Author: Talha Yavuz

Russia has intensified its offensive in eastern Ukraine in recent months, aiming to seize as much territory as possible before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump takes office on Jan. 20. Moscow claims its forces have captured over 190 Ukrainian settlements since the beginning of 2024, as in November, Ukraine experienced its most significant territorial loss as 1,202 Square kilometers (464 Square miles) since September 2022. Russia has steadily expanded its control over the last year and now holds the majority of territory in the four regions it annexed in 2022: Luhansk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk. In February 2024, Russia captured strategic…

On Dec. 8, as opposition forces breached Damascus, Syrian regime leader Bashar Assad fled to Moscow, where he was granted political asylum by Russia. By the end of the day, Damascus fell to opposition forces, signaling the complete collapse of the Assad family after over 60 years. This marked a significant geopolitical setback for Russia. Losing Assad as an ally not only compromised Russia’s foothold in the Middle East but also called into question its aspirations to maintain its image as a reemerging global power. Russian President Vladimir Putin, who sees the fall of the Soviet Union as “the greatest…

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the United States has provided over $64 billion in military aid to Ukraine. Donald Trump, the fresh president-elect of the U.S., has been critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, referring to him as the “greatest salesman on earth” for obtaining significant U.S. support. With his victory in the U.S. elections, Ukraine’s prospects seem uncertain, as he has promised to “End the war in 24 hours” during his campaign. During his first term, the Trump administration reassessed numerous multinational commitments, leading to withdrawals from some notable agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the…