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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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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
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… -
news
High-Ranking Democrat Pushes Back Against Obama Administration Policy to Counter Russia
Amid whisperings that the Justice Department will file criminal corruption charges against Sen. Robert Menendez, D-N.J., the long-time senator today spoke about the importance of the U.S. standing strong against Russia and warned that inaction could embolden countries with nuclear capabilities. “The simple fact is we all want a diplomatic solution to this problem. But… -
opinion
Russia and China Aren’t Less Committed to Nuclear Force. So Why Are We?
As Russia and other nations around the world flex their “nuclear muscles,” when it comes to the United States, maintaining a credible nuclear force is certainly a tough task. Challenges include: declining research, development and acquisition budgets; uncertain prospects for modernization, and an American public that lacks a clear understanding of how nuclear weapons contribute… -
opinion
Could the Nicaragua Canal Project Bring Russia Back to Central America?
Following a unanimous vote in the National Assembly’s Infrastructure Committee, Nicaraguan officials have begun preparations for the so-called Interoceanic Grand Canal, which will connect to Lake Nicaragua by means of a 177.7 mile (286 km) waterway. President Daniel Ortega signed an agreement for the ambitious construction project with Hong Kong Nicaragua Canal Development Investment Company… -
opinion
Suspected Russian Penetration of U.S. Critical Infrastructure Calls for Firm Response
When people think of computer hacking, China immediately comes to mind. Recent news reports, however, puts the spotlight on Russia as a sophisticated state player silently infiltrating U.S. cyber systems. ABC News reported that a “Trojan Horse” malware program, reportedly of Russian origin, infiltrated the software of critical infrastructures in the U.S. and has been… -
opinion
Russia’s Relentless “Soft Power” Push
A new “Russian Soft Power” report from the Russian ITAR-TASS news agency has concluded that President Vladimir Putin is both the main asset and the main intellectual force in the Russian bid for global public opinion. Though Putin’s personal charisma may not be as overwhelming as ITAR-TASS reports to those of us here in the… -
opinion
The Dark Side of Russian State Media
On October 29, Serbian news sources reported that the Kremlin planned to open 29 bureaus of Rossiya Segodnya, a Russian state media outlet, in capital cities worldwide. The plan to open the bureaus will augment the Kremlin’s global presence. The increase in media outlets allows Russia to continue to export propaganda intended to influence foreign… -
opinion
Behold the Russian Sandworm
Earlier this month, it was discovered that a sophisticated cyber espionage campaign had been targeting Western government leaders and institutions—including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, energy and telecommunication companies, the Ukrainian and European Union governments, and one academic inside the United States—for almost 5 years. Dubbed “Sandworm,” a reference to the science fiction series Dune,… -
opinion
How Russia Is Using Propaganda
Russian military incursions into the airspace of NATO countries and submarine expeditions into Swedish territorial waters have intensified since its annexation of Crimea in March, as Moscow probes the weakness of European and U.S. responses. Russia also has ramped up its advances on the information warfare front, aiming a barrage of propaganda at foreigners, particularly… -
opinion
Obama’s Removal of Russia’s Trade Preferences Doesn’t Matter
On Friday, the White House announced that President Obama would remove Russia’s eligibility for the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP), a trade program that gives preferential tariff treatment to developing countries. The move, which the Administration telegraphed as far back as 2013, is justified under GSP program guidelines that limit participation to only poor countries…. -
opinion
Russia Now Has More Deployed Nuclear Warheads than the U.S.
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) that the U.S. State Department and the Obama Administration championed has been a bad deal for the U.S. Despite the fact that the U.S.’s international security obligations are vastly different from Russia’s, the treaty codified that the U.S. will have the same number of nuclear warheads as… -
opinion
Russia Bans U.S. Agricultural Imports: What Effect Will It Have?
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to impose a one-year ban on many agricultural imports from the United States and other countries that have imposed economic sanctions against Russia in connection with its actions in Eastern Ukraine—namely Australia, Canada, the European Union (EU), and Norway. The impact on the U.S. should be relatively small…. -
opinion
Russia Is Trying to Undo Europe’s Post-Cold War Settlement
What’s at stake in Ukraine? If the actions of Western governments speak louder than words, the short answer is “not much.” The full range of sanctions on Russia has not yet been imposed, and there is a widespread reluctance to embrace Ukraine too closely. But what if our reluctance is a mistake? We could end… -
opinion
Russia: Time to Act on INF Violations
American officials have confirmed that Russia has been violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The INF Treaty was concluded in 1987 and prohibits all ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 kilometers. Pointing to official Russian media sources, defense analysts Mark Schneider and Keith Payne contend that Russia has been developing… -
news
Obama Follows Europe in Expanding Sanctions on Russia
Following the lead of the European Union, President Obama announced expanded sanctions against Russia Tuesday for supporting separatists in Ukraine. The latest American sanctions target Russia’s financial, energy and military sectors. The Treasury Department released a list of large Russian banks that are blocked from transactions with Americans, including the Bank of Moscow, the Russian… -
opinion
Russia Violated a Nuclear Treaty. What the U.S. Must Do.
Russian violations of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty come as a surprise to only those who have not been paying attention to foreign policy in the last few decades. In a recent National Review piece, Mark Schneider, senior analyst at the National Institute for Public Policy, and Keith B. Payne, former deputy assistant secretary of defense,…