Chris Stephen

Jan 13, 2025 | cepa.org | Andrei Soldatov |Irina Borogan |Aura Sabadus |Chris Stephen

Turkey may object to the Kremlin’s behavior in Syria, and other places like Libya, but there remain several areas where two countries seem to be in near-perfect lockstep — the most important being Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Russian House, a branch of Rossotrudnichestvo, a main tool of the Russian soft power effort abroad, operates with complete freedom in Turkey. And it uses that liberty to openly promote the war in Ukraine.

Jan 13, 2025 | cepa.org | Andrei Soldatov |Irina Borogan |Aura Sabadus |Chris Stephen

Turkey may object to the Kremlin’s behavior in Syria, and other places like Libya, but there remain several areas where two countries seem to be in near-perfect lockstep — the most important being Russia’s war in Ukraine. The Russian House, a branch of Rossotrudnichestvo, a main tool of the Russian soft power effort abroad, operates with complete freedom in Turkey. And it uses that liberty to openly promote the war in Ukraine.

Jan 9, 2025 | cepa.org | David Kirichenko |Dorka Takacsy |Chris Stephen |Walter C. Clemens

Beneath the rubble of a destroyed building near the frontlines, commanders from the 12th Special Forces Azov Brigade discuss the ongoing battle for Niu-York. What stands out immediately is the striking youth of the soldiers and commanders, many of whom are in their early 20s. Niu-York, a critical frontline town located just south of Toretsk, became a focal point of Russia’s offensive in Donetsk Oblast during the summer of 2024 and nearly fell.

Jan 9, 2025 | cepa.org | Dorka Takacsy |Joshua Stein |Irina Arabidze |Chris Stephen

Antal Rogán, the minister heading Viktor Orbán’s Cabinet Office, was sanctioned by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), under the Global Magnitsky Act, for schemes designed to enrich “himself and his party at the expense of the Hungarian people.”  The decision to impose Magnitsky measures against a serving senior minister in a NATO ally’s government is unprecedented. The decision could be reversed by the next administration, but that will not be easy.

Jan 9, 2025 | cepa.org | Chris Stephen |Walter C. Clemens |David Kagan |Francis Harris

Vladimir Putin’s search for new military bases in the Mediterranean has ended in Libya, a country as factional and complicated as Syria, from which Russian forces have effectively been expelled. Without ports and airports to supply it, Russia’s imperial mission in Africa may become as ill-fated as its failed intervention in Syria. The Kremlin has installed mercenaries in a growing number of mineral-rich countries deep within the African continent. But supplying those units is far from easy.