Russia’s apparent reduced willingness to pursue military options in its neighbourhood suggests a shift in how it conducts its foreign policy. Cvete Koneska argues that this should not be read as a sign of Russia in retreat; instead, we can expect Russia to employ a more diverse toolbox to achieve its foreign policy objectives.
Many organised crime groups in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) continued their kidnapping and extortion activities largely unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic, writes Darren Davids. However, opportunistic criminals have capitalised on newly implemented Covid-19 restrictions and will seek to extort travellers.
Paul Whelan’s arrest and subsequent conviction for espionage in Russia has raised concerns over the use of detention as a tool for political manoeuvring on the international arena. Cvete Koneska argues that Russia’s recent record suggests foreign nationals visiting the country will face a growing risk of wrongful detention.
The COVID-19 outbreak has led to worldwide travel bans and restrictions as well as nearly a complete stop in global passenger air traffic, leaving hundreds of thousands of people stranded in foreign countries. Saif Islam highlights the varied challenges of evacuating and repatriating people amid the pandemic.
There were numerous active assailant incidents in several European Countries and the US in 2018. In the US, the trend of mass shootings and other active assailant attacks continued, with over 300 shooting incidents recorded as of November 2018. However, active assailant attacks have taken place in less expected locations, such as Canada and the Commonwealth…
In October 2018, the US, UK and Netherlands released synchronised statements condemning a series of Russian espionage operations abroad, increasing political tensions with key European countries. Tim Geschwindt explores the response to the most recent incidents of Russian espionage and how such developments may impact commercial operators with cross-regional…
On 17 September, a Russian military plane was shot down by a missile attack off the coast of Syria’s government-held Latakia province, killing all 15 crew members on board, and prompting Russia to upgrade the Syrian military’s anti-aircraft capabilities. In this article, Tim Geschwindt assesses Russia’s response to the incident.
Just weeks after the UK government disclosed the names of the two Russian men alleged to have poisoned Sergei Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, an investigative journalism collective claimed to have revealed their ‘true’ identities. Using the kinds of sophisticated open source research techniques deployed across the corporate intelligence sector,…
Following the arrest of a North Caucasian kidnap for ransom gang in the Moscow region, Tim Geschwindt assesses the latest kidnapping trends in Russia, and examines the threat to businesspeople operating in the country.
Analysis by Andrew Wychrij.
Whilst the World Cup is a target for both football hooligans and militant groups like Islamic State (‘IS’), several initiatives to strengthen the capabilities of the security forces are likely to mitigate the risks of terrorism and hooliganism at the tournament, writes Tim Geschwindt.