Analysis Erdogan’s ‘Crazy’ Canal Project Challenges Russia and Threatens to Shake Up the Region

The Turkish president is pushing to build a canal leading to the Black Sea, which Moscow worries will give Western warships a new route during a conflict

Allies of Jailed Kremlin Critic Navalny to Stage Nationwide Protests Over His Health Deterioration

Alexei Navalny 'could die at any moment' doctor says after the Russian opposition leader started a hunger strike more than three weeks ago

Ukraine Warns Kremlin as Massive Russian Troop Buildup Continues

Kyiv has raised the alarm over a buildup of Russian forces near the border between Ukraine and Russia, and over a rise in violence along the line of contact separating Ukrainian troops and Russia-backed separatists

Why Do Russians Have No Power Over Putin? Top Historian Has the Answer

Alexander Etkind, one of the most influential Russian thinkers, explains why it's impossible to remove the Putin regime right now, why the country's intellectual class is becoming extinct and how COVID-19 can actually benefit the planet

European Union Calls for Foreign Forces and Mercenaries to Leave Libya

At a news conference in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, EU Council President Charles Michel described the appointment of a transitional government earlier this year as a 'historic moment'

Moscow and Washington in 'High-level Contact' Over Ukraine

Moscow claims Russian military movements near its shared border with Ukraine posed no threat to Ukraine or anyone else

WATCH Russia Continues 'Unprecedented' Arctic Military Build Up, Reportedly Testing New 'Super Weapon'

The torpedo is reportedly capable of delivering a multiple megaton warhead, which could create radioactive waves that would render targeted coastlines uninhabitable for decades

Analysis Russia's Expansionist Aspirations Aren't Bothered by 'Marginal' Issues Like Syrian Human Rights

While rights groups sound the alarm on rights violations involving Russian forces in the Middle East, Moscow is looking at maritime maps of the region in search of natural gas drilling sites

Kremlin Says It Fears Ukraine Could Restart Conflict in War-torn East

Putin late on Tuesday accused Ukraine of provoking armed confrontation with the separatists and of failing to honour agreements over the region

Putin Says He Felt Minor Side Effects From COVID Vaccine

Putin tells state media he expects Russia to reach herd immunity and lift pandemic-related restrictions by the end of summer

Putin Says 'It Takes One to Know One' After U.S. President's Killer Remark

Biden's comments show the U.S. has no interest in mending ties with Russia, the Kremlin says

Russia Recalls Its U.S. Ambassador for Consultations After Biden Comment on Putin

President Biden said Russia's Putin is a killer and will face consequences for directing efforts to swing the 2020 U.S. election in Trump's favor

Opinion Israel’s Dangerous Precedent in Syria

Analysis Russian Flour, Kurdish Fuel, Turkish Power: Assad May Control Syria, but Not Its Economy

Goods flow from parts of the country controlled by opposition forces to regime-run areas, disrupted by occasional fighting in poverty-stricken Syria, which has largely dropped from the headlines

Russia vs. Turkey: Aerials Show Huge Blaze After Oil Facility Strike in Syria

Syrian opposition groups and at least one war monitor blamed Russia for the strike on the facility used by Turkey-backed opposition forces

Analysis New Regime in Libya Has a Lot of Powder Kegs to Navigate Around

A UN-brokered interim election among senior officials is the latest thing to go wrong in a country that still has two governments, two parliaments and plenty of warring militias

Russian Helicopter Crash-lands in Northern Syria, Casualties Reported

One crew member was killed and others were wounded, Syria's state news agency reports

Report: Russia Searching for Israeli Spy's Remains in Syria to Return Them to Israel

London-based website Rai al-Youm says that Eli Cohen's body may be returned to Israel as part of a deal if it was found, but there was no indication of what Israel would be giving in exchange

Russia 'Strongly Condemns' U.S. Strikes in Syria, Biden's First Military Action

The Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers also spoke hours after the airstrikes that reportedly killed at least 17. A U.S. official said the move was meant to send a signal to Iran-backed militias in the region

Russia Approves Its Third COVID-19 Vaccine Before Large-scale Clinical Trials

Preemptive approval for CoviVac had raised concerns among some scientists, but Moscow says the first 120,000 doses will be produced and released to the national coronavirus inoculation program next month

Kremlin Critic Alexei Navalny Loses Appeal Against Jail Term

Moscow court swiftly rejects Navalny's appeal, but shortens his three-and-a-half-year jail term by six weeks

Analysis Netanyahu's Vaccine Deal With Syria's Assad Will Haunt Him in Dealings With Hamas

The deal with Damascus to secure the return of an Israeli who crossed the border raises an uncomfortable question for the prime minister

Israel Secretly Agreed to Purchase Hundreds of Thousands of COVID Vaccines for Syria in Deal to Free Israeli

According to foreign reports, Israel agreed to buy COVID vaccines for transfer to Bashar Assad's government in exchange for woman's release

Russian Police Have Gotten to My Nephew, My Cousin, My Kid's Music Teacher. Putin's Crackdown Ramps Up

Relatives and a good friend of mine in Russia have been subjected to intimidating visits by the police during the latest anti-Putin protests. If this is what’s happening in my close circle, one can only imagine how far the authorities are ready to go to quell the opposition movement

Analysis The Explosive Reality Awaiting Biden in Iraq

In 2003, the plan was for the U.S. to profit from Iraq’s post-war reconstruction. Now, the resource-rich, bankrupt and corrupt country has become an economic playground for China, Russia and Iran

Deal to Return Israeli Woman From Syria Included Unusual, Undisclosed Clause

Government won't disclose part of Russian-mediated deal to secure woman's return, likely because it has the potential to anger the Israeli public

Israeli Woman Held in Syria After Crossing Border Lands in Tel Aviv

The woman was transferred to Russia over the past week, and a private Israeli plane left Tel Aviv on Thursday to retrieve her ■ Earlier, Israel repatriated two Syrian shepherds who had crossed into Israel

Analysis In Release of Woman Held in Syria, Israel Narrowly Misses Diplomatic Bungle

Israel should have had enough experience in such affairs by now, but an unnecessary complication in Russian-mediated talks to retrieve the woman was created at the last minute

Israel Repatriates Two Syrian Shepherds, Sends Plane to Retrieve Woman From Russia

Israeli woman, reportedly a resident of West Bank settlement Modi'in Illit, crossed into Syria and was arrested ■ Moscow mediated negotiations between the parties