukraine is the quintessential borderland state. The country borders three former Soviet states (Russia, Belarus and Moldova) and four countries in the European Union (Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania). Ukraine also has a coastline along the Black Sea to the south. Ukraine sits on the Northern European Plain, the area that has historically served as an invasion superhighway going east and west. Beyond its strategic location, Ukraine&#39;s geography has only facilitated such invasions. The country consists of flat and fertile plains, with the exception of the Carpathian Mountain range that arches into the far west of the country. But even these mountains can be penetrated and have not posed a significant barrier to invasion. Given such lack of barriers, Ukraine&#39;s wide-open geography is inextricably linked to that of Russia. Ukraine&#39;s agricultural and industrial belts have traditionally been integrated with Russia&#39;s, and Ukraine serves as the primary transit state for Russian energy exports to Europe. Due to its location and abundance of agricultural and mineral resources, Ukraine has been contested between regional powers for centuries. This competition is currently playing out in an extreme form today, with a Western-backed government confronting a Russian-backed uprising in eastern Ukraine. Further complicating the situation is the fact that Ukraine has several population and political cores, including Lviv in the west, Kiev in the center and the eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk. These different cores make administering Ukraine difficult. The current crisis in Ukraine is therefore merely the latest iteration of the country&#39;s internal divisions and the long-standing East-West conflict over the country. Maintaining sovereignty and unity in the face of this competition is Ukraine&#39;s primary geographic challenge.</p>

SITUATION REPORTS

Ukraine: U.S. National Security Adviser Pushes Ukraine To Lower Mobilization Age

North Korea, Russia, Ukraine: North Korean Forces Training in Russia To Participate in War With Ukraine

Ukraine, Russia: Russian Forces Enter Chasiv Yar, Crossing Canal

North Korea, Ukraine: North Korean Troops Supporting Russia's War Against Ukraine, Zelensky Says

Ukraine, Russia: Zelensky Presents 'Victory Plan' to Ukrainian People

EU, Iran: Europe Announces New Sanctions on Iran Over Ballistic Missile Transfers to Russia

Russia, Ukraine: Russia Conducts Largest Attack on Kursk Salient in Over a Month

Ukraine: Russian Cyber Activity Shifting From Disruptive Attacks to Espionage, Says Top U.S. Official

Forecasts

ANALYSES

SECTIONS

Explore

Subscribe

Help & Support