A high ranking Russian military officer known as the “Butcher of Mariupol” has joined the Wagner Group as a deputy commander, according to Russian social media channels. The commander, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, previously was fired from his post as Deputy Defense Minister. He had garnered a reputation for his …

As cartel rivalries heat up inside northeastern Mexico, independent protection squads have surfaced in the south, with men from both sectors making videos to warn off “scumbags” and challengers. Writer “Sol Prendido” of Borderlands Beat chronicles their efforts, below. Chiapas: “We Are Not a Cartel, We’re a Self-Defense Group” A …

by Mike Eckel, RFE/RL Prior to May 3, the last time the Kremlin was attacked — bombed, in fact — was in 1942, when Nazi forces were closing in on Moscow. Before that, you’d have to go back to Napoleon, when French forces entered the Kremlin, albeit without much of …

by Fred A. Ganous, SGM, USA (Ret) “I just got shot in the head!” It was September 25th, 2006, and we weren’t in the country for over a month, and one of our own, Sergeant Don Morgan, got hit. It was just another day in Iraq, hot and hazy, and …

A Virginia police officer narrowly escaped death when a vehicle traveling 120 mph slammed into a car the officer had pulled over for a traffic stop. As the runaway BMW M3, driven by a teenager, screeched out of control from the opposite side of the road, the Fairfax County Police …

Chechen strongman Ramzan Kadyrov, who was rumored to be ill in March, has resurfaced to say he envisions creating an international private army that would be motivated not by money but by “order.” The prospective altruistic force would fight anywhere in the world in order to protect what Kadyrov called …

by Friedrich Seiltgen New to the micro compact pistol segment is the FN Reflex, from FN America, the U.S. subsidiary of leading firearms manufacturer FN Herstal. Founded In 1889, Fabrique Nationale was created in order to manufacture 150,000 Mauser model 89 rifles for the Belgian army. A key player in …

by Heath Hansen Soldier of Fortune correspondent Heath Hansen has written about his missions with Arizona Border Recon (AZBR), a volunteer group that gathers intelligence along the US-Mexico border, and shares the information with federal authorities. Over the years, AZBR has provided intelligence that has led to the apprehension of …

by Joseph Hammond ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — As another year of drought looms in Somalia and famine stalks many rural communities, the prayers for rain have already begun. Horn of Africa faith-based organizations are increasingly playing a prominent role in responding to a potentially massive famine that has received little …

Ukrainian defenders continue to hold their strategic positions in Bakhmut, a senior military commander has said after Russia claimed it had made advances in the city that has been the epicenter of a fierce monthslong battle for the control of the eastern Donetsk region. “We hit the enemy, often unexpectedly …