Military operation or political zigzags: which will be useful in the election?

For several years, Russia has steadily expanded its presence across Africa, stepping into the vacuum left by Western powers and offering military support to governments facing international isolation, often without political conditions. Yet the events unfolding in Mali over recent days suggest that this strategy may be encountering deeper constraints than previously assumed.

When American aircraft carriers begin converging toward the narrow waters of the Strait of Hormuz, it is rarely just a signal. It is a language of power — understood simultaneously by allies, adversaries, and markets. Today, that language is звучит especially loudly.

Wars often begin with loud promises and end with quiet compromises. The conflict surrounding Iran, which until recently seemed like a prelude to a wider confrontation, increasingly resembles precisely such a war — one whose objectives are limited not by the weakness of the parties, but by their calculations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s visit to the Persian Gulf states in late March concluded with the signing of a series of key agreements on cooperation in air defense with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar, underscoring Kyiv’s growing role as a provider of security solutions.