Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian deepened military ties between their countries on Friday by signing a 20-year strategic partnership that is likely to worry the West.

Moscow accused Washington of playing a destabilizing role in the Southern Caucasus on Tuesday as Armenia and the United States prepared to sign a strategic partnership agreement. "The US has never played a particularly stabilizing role in the Southern Caucasus,

Analysts argue that Belarus is no longer just a Russian ally. Instead, the Kremlin is transforming it into a strategic partner to help extend Moscow’s influence globally. The Kremlin plans to leverage its gains in Belarus to offset the costs of its prolonged war against Ukraine,

Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran on Friday that follows similar pacts with China and North Korea. All three countries are adversaries of the United States, and Russia has used its ties with them to help blunt the impact of Western sanctions and boost its war effort in Ukraine.

The U.S. Justice Department announced Tuesday that it has filed a civil lawsuit against the investment firm that financially backs Moscow-based company Lightcast. The DOJ says KKR & Co. Inc. failed to comply with antitrust laws for at least 16 separate transactions, including the merger that led EMSI and Burning Glass to become Lightcast.

President-elect Donald Trump should get tough on countries using chemical weapons in breach of agreed international conventions, such as Russia.

The US Treasury imposed sanctions on Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas, which explore for, produce and sell oil as well as 183 vessels that have shipped Russian oil, many of which are in the so-called shadow fleet of ageing tankers operated by non-Western companies.

Russia is "not constrained by the thought of large numbers of innocent victims," Russia expert Keir Giles told Newsweek.

Reliance on Russia’s military offerings has become increasingly prevalent in parts of Africa, amid an aggressive push by Moscow to lessen Western influence on the continent.

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Six Russian tankers still under construction at Russia's Zvezda shipyard have been sanctioned by the United States. This is the first time that Washington has banned tankers before they even set sail.