Russia News
Explore in-depth coverage of Russia’s war in Ukraine, its global influence, and how American policymakers respond. The Daily Signal provides news and perspective on this critical issue.
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- News
How Will Downing of Russian Plane Impact Campaign Against ISIS?
President Barack Obama on Tuesday used the downing of a Russian warplane as evidence to support the view of the international community that the Kremlin get with the program in the fight against the Islamic State. While the move by Turkey, a NATO ally, to shoot down a Russian jet that it says was flying…Josh Siegel -
- Opinion
Why Turkey Shot Down a Russian Fighter Jet
On Tuesday morning a Russian Su-24 warplane was shot down by Turkish F-16s after violating Turkish airspace. According to the latest media reports one Russian pilot was killed and another has been captured by local rebel forces on the ground. To discuss what this means for NATO, the U.S., and the on-going conflict in Syria…Luke Coffey -
- Opinion
The Obama Administration Still Lacks a Strategy to Counter China and Russia
Last week, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter gave a major speech at the 2015 Reagan National Defense Forum outlining the Obama administration’s new strategies to respond to Russia and China. While it is certainly clear that the United States is in need of new strategies to respond to these two countries—who seem to be outmaneuvering…Justin Johnson -
- News
Bernie Sanders Says US Should Curb Fossil Fuels to Clean Up Russia, China
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., wants to pledge American resources to clean up the Chinese, Indian, and Russian environments. Flanked by environmental activists Wednesday on the Capitol’s East Lawn and joined by Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., the Vermont senator touted the pair’s legislation to prohibit all new fossil fuel developments on federal land, a measure aimed…Philip Wegmann -
- Opinion
Thanks, Russia, for Spurring American Action on ISIS
I never thought I’d say this, considering recent events, but we may have to—gulp—thank Russia for something: a potential positive (and long overdue) shift in our Iraq/Syria/Islamic State/al-Qaeda policy, which has been both flailing and failing. While the White House would deny it, it’s very likely that the Kremlin’s intervention into the Syrian civil war…Peter Brookes -
- Opinion
Russia and Iran Are Winning a War of Images in Syria
The leaders of Russia and Iran both have ramped up their propaganda machines to project images of surging regional influence within Syria. This aggressive news management by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, not so incidentally, coincides with the waning of U.S. power and influence. Since the start of the Russian…Helle Dale -
- Opinion
Obama’s Middle East Strategy Continues to Fail as Cuban and Iranian Troops Join Russian-Backed Offensive in Syria
Russia is not the only country that feels free to intervene in Syria on behalf of the Assad regime and attack U.S.-supported Syrian rebels. Cuba and Iran, two countries eagerly courted by the Obama administration that have recently signed controversial diplomatic agreements with the United States, also are deploying troops to join the fight there….James Phillips -
- Opinion
US Needs a Foreign Policy That Marginalizes Russia’s Ability to Mess With Us
The Kremlin is not our friend. Nor is Moscow a 10-foot-tall threat to our national interests. What America needs is a middling foreign policy that looks to marginalize Russia’s capacity to mess with us. And there is no better place to start this approach than in Syria. Putin has made a muscular move to support…James Carafano -
- News
The Consequences of Russia’s Bombing Campaign in Syria
Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States has worked to isolate Russia from the Middle East. Now, in 2015 and five years into a devastating civil war in Syria, Russia has not only entered the most intractable situation in the Middle East, but also attacked the situation with indiscriminate authority. Under the…Josh Siegel -
- Opinion
Russia Broke the INF Treaty (Again). What the US Should Do
On Sept. 2, Russia tested a ground-launched cruise missile named SSC-X-8, in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty, according to reporting by the Washington Free Beacon. This test represents the latest in a long train of Russian violations of the 1987 treaty, which prohibits ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges from 500 to 5,500…Michaela Dodge -
- Opinion
Is Russia Ramping Up Military Involvement in the Middle East?
As if Syria wasn’t nasty enough after four years of bloody civil war—a brutal Syrian regime, Islamic State barbarity, an Iranian and Hezbollah influx, and the presence of al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front and its bomb-building Khorasan group. Now reports of rampaging Russians. Reports indicate that Moscow has deployed a military expeditionary force of soldiers and equipment…Peter Brookes -
- Opinion
Why Are Russian Hackers Posing as ISIS Propagandists?
The multi-front cyberspace information war in which we recently have found ourselves just got a little more complicated. A group which calls itself Cyber Caliphate, assumed to have ties to the terrorist group ISIS, may in fact be a creation of Russian hackers taking advantage of the havoc wrecked on social media and the Internet…Helle Dale -
- Opinion
Why Russia’s Arctic Positioning Should Worry You
The U.S. should be concerned about its lack of presence in the Arctic, according to one security expert. Speaking at the Wilson Center recently, Global Brief magazine founder Irvin Studin painted a picture of Arctic geostrategy in which “Russia is way ahead” of the U.S. in the region. Studin was referring to the Kremlin’s plans…Ian Button -
- Opinion
Russia Is Showing Cold War-Era Levels of Aggression
President Obama’s nominee for chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joe Dunford, startled members of the Senate Armed Services Committee last week when he called Russia the gravest potential “existential threat to the United States.” But countries along Russia’s borders know exactly what the general means. Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has launched an improbable,…Helle Dale -
- Opinion
How U.S. Plans Respond to Russia Breaking Yet Another Arms Treaty
In a turn of events that surprises no one, Russia continues to act in a belligerent fashion on the world stage. While testifying before the House Armed Services Committee on June 25, Deputy Secretary of Defense Robert Work spoke strongly against Russia’s “provocations,” calling them “irresponsible” and an attempt to “intimidate our allies and us.”…Cameron Swathwood -
- Opinion
A Space War With China or Russia Is a Real Threat
A war in space sounds like a great plot for a summer blockbuster. Unfortunately, a conflict in space isn’t just a Hollywood movie script anymore, but a threat in the real world. Both Russia and China have developed, or are developing, the ability to shoot satellites out of space. In addition to this, a number…Justin Johnson -
- Opinion
Think That News Story Online Is a Hoax? It May Be Written By Russian Propagandists
Did you ever hear the one about the Columbian Chemicals factory in Centerville, La., blown up by ISIS terrorists on Sept. 11? Possibly not—because it did not happen. On Twitter and YouTube, however, such a “news story” did make the rounds, planted it appears by a St. Petersburg-based Russian propaganda outfit, innocently named the Internet…Helle Dale -
- Opinion
How the Next President Can Stand Up to a Resurgent Russia
Usually, domestic issues are front-and-center in presidential campaigns. Not so this year. From Islamist terror in Europe, Africa, and the Middle East to the growing Iranian nuclear threat, foreign and national-security policy is the hot topic among White House aspirants. That’s not a bad thing. The next leader of the free world must be able…James Carafano -
- Opinion
Europeans Agree to Counter Russian Propaganda War
Ministers from European Union countries decided last week to work strategically to counter Russian’s propaganda offensive in Ukraine and other former Soviet states. EU countries intend to collaborate on broadcasting to give citizens in the target countries, e.g. the Baltics, an alternative to the relentless bombardment of Russian media, which produces a highly distorted version…Helle Dale -
- News
Amid Fear of Russian Invasion, Baltic Countries Welcome US Support
MARIJAMPOLE, Lithuania—Citizens of the three Baltic countries have showed up in droves to welcome a U.S. Army Stryker convoy, which is traveling across Eastern Europe to underscore NATO’s commitment to defend the region from Russia. Soldiers from Iron Troop, 3rd Squadron, 2nd Cavalry Regiment arrived here Monday after a three-day journey that began Saturday in…Nolan Peterson