Moscow, Russia | Wed, February 16, 2022 A day after announcing a first troop pullout from Ukraine’s borders, Russia claimed military training in Moscow-annexed Crimea had ended and soldiers were returning to their garrisons. “Units of the Southern Military District are moving to their permanent deployment positions after completing tactical exercises,” Moscow’s defense ministry said […]

On Sunday, Iran’s hardline press hailed ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi’s presidential election victory, while the marginalized reformist party indulged in soul-searching. “The Dawn of a New Era,” read the joyous front-page headline of the conservative Resalat newspaper, hailing Raisi’s 62 percent victory in Friday’s election as the head of Iran’s judiciary. Raisi, a pious and