Russian dominance in the Black Sea: The Sea of Azov

Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 was about maximizing power. Moscow aims to turn the Black Sea into a Russian lake to advance its national interest far and wide. For its part, NATO has been slow to respond to this challenge.

Ain Issa | As Russian and regime forces’ movements continue in the region, Turkish forces withdraw heavy weapons

Very reliable sources have informed the Syrian Observatory that Turkish forces withdrew their heavy weapons and gears from Kuramuzat village in Ain Issa city in northern Al-Raqqah. The reasons behind this development, which coincides with ongoing movements by Russian and regime forces in Ain Issa, have not been known yet.

Russian Imperial Movement Provides Weapons & Combat Training To German Neo-Nazis

German neo-Nazis are training with the far-right Russian Imperial Movement (RIM) to gain proficiency in more advanced military-style tactics, according to a report by German news magazine Focus. The RIM, which was recently designated by the United States as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, is said to have hosted extremists who belonged to the youth wings of two German political parties considered to be neo-Nazi movements, the National Democratic Party and The Third Path. The training reportedly took place at a camp known as Partizan near Saint Petersburg, where former Russian military members conduct trainings on bombmaking, marksmanship, combat medicine, and small-group tactics such as assaulting and clearing buildings.