Russia
# Navalny cuts off monitoring bracelet
# Hollande calls for lifting Russia sanctions if progress is made and says there should be no new sanctions; Germany deputy chancellor also warns against more
# Russian hedge fund boss vanishes, sparking chaos
# Galeotti says 2016 is year Putin could begin to lose power
# Ioffe profiles Khodorkovsky
# "Russian Science is Amazing. So Why Hasn’t It Taken Over the World?" - Loren Graham, Boston Globe
Ukraine
# Another mysterious bombing in Odesa
# Russian woman charged with "inciting ethnic hatred" for linking to Ukraine documentaries
# "Russia Is Still Ukraine's Largest Trading Partner" - Mark Adomanis, Forbes
# CSM editorial: Russia and Ukraine: A Contest Less of War and More of Governance
Eastern Europe
# Belarus and Turkmenistan devalue currencies
Iraq/Syria
# Financial Times: People begin to tire of IS "government"
# Three Saudi guards killed in suicide, gun attack on Iraq border
# Are IS leaders giving fighters Cocaine?
# "Meet The Oil Engineer ISIS Wanted To Hire" - Mike Giglio, Buzzfeed
Iran
# Three would-be IS fighters reportedly arrested trying to cross Iran border
Afghanistan/Pakistan
# The Afghan man who carries the dead
# U.S. sticks by withdrawal plans despite Ghani's call to review deadline
# Pakistan grants stay on execution after rights group say accused was tortured
# India and Pakistan trade accusations about Kashmir border killings
Of Interest