Illia Kabachynskyi

The Russian economy has endured four years of sanctions since launching its full-scale war in Ukraine, but this endurance is not a sign of strength. One of its two key lifelines, the National Wealth Fund, is now showing serious signs of depletion, in part thanks to the sanctions.

Financial strains from its full-scale war in Ukraine haven’t stopped Russia from investing heavily in the Arctic. With one eye on natural resources and the other on military infrastructure development, the Kremlin is deepening its grip on a region it sees as strategically vital.

Ukraine’s Armed Forces have just pulled off a major missile breakthrough, creating a domestically produced ballistic missile, the Sapsan. Now comes the next battle: scaling production from a handful to hundreds.

A chokepoint for nearly 20% of the world’s oil and a vital LNG lifeline, the Strait of Hormuz is once again at the heart of geopolitical tensions. Iran’s threat to block it can lead to rising oil prices and destabilize global trade.

For the operation in Iran, the Pentagon deployed six B-2 bombers. These are the most advanced stealth bombers in the world—no other country possesses such a weapon, not even Russia.

Iran is attacking Israel with ballistic and cruise missiles, as well as deploying Shahed UAVs—drones Russia has used to strike Ukrainian cities since 2022, with near-daily attacks in the past year.