U.S. Troops in Ukraine Being Discussed

Hi Global Recap readers,

For those against U.S. troops in foreign wars, today's title may be alarming. Nothing has been confirmed publicly by Washington, but the fact that it is being discussed at all is worth paying attention to.

But first: Iran. 

• Protests are escalating, with reports claiming that the IRGC has used live rounds and carried out arrests.

• We’ll walk through what’s happening on the ground, what to watch for in the coming days (from Israel and Iran), and where Iran’s Crown Prince in exile fits into the bigger picture.

🇮🇷 IRAN
Update: Students Join

Iran’s third straight day of nationwide protests brought arrests and a campus crackdown as university students joined street demonstrations against a rapidly worsening economy.

• Trigger: The unrest began Sunday after shopkeepers in Tehran malls and later the Grand Bazaar launched strikes when the rial hit a record low against the US dollar, turning a currency panic into a public shutdown.

• Spread: By Tuesday, protests and walkouts were spilling into universities and commercial districts, with verified footage (by Iran International) showing crowds in Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz, Yazd, Kerman, and Qeshm Island, plus other cities.

• Arrests: Human rights and student groups said at least 11 protesters were arrested near Tehran’s Shoush Square, while five students were detained at universities in the capital, four of whom were later released.

• Campus: Student outlets reported one student at Tehran’s Amirkabir University was severely injured after members of the Basij militia attacked a campus gathering, with videos showing anti-government chants, confrontations at campus gates, and security forces using tear gas and, in some locations, firing toward demonstrators.

• Examples of chants: 

  • “Fuck Khamenei,” referring to the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ali Khamenei.

  • “This is the last battle, Pahlavi will return.”

What to Look Out For

It’s no secret that when leaders face serious internal pressure, a common tactic is to redirect public attention outward—toward external threats or foreign confrontation.

• If protests intensify, I wouldn’t be surprised to see heightened tensions involving Israel in the coming days, whether through provocation or escalation.

• But this dynamic can cut both ways. Periods of domestic instability can also create openings for rivals to apply pressure (politically, or covertly through information operations) aimed at deepening internal fractures.

• In that context, it’s worth noting that Reza Pahlavi (the exiled Crown Prince of Iran) has been promoting the idea of the “Cyrus Accords,” a proposal framed around regional peace and cooperation with Israel and Arab states.

• From Israel’s perspective, the most favorable outcome would be the removal of the Islamic regime through popular pressure from an Iranian public that is already deeply disillusioned, followed by the emergence of Pahlavi as an alternative leader.

🇷🇺 RUSSIA
Moscow Blackout
After Drones

Parts of Moscow and the surrounding region reportedly lost power after a Ukrainian drone attack sparked a winter blackout. Estimates circulating online put the number affected somewhere between 100,000 and 600,000 people, with officials and independent sources still not fully aligned on what failed and why.

• Scene: Videos and photos shared on social media showed high-rise residential blocks and street lighting going dark, with car headlights doing most of the work. Some accounts also claimed mobile service dropped in parts of the region, though that remains hard to verify from public info alone.

• Claims: A Ukrainian-linked narrative framed it as a direct hit on Moscow’s infrastructure, while some reports suggested the immediate trigger could have been a substation fire, with uncertainty over whether that fire was caused by a strike.

• Defense: Russia’s defense ministry said air defenses destroyed 27 Ukrainian drones in a three-hour window starting at 8:00 p.m. local time, including three over the Moscow region.

Holes in Assassination Claims

This comes after Russia alleged that Ukraine tried to hit a Putin-linked retreat near Lake Valdai with drones, but Kyiv calls the whole thing a fabrication. A prominent drone-industry executive is also publicly poking holes in the Russian story’s basic mechanics.

• Claim: Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov alleged that 91 drones were intercepted en route to a presidential residence in the Novgorod region, framing it as a provocation timed around peace talks.

• Skeptic: Cameron Chell, CEO and co-founder of Draganfly, believes the scenario reads tactically wrong for Ukraine, arguing that reaching a heavily protected site would likely require launch points far closer than Ukraine, potentially inside Russia.

• Spillover: Whether it was a false flag or not, the allegation is tailor-made for Russia’s messaging. A narrative in which Ukraine is accused of trying to assassinate Putin in the midst of peace talks is inherently damaging for Kyiv, regardless of whether it’s true.

  • And, predictably, Putin used it to frame the story directly to Trump by calling him after the alleged attack.

  • Trump said he was “very angry” upon hearing about it from Putin.

U.S. Troops On Table

Speaking to reporters in a WhatsApp chat on Dec. 30, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says Kyiv is actively discussing a possible presence of U.S. troops in Ukraine with President Trump.

• Reactions: The White House offered no comment on sending U.S. troops under any settlement.

• Europe: Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said peace could be achieved within weeks with U.S. security support, and hinted at the idea of U.S. troops on the line of contact, though without details.

🇹🇷 TURKEY
ISIS Suspects Arrested

Turkey just kicked off nationwide detentions after a bloody standoff with suspected ISIS terrorists in the northwestern province of Yalova. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya says police detained 357 suspects in coordinated raids across 21 provinces on Tuesday.

• Trigger: The sweep comes right after an eight-hour operation in Yalova that turned into a firefight, leaving three police officers and six suspected terrorists dead.

• Timing: Authorities have been leaning hard into pre-holiday prevention, after more than 100 suspected ISIS terrorists were detained in a separate operation tied to alleged plans targeting Christmas and New Year celebrations.