Russia-Ukraine War

An Iranian-made Shahed-136 “kamikaze” drone flies over Kermanshah, Iran, on March 7, 2024.
War

What to do if you spot an Iranian Shahed drone

by Chris York

A feeling familiar to millions of Ukrainians was suddenly experienced across the Middle East over the weekend — the terror caused by Shahed drones flying overhead and smashing into buildings. Footage flooded social media as Iran launched drones and missiles in retaliatory strikes in response to the U.S.-Israeli bombardment that began on Feb. 28. "Welcome to the club, guys," Vladislav Vlasiuk, the Ukrainian president's representative on sanctions policy, told the Kyiv Independent when asked wha

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In the Middle East, chaos is Putin's new ally

If anyone was worried that Russia was going to intervene on behalf of its ally Iran in the new Middle East conflict, they need not be. Vladimir Putin's response to the massive U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran — and even the Israeli strike that killed Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's longtime Supreme Leader — was at best bland. He called the U.S. and Israeli strikes "cynical" and murderous, but issued neither threats, nor red lines, nor commitments to help Iran. To understand Putin's restraint,

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, on Feb. 23, 2026.

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As markets opened on March 2, Russian officials were quick to frame the escalating Middle East crisis as an economic opportunity for the Kremlin. Within hours of the first U.S. and Israeli strikes, Russian Envoy Kirill Dmitriev quickly posted on X about crude potentially hitting "$100+" per barrel. Brent crude futures on the London ICE exchange initially had risen 13.04%, peaking at $82.37 per barrel — the highest level in over a year. Prices later eased to $79.38. The spike followed Iran's M

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