RUSI

For the latest analysis on defence, security and international affairs, here is a list of RUSI staff members to follow on BlueSky (will be updated regularly as user base expands).

Kazakhstan didn’t pick a side in the AI race. It joined both Washington’s Pax Silica and Beijing’s WAICO. In the latest RUSI Commentary, Assel G Bitabar explores why Kazakhstan is keeping both memberships, and what neither initiative provides.

Social cohesion is the one pillar of the EU’s Hybrid Toolbox with no funding of its own. In the latest RUSI Commentary, Fleur Just explores why countering Russian hybrid warfare means building it locally.

Talent competition is “as strategically significant as the competition for technology.” In the latest RUSI Defence Systems article, Lt Cdr Rhodri Humphreys explains why the Royal Navy’s Hybrid Navy ambitions hinge on its people, and what needs to change.

Brussels is designing a nature credits market with integrity rules, but none on money laundering. The EU’s carbon market shows the cost: around €5bn in lost tax revenue, with safeguards added only after the damage. Albertus Geldenhuys argues this market is still small enough to secure now.

Fraud is 45% of crime in England and Wales, but victim support is inconsistent and onward care unclear. Our new paper with City of London Police sets out what the Fraud Victims Charter should deliver: baseline standards of care, active handovers, tailored support and cross-sector accountability.

Is the mafia keeping fentanyl out of Italy? Federico Varese finds no evidence. Low numbers reflect Europe’s opioid market history, but nitazenes are a growing threat. https://www.rusi.org/explore-our-research/publications/commentary/fentanyl-italy-and-european-opioid-market

Russia once kept Central Asia supplied with fuel. Now it’s struggling to keep its own planes in the air. Latest RUSI Commentary by Stanimir Dobrev (@delfoo.bsky.social) examines how Ukraine’s refinery strikes are hitting Moscow’s finances and regional ties.

Whether Lula or Flávio Bolsonaro wins Brazil's presidential run-off, a right-leaning Congress and pressure from China, the US and Europe will constrain its foreign policy. In a the latest RUSI Commentary, Dr Daniela Portella Sampaio examines what the election means for Brazil and the region.

The US has defanged its Corporate Transparency Act and EU public registers have effectively ended. How can the UK renew its case for transparency?

In the latest RUSI Commentary, Professor Derrick Wyatt KC argues that Europe should start “talking over Putin’s head” to his potential successors, offering a political and economic reset in return for a just peace for Ukraine.

China Coast Guard ships intercepted a Philippine resupply run to Second Thomas Shoal on 24 September. Global Times said it lacked prior Chinese approval. Dr Charles Pearson says this is language used by 'an administering authority over territory, rather than the sort used to establish a claim'.

'Joint exercises assume crises arrive singly, are recognisable and end on schedule. Compounded crises break all three, and readiness reporting cannot detect it.' In a the latest RUSI Newsbrief, Prathap Latchmanan sets out four changes to how exercises are designed.

"Russia cannot simply build its way out of the problem through numerical expansion." New RUSI research by Dr Sidharth Kaushal finds Russia's nuclear modernisation will favour speed and precision - silo-based systems, theatre strike, counterspace - over expanding arsenal size.

'Supporting Ukraine is not an act of charity. It is an act of self-interest.' Dr Greg Mills, Dr Karin von Hippel and Raimundo Robredo argue that Russia threatens democracies well beyond Europe, and that Ukraine's battlefield innovation and civilian resilience hold lessons for the West.

Ukraine needs weapons to win the war, but Europe needs a wider toolset to secure the peace. As Dr Jack Watling argues, "investment in Ukraine's future is an investment in European security", and development aid has to be part of that deterrence strategy.

Sanctions remain atop the UK and EU agenda, yet enforcement has lagged behind. Our RUSI Commentary by Gonzalo Saiz Erausquin argues firms must fear OFSI and EU enforcement as much as OFAC.

Serbia's 25 October election carries implications well beyond the Balkans. In our latest RUSI Commentary, Vladimir Krulj examines what political discontinuity in Belgrade could mean for Israel's emerging defence-industrial partnership with Serbia.

Five years after the Huawei debate, Europe still has no unified approach to managing 'high-risk' tech vendors. Our new report compares how Germany, Spain and the UK handle Chinese vendors in critical infrastructure - three different approaches, no EU standard.

This winter isn't just testing Ukraine's resilience - it's testing Europe's, as Russia escalates pressure on European grids, with cyberattacks the most credible threat.

Stablecoins are no longer a niche story. The market now stands at roughly $317bn, and stablecoins are becoming real payment infrastructure. Yet AML/CFT rules were built for banks, not blockchains, and are struggling to keep pace.

Europe is fighting a hybrid war with a one-dimensional toolkit. Our new report by Dr Louise Marie Hurel and Dr Gareth Mott argues cyberattacks demand a broader political response. It proposes a 52-tool framework across diplomatic, economic, and military instruments, sequenced to adversary behaviour.

Putin doesn't need a new mobilisation - Russia is already sustaining one quietly. The question is how long before the cost becomes politically unavoidable, writes Zoe Neiman.

The UK's investment screening regime remains stable under Burnham, with approval rates and priority sectors largely unchanged. But, as Dan Spacie argues, the underlying calculus is shifting along with 'Britain's geopolitics and conception of strategic sovereignty'. https://bit.ly/4hMihyV

Trump once urged Europe to buy more US energy as leverage against Russia. Now he's weighing a diesel export ban to ease record prices at home - and Europe could pay the price. Read Petras Katinas' new RUSI Commentary on Europe's exposure.

The Mecca Agreement, signed by Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, echoes NATO's Article 5, and could reshape Middle East security. Dr Burcu Ozcelik explains what it means for the region and the US, in the latest RUSI Reflects. 🎥 Watch here: https://bit.ly/4y4hw9z

Following the shutdown of USAID, high-aid-exposure African regions saw violence rise: ‘conflict events increased by 10.6%, battle counts rose by 6.9%, and battle-related fatalities went up by 9.3%.’ Our new article explores aid's link to security.

The EU cannot outrun NATO in the Arctic. Its real gap is that 'it has no legal category between ‘Member State’ and ‘third country’ for partners it depends on but will never absorb through enlargement', write Andreas Østhagen and Andreas Raspotnik.

North Korea has abandoned unification as a goal and refuses to discuss denuclearisation, yet these old frameworks persist in shaping how we analyse Korean Peninsula security - the latest #GlobalSecurityBriefing episode asks what should replace them: https://bit.ly/3VKIGo8

Russia's parliamentary election delivered the expected result: a decisive victory for United Russia. What follows is far less predictable. Natia Seskuria argues that the Kremlin's options are narrowing - with growing indications it may be preparing for a further wave of mobilisation.

🎙️Talking Strategy returns. Season 7 opens with NATO's Dr Florence Gaub on strategic foresight: how to anticipate the futures you can't predict, avoid strategic surprise, and get the people in power to actually listen. Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts!

After claiming strikes on Riyadh and an Aramco facility at Yanbu, the Houthis' gains around Bab Al-Mandeb are exposing different visions of Gulf security - as Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey, Pakistan and the US weigh their responses. Read the latest RUSI Commentary from Burcu Ozcelik.

In August, a CIA director and a Vatican diplomat both visited Moscow. Only one made headlines. Our latest RUSI Commentary argues that Russia's claims over Ukraine's churches are a security issue policymakers can't overlook.

77,316 general aviation flights arrived in the UK from abroad in 2025. Private jets. Light aircraft. Helicopters. Borders crossed outside the familiar system of scheduled commercial departure gates and passport queues. Cathy Haenlein maps the border security blind spot above us.

Can a financial integrity system built for multilateral cooperation still work in a world split by war and rivalry? RUSI's Kinga Redlowska explores this question in the latest RUSI Commentary.

'Universities should not only educate people before they enter defence. They should be part of how people learn throughout their careers' writes Dr Tom Smith in the latest RUSI Commentary.

'The defining feature of Putin’s post-2022 sabotage campaign – and a key enabler of both its expansion and the escalation risks it generates – has been its reliance on amateurs.' Read the latest RUSI Newsbrief by Dr Daniela Richterova

'The state which would inherit the defence responsibilities of the island of Ireland, its waters and skies, cannot presently discharge the limited responsibilities it already has.' writes Philip Hamilton in the latest RUSI Commentary.

‘The recent donation of £72 million to Reform UK from two crypto billionaires brings into sharp relief growing concerns about the potential for mega donors to create undue political influence,’ says Eliza Lockhart, @cfs-rusi.bsky.social. Read about our Cryptocurrencies in UK Politics project.

Direct German funding of the UK’s nuclear deterrent would create more problems than it solves. Deeper Anglo-German cooperation on integrated deterrence offers a better path. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Darya Dolzikova​ and Dr Sidharth Kaushal.

Yesterday we invited RUSI members to our library at 61 Whitehall for the awards ceremony of the 2025 Duke of Wellington Medal for Military History where His Grace, the Duke of Wellington presented the award to the winner Keith Lowe. To find out more about the award: https://bit.ly/4A6jSXq

'for now Russia’s attacks of NATO infrastructure lack the coordination and coherence to disable transport infrastructure for long periods and cause significant disruption.' writes Emily Ferris, RUSI Senior Associate Fellow, in the latest RUSI Commentary.

New Zealand's 2025 Defence Capability Plan is a promise, not a result. A Defence Capacity Statement could keep national-security risk, readiness and delivery connected. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Ian Ball, John Crompton, Dag Detter and Major General John G. Howard MNZM.

'This is a totally different form of war.' In the latest Global Security Briefing episode, General David H Petraeus and Professor Kevin Rowlands sit down to discuss how autonomous systems are reshaping conflict. Watch or listen to the episode here: https://bit.ly/3UxqONf

A low-cost route to force regeneration: actively manage the Veterans ID card and Defence Gateway to build a dynamic, trained virtual reserve from those who have served. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Colonel David Rew.

'The perseverance of the authorities on both sides of the Irish border to contain or suppress the New IRA threat is not in doubt. What is questionable is the conceptual framing of terrorism in this context.' writes Dr Aaron Edwards in the latest #RUSICommentary.

The upcoming episode of Global Security Briefing features an insightful interview with General David H. Petraeus. Make sure to tune in on 9 September to hear General Petraeus discuss autonomous warfare, drone technology and the military transformation driven by Ukraine: https://bit.ly/4czOS89

Russia is learning how to restore command, targeting and sustainment after disruption. NATO should measure success by how long the military function stays unavailable. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Roger N. McDermott.

Europe's nuclear future prominently on the agenda. But talk is cheap, even of grand designs, and the debate lacks an understanding of joint responses or near-term steps. Read the RUSI Commentary by Dr Aylin Matlé (@aylinmatle.bsky.social) senior research fellow, German Council on Foreign Relations.

The UK is overhauling how it oversees the legal and accountancy sectors for anti-money laundering, but making the new system work is the real test. Read the latest RUSI Commentary by Veronica Stratford-Tuke.

'By connecting geopolitical struggles to everyday issues, Russian information operations effectively embed global politics within debates over family, sexuality, morality and culture to amplify demagoguery and polarisation.' Read our paper State Threats in Sub-Saharan Africa Through a Gender Lens.