Susan Katz Keating

Moscow Needs a Military Grandstander to Deflect From Prigozhin; Enter Ramzan Kadyrov

ANALYSIS by Susan Katz Keating Now that Yevgeny Prigozhin has been permanently silenced, Moscow needs to deflect from his legacy with a fresh military grandstander delivering Kremlin-friendlier content – and has handed the mic to former Prigozhin rival Ramzan Kadyrov. Kadyrov is a logical choice, if you are Vladimir Putin. …

Read More »

It Didn’t Start in Ukraine: The Surprisingly Long History of Drones in Warfare

Drones from Iran repeatedly have surfaced in Ukraine, with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog offering proof to the U.S. that the devices are being used there. Israel has obtained images showing that drones shot down in Ukraine are similar to those that were tested last year in Iran, Herzog’s office said. …

Read More »

Texas Sends More National Guard Troops to El Paso Border

The Texas National Guard on Friday began moving 200 additional personnel and 40 additional high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles (HMMWV) to expand operations along the border in El Paso. “All sectors along the border are increasing their response posture to protect Texas against the flood of migrants and cartel activity …

Read More »

Who is Viktor Bout, the Russian ‘Merchant of Death’ Who Was Swapped for Brittney Griner?

In a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States, convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout was swapped on Thursday in exchange for American basketball player Brittney Griner. Bout was in the news last month again after Moscow announced that talks wee underway for the U.S. to trade him for imprisoned …

Read More »

Chechnya’s Kadyrov Vows to Send His Teenaged Sons to Fight in Ukraine

Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is sending his three teenage sons – aged 14, 15, and 16 – to war in Ukraine, the strongman wrote Monday on Telegram. “The grandsons of the first president of the Chechen Republic, the Hero of Russia Akhmat-Khadzhi Kadyrov, Akhmat, Eli and Adam are aged 16, …

Read More »

When the Lance Corporal Met His Match Against Gummy Bears

by Mitchell “Taco” Bell Back in 2005, I spent a tour living in an old Iraq bathroom in the control tower on Al Taqqadum airbase.  Great place, you get a bit smell tone deaf to the room, but it was better than tent living. We received a ton of care …

Read More »

Kremlin Says No One Tried to Kill Putin This Week

by Susan Katz Keating After saying that Putin does know what’s happening in Ukraine, the Kremlin on Thursday made another unusual statement, this time saying no one tried to kill the Russian president this week. Reports emerged Sept. 14 on Telegram that Putin’s convoy was attacked while en route through …

Read More »