A new Russian intelligence leak reported by Newsweek says that China had planned the invasion of Taiwan for next fall but was delayed due to developments in Ukraine.
There are sanctions critics who believe that inflicting economic hardship on a country might have unexpected repercussions. At a time when sanctions are in the spotlight more than ever, the history of US sanctions on Russia in a visualized manner is something worth taking a look at.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced fresh initiatives on Wednesday to help Russian citizens cope with rising costs, unemployment, and supply challenges linked to sanctions. This is just one of the few aspects of what is Russia’s sanctions survival plan that we could see in action in the next few months.
India is the world's third-largest consumer of energy, relying on imports for nearly 80% of its crude oil requirements. As Russia is being sanctioned from all sides owing to the situation in Ukraine, India has stepped up to buy Russian oil at a huge discount despite threats from the US.
The dynamic between the US and Saudi Arabia seems to be dramatically changing. The petrodollar is showing cracks in what seemed to be an impregnable fortress as Saudi Arabia is now considering accepting the Yuan for Chinese oil sales instead of the dollar.
In a recent move the US senate has approved a resolution probing Putin for war crimes after Russia's assault of Ukraine.
Some US policymakers and pundits are declaring that Russia—and its population—are cut off from the rest of the world. For example, political scientist Nina Khrushcheva has declared "Russia is hated by the rest of the world" and that "Russia is the global enemy." The New York Times concludes Russia is now "an economic pariah" and that a "new iron curtain" is falling.
The question of "how far can you go with existing covert action authorities?" is extremely relevant in the current geopolitical situation. Investigating the extend of how the secret CIA program could have led to Russian invasion of Ukraine becomes essential now.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov underlined this week that the country will settle the bill in rubles should the dollar transfer fail. But this has led to concerns as for the time being, Russia has managed to avoid default after J P Morgan processed the funds.
The UK is the only foreign country that has been granted permission to acquire the Switchblade so far. But that could change in the very near future as reports emerge that the US is set to provide Switchblades killer drones to Ukraine which are capable of accurately targeting tanks from miles away.
