Wagner chief Prigozhin among passengers in fatal plane crash: Russian state media Russia’s grey-zone influence in the Middle East and Africa enters uncharted territory amid reports of the Wagner chief’s death. Russia / Mideast
Egypt hosted US, China, Russia, France, UK nuclear talks The Cairo talks followed a February meeting in Dubai on nuclear non-proliferation as the Biden administration seeks to set new norms with Beijing and Moscow. Russia / Mideast
Iran is seeking billions in arms deals from Russia, White House says Moscow may send Iran fighter aircraft as Pentagon officials warn the tactical relationship could evolve into strategic cooperation. Russia / Mideast
Breaking | Last Updated: November 2, 2022, 3:39 pm US says North Korea shipping weapons to Russia via Middle East The White House said it will consult with allies on next steps, including at the United Nations. Russia / Mideast
Breaking Last Updated: October 21, 2022, 9:47 am Iran 'directly engaged' in Russia’s war in Ukraine, White House says Russia / Mideast
Intel: Turkey talks expanding defense ties with Russia, snubbing NATO Erdogan's boasting about future defense projects with Moscow comes after he failed to get a meeting with President Joe Biden in New York. Russia / Mideast
Sudan puts Russia naval base deal under review A top military officer denied the review was connected to increased ties with the United States. Russia / Mideast
Turkish-Russian ties marked more by rivalry than cooperation today President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believed Russia would provide him leverage against the United States and Europe after Turkey’s ties with the West took a nosedive. Turkey
Taliban, Assad continue to unite Russia, Iran While Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed ways to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal in his visit to Tehran this week, the topics of Syria and Afghanistan also featured prominently on the agenda. Russia
Russian FM’s visit to Egypt helps counter Erdogan’s regional moves Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's visit to Cairo is seen as a further cementing of increasing Russian-Egyptian ties and as a counterpoint to the Ukrainian president's visit to Turkey. Russia
US cooling could help Russia boost ties with Saudi Arabia While Moscow realizes that it cannot replace the US role in the region, it’s hoping a cooling of ties between Washington and Riyadh will help bolster its own influence. Russia / Mideast
Russian foreign minister’s visit aimed at challenging US influence in Gulf Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s recent visit to the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar came amid uncertainty among these states about their future relations with the new US administration. Russia / Mideast
What's next for Russia’s relations with Hezbollah? A Hezbollah delegation visits Moscow, with Lebanese politics and stability and Syria's political future atop the agenda. Russia
Russia launches air campaign against Islamic State in Syrian desert Russian forces intensified their airstrikes against IS sites in Syria’s Badia with the aim of supporting the ground forces that failed to eliminate the organization or curb its spread. Syria
Iran’s supreme leader authorized infowar campaign during US election Hezbollah and Russia also spread disinformation to try to influence the 2020 presidential election, a newly released US intelligence report says. Russia
Saudi Arabia to take ‘necessary measures’ to protect oil after drone attack Riyadh wants international support to prevent future attacks, foreign minister says alongside Russian counterpart. Saudi Arabia
Intel: US hinders Syria’s return ‘to normal,’ UAE foreign minister says Flanked by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Abu Dhabi's top diplomat criticized the US-led campaign to economically isolate Syria under President Bashar al-Assad. United Arab Emirates