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Focus on Cyber Warfare and Fraud-
Are Southeast Asian nations also developing offensive cyber capabilities? If so, why?
Southeast Asian nations are increasingly developing and investing in their offensive cyber capabilities, albeit to varying degrees depending on their resources and strategic priorities. This development is often more subtle and less publicly acknowledged than defensive measures, but it's a growing trend driven by a complex mix of motivations.

Here's why:
Why Southeast Asian Nations are Developing Offensive Cyber Capabilities:
Deterrence and Self-Defense:

Responding to External Threats: Southeast Asia is a prime target for cyberattacks from major powers (like China, as seen with groups like SharpPanda) and other nation-state actors (e.g., North Korea, Russia). Developing offensive capabilities is seen as a necessary means to deter potential adversaries by demonstrating a credible ability to retaliate or impose costs in cyberspace.

Asymmetric Warfare: For smaller nations with limited conventional military power, cyber capabilities offer an asymmetric advantage. They provide a cost-effective way to project power and defend national interests against larger, more technologically advanced adversaries without resorting to traditional armed conflict.

Maintaining Sovereignty: In an increasingly digital world, the ability to operate effectively in cyberspace, including offensively, is seen as crucial for maintaining national sovereignty and protecting critical infrastructure from foreign interference or attacks.

Intelligence Gathering and Espionage:
National Security Intelligence: Offensive cyber tools are essential for gathering intelligence on geopolitical rivals, regional disputes (e.g., in the South China Sea), terrorist groups, and internal political dynamics in neighboring countries. This intelligence helps inform national security policies and decision-making.

Economic Espionage: Some nations may use offensive cyber capabilities to acquire intellectual property, trade secrets, or economic intelligence to support their national industries and accelerate economic growth. Vietnam's cyber activities, for instance, are often linked to economic espionage.

Support for Conventional Military Operations (Hybrid Warfare):

Force Multiplier: Cyber operations can serve as a force multiplier in military conflicts. They can be used to disrupt enemy command and control systems, communication networks, logistics, and critical infrastructure (e.g., power grids, transportation) before or during kinetic operations.

Preparation of the Battlefield: Offensive cyber capabilities allow for the "preparation of the digital battlefield," including gaining persistent access to adversary networks, mapping vulnerabilities, and planting malware for potential activation in a crisis.

Counter-Cybercrime and Counter-Terrorism:
While distinct from state-sponsored "offensive cyber capabilities" in a military sense, some nations may develop advanced forensic and "active defense" capabilities that blur the lines, allowing them to trace and disrupt cybercriminal or terrorist networks. This can involve operations that might be considered offensive by some definitions.

Protection of Critical National Infrastructure (CNI):
While primarily defensive, the ability to conduct offensive reconnaissance or "hunt" for threats within critical infrastructure (even abroad) might be seen as a necessary part of a comprehensive CNI protection strategy. Knowing how to attack helps inform how to defend.

Regional Geopolitical Dynamics:
The intensifying cybersecurity landscape, with major powers like the U.S. and China actively operating in cyberspace, compels Southeast Asian nations to enhance their own capabilities to avoid being passive targets or proxies in larger cyber conflicts.

Specific regional disputes (like the South China Sea) further incentivize the development of capabilities to protect national interests and gather relevant information.

Varying Degrees of Capability:
It's important to note that the level of offensive cyber capability varies significantly across Southeast Asian nations:

Singapore is widely recognized as a leader in cybersecurity within ASEAN, with significant investments in both defensive and offensive capabilities, sophisticated intelligence agencies, and a strong focus on critical infrastructure protection.

Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam also have increasingly sophisticated capabilities, driven by their strategic positions and economic development goals. Vietnam, as mentioned, has known state-sponsored groups engaged in advanced espionage.

Other nations like Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar generally have more nascent cyber defense infrastructures and limited resources, meaning their offensive capabilities would be far less developed, if present at all, and likely limited to basic actions or rely on foreign assistance.

In conclusion, the development of offensive cyber capabilities in Southeast Asia is a pragmatic response to a rapidly evolving digital threat landscape. It's driven by the need for self-defense, intelligence gathering, strategic deterrence, and the desire to project influence and protect national interests in an increasingly interconnected and contested cyberspace.

US and Russia suggest ‘West Bank-style occupation of Ukraine’
The U.S. and Russia are set to suggest a “West Bank-style” occupation of Ukraine as a way of ending the war, according to The London Times.

Under the proposed plans, Russia would have both economic and military control of the occupied parts of Ukraine, utilizing its own governing body, mimicking Israel’s control of Palestinian territory taken from Jordan during the 1967 conflict.

The suggestion was put forward during discussions between President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterparts, a source with insight into the U.S. National Security Council told the paper.

Witkoff, who also serves as the White House’s Middle East envoy, reportedly backs the suggestion, which the U.S. believes will solve the issue of the Ukrainian constitution prohibiting giving up territory without organizing a referendum. While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected any notion of ceding territory, the new occupation proposal may lead to a truce following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began in February 2022.

According to the proposal, Ukraine’s borders would remain officially unchanged, similar to the borders of the West Bank, even as Israel controls the territory.

“It’ll just be like Israel occupies the West Bank,” the source told The Times.
“With a governor, with an economic situation that goes into Russia, not Ukraine. But it’ll still be Ukraine, because … Ukraine will never give up its sovereignty. But the reality is it’ll be occupied territory and the model is Palestine,” the source added to the paper.

The proposal will almost certainly be part of discussions between Trump and Russian president Vladimir Putin set for Friday in Alaska. On Wednesday, Zelensky met with European leaders and Trump ahead of the Russia summit. Zelensky is not set to attend Friday’s summit in person.

Trump reaffirmed during the Wednesday meeting that territorial issues can only be negotiated between Russia and Ukraine, according to French president Emmanuel Macron. The French leader also said Trump wants a ceasefire plan to be finalized during his Friday meeting.
“Any issue which deals with the territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot be discussed just like that, without looking at our constitution and the will of our people,” Zelensky told the press on Friday. “As to our principles, as to our territorial integrity, in the end, will be decided on the level of leaders. Without Ukraine (at the table), it’s impossible to achieve,” Zelensky added.

Zelensky said that a ceasefire should be reached and then security guarantees. He also said that sanctions against Russia should be imposed if no ceasefire deal is reached in Alaska.
As details of any potential ceasefire are being discussed, the U.S. believes that the “West Bank-style” deal is the reality of war and the refusal of other nations to directly fight Russia, according to The Times.

In May, U.S. Senior Director for Counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, told Politico that “The Trump administration lives in the real world.”
“We recognize the reality on the ground,” he added. “No. 1, that’s the beginning because we’re not utopianists and we’re not human engineers. We’re not some kind of pie-in-the-sky believers in utopia.”

He went on to say that “We recognize the reality on the ground and we have one priority above all else, whether it’s the Middle East or whether it’s Ukraine. It’s to stop the bloodshed. Everything else comes after the bloodshed has been halted.”

The International Court of Justice has ruled that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank is illegal. The occupation isn’t recognized by the U.S., and it’s only partially recognized by Russia.

Last September, the United Nations ordered Israel to end the occupation by a vote of 124 to 14, with 43 countries abstaining. The resolution stated that Israel must adhere to international law within 12 months, pull back its military, end all settlement efforts, evacuate all settlers from the occupied territories, and remove parts of the wall separating the West Bank. Israel has ignored the resolution and voted against the measure, as did the U.S.

Israel has faced widespread condemnation over its occupation and the settlement efforts. More than 150 have been established in recent years. Citizens of Israel who live in the West Bank must adhere to Israeli law, while Palestinians are subject to martial law, and they’re unable to vote in Israeli national elections.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
How much territory does Russia control in Ukraine?
U.S. President Donald Trump has said that both Kyiv and Moscow will have to cede territory to end the war in Ukraine, so how much territory does Russia control in Ukraine?

Russia controls nearly 114,500 square km (44,600 square miles), or 19%, of Ukraine, including Crimea, and a major chunk of territory in the east and south-east of the country, according to open source maps of the battlefield. Ukraine does not control any internationally recognised Russian territory.

Russia says Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson - which were recognised by Moscow as part of Ukraine as the Soviet Union collapsed - are now parts of Russia.

Ukraine has repeatedly said it will never recognise Russian occupation of its land, and most countries recognise Ukraine's territory within its 1991 borders.

Following are details on the territory, Russian claims and Ukraine's position.

CRIMEA-
Russian forces in 2014 took control of Crimea, which juts out into the Black Sea off southern Ukraine, and after a disputed referendum on joining Russia, Moscow absorbed the region into Russia. Its area is about 27,000 square km.

Russia says Crimea is legally part of Russia. Ukraine's position is that Crimea is part of Ukraine, though privately some Ukrainian officials admit that it would be very hard to return Crimea to Ukrainian control by force.

Crimea was absorbed into the Russian empire by Catherine the Great in the 18th century. Russia's Black Sea naval base at Sevastopol was founded soon afterwards.

In 1921, Crimea became part of Russia within the Soviet Union until 1954, when it was handed to Ukraine, also then a Soviet republic, by Communist Party chief Nikita Khrushchev, an ethnic Ukrainian.

DONBAS-
Russia controls about 46,570 square km, or 88%, of the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, including all of the Luhansk region and 75% of the Donetsk region.

About 6,600 square km is still controlled by Ukraine but Russia has been focusing most of its energy along the front in Donetsk, pushing towards the last remaining major cities.

Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions broke away from Ukrainian government control in 2014 and proclaimed themselves independent "people's republics".

Putin in 2022 recognised them as independent states just days before the invasion of Ukraine.

ZAPORIZHZHIA AND KHERSON-
Russian forces control about 74% of the Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions of southeastern Ukraine, or about 41,176 square km. Ukraine controls about 14,500 square km across the two regions.

Putin in 2024 said that he would be willing to agree peace if Ukraine withdrew from all regions claimed but not fully controlled by Russia - an area currently of about 21,000 square km - and officially renounced its ambitions to join NATO.

Reuters reported in 2024 that Putin was open to discussing a Ukraine ceasefire deal with Trump but ruled out making any major territorial concessions and insisted that Kyiv abandon ambitions to join NATO. Two sources said Putin might be willing to withdraw from the relatively small patches of territory it holds in other areas of Ukraine.

Putin's conditions for peace include a legally binding pledge that NATO will not expand eastwards, Ukrainian neutrality and limits on its armed forces, protection for Russian speakers who live there, and acceptance of Russia's territorial gains, sources told Reuters earlier this year.

KHARKIV, SUMY AND DNIPROPETROVSK-
Russia also controls small parts of the Kharkiv, Sumy, Mykolaiv and Dnipropetrovsk regions of Ukraine. Across the Sumy and Kharkiv regions, Russia controls about 400 square km of territory. In Dnipropetrovsk, Russia has a tiny area near the border.

Russia has said it is carving out a buffer zone in Sumy to protect its Kursk region from Ukrainian attack.

LEGAL STATUS OF THE TERRITORIES

Russia classes the Republic of Crimea, Sevastopol, the Luhansk People's Republic, the Donetsk People's Republic, and the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Kherson as subjects of the Russian Federation. Ukraine says the territories are part of Ukraine.

Most countries do not recognise the areas as part of Russia but some do. Crimea has been recognised by Syria, North Korea and Nicaragua. The United Nations General Assembly declared in 2014 the annexation illegal and recognised Crimea as part of Ukraine. The resolution was opposed by 11 countries.

Putin has repeatedly compared the fate of Kosovo and Crimea. He has accused the West of having double standards for recognizing Kosovo as an independent country in 2008 against the wishes of Serbia but opposing the recognition of Crimea. Russia opposed the independence of Kosovo.

Mystery of why Chinese bombers flew near Alaska in 2024 exposed...
Deploying military forces is the strongest of political signals, and the most potent of these deployments is to move nuclear weapons or launch platforms near a potential adversary.

So when nuclear-capable Chinese bombers joined their Russian counterparts in joint patrols near Alaska in 2024, as well as similar flights deep into the Pacific, Western observers assumed there was a political message. Russia had been conducting such provocative flights dating back to the Cold War, but this is something new for China. Was Beijing signaling its displeasure with America over Taiwan, or warning NATO not to get involved in Asia? Was invoking the specter of Chinese bombers over America a reminder that the vast Pacific was no barrier to the long arm of Chinese power?

However, China may have had other motives for these flights, according to a U.S. expert. Beijing may have been demonstrating that nuclear bombers were now a fully functional part of its strategic triad, alongside ICBMs and ballistic missile submarines.

“It is clear that their true significance lies in China’s years-long effort to complete its nuclear triad,” Derek Solen, a researcher at the U.S. Air Force’s China Aerospace Studies Institute, wrote in a report for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force’s Air and Space Studies Institute.

Another possibility is that the flights were intended as a warning to the U.S. not to engage in “nuclear sharing,” in which America would station nuclear weapons in non-nuclear allies, especially Japan and South Korea. “China probably fears that the limited exchange between NATO and America’s Asian allies will eventually lead to the integration of America’s European and Asian alliance networks, resulting in the formation of a global, nuclear-armed anti-China alliance,” Solen wrote.

Deciphering Beijing’s intentions behind the bomber missions isn’t easy. There have been just nine Sino-Russian flights since the first mission in 2019, when two Chinese H-6K and two Russian Tu-95MS bombers flew over the Sea of Japan and East China Sea. Though the actual number of flights is somewhat larger — China counts multiple flights on the same day as a single flight — this leaves a small dataset to analyze.

The joint flights were mostly confined to the Sea of Japan and East China Sea until July 24, 2024, when two H-6Ks and two Tu-95s flew near Alaska. Though they didn’t penetrate U.S. airspace, they did enter the air defense identification zone, triggering interception by U.S. and Canadian fighters.

“This represented the first time that PLAAF [People’s Liberation Army Air Force] aircraft participating in a combined patrol sortied from a foreign country as well as the first time that PLAAF aircraft approached U.S. territory,” Solen noted.

A few days later came more joint flights over the Sea of Japan, East China Sea and Western Pacific, which included more advanced H-6N bombers from the 106th Brigade in Henan province, which is primarily tasked with delivering nuclear weapons. The H-6N has a range of 3,700 miles and can launch KD-21 air-launched cruise missiles with an estimated range of up to 1,300 miles. Particularly ominous was a Nov. 30, 2024, flight in which H-6Ns came within cruise missile range of Guam in what Solen believes may have been “the first serious training to conduct a nuclear strike against Guam from the air.”

Solen told Defense News that he initially believed that the flights were a political signal.

“I thought that Beijing was signaling two things simultaneously,” he said. “It was signaling that its relationship with Russia was tight and, by using the H-6, sending an indirect message to Washington that it possesses the means and the will to counter what it perceived as Washington’s moves with respect to nuclear sharing.”

But Solen was troubled by some inconsistencies. For example, the Chinese government was incensed by a July 2024 NATO summit that criticized China for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as well as suggestions that NATO might expand its focus to Asia. Yet if the November 2024 flights near Guam were intended as a signal, then why wait until four months after the summit?

The joint flights also coincided with the deployment of the long-range and nuclear-capable H-6N.

“In 2019 the PLAAF officially adopted the H-6N, and in the same year renovations to the 106th Brigade’s base were likely finished,” Solen wrote. “It is interesting that the Sino-Russian combined patrols began that same year.”

Of course, the Alaska flights may have both a military and political purpose. However, Solen thinks that purely military training flights would have been confined to the East China Sea or the Sea of Japan.

Perhaps the West may never know China’s true motivations. Nonetheless, the question remains: Will China again send bombers near — or into — American airspace? China continues to be an indispensable supplier of Russia’s campaign in Ukraine, and the Chinese and Russian navies have just announced joint patrols in the Pacific. A Chinese government spokesman last year urged “relevant countries to abolish the nuclear sharing arrangement, withdraw the large number of nuclear weapons deployed in Europe, and refrain from replicating such arrangements in any form in the Asia-Pacific region.”

For now, China isn’t provoking the Trump administration, especially in the midst of a fight over tariffs.

“The fact that China and Russia still haven’t done any combined flights this year is probably a political decision,” Solen said. “At a time when they are trying to work things out with the new administration, they probably decided that it’s best to avoid action that may agitate Washington or distract from the agenda in the negotiations.”

Regular flights near U.S. territory are unlikely “because the training juice won’t be worth the squeeze,” Solen added. On the other hand, China has an incentive to practice long-range bomber flights, even just for non-nuclear missions like striking ships and bases.

“I suppose that once they’ve either resolved things with Washington or just given up on negotiations, we’ll see the combined flights resume and eventually see regular flights without the Russians,” Solen said.

“Sky Is NOT The Limit”: Su-57, S-500, R-37M In Spotlight As IAF Thrilled By Super Success Of S-400 & BrahMos (Part2)

Let us look at the two Russia-origin systems.

S-400 Missile System “Sudarshan Chakra”
The S-400 is a Russian mobile SAM system developed in the 1990s by Russia’s NPO Almaz as an upgrade to the S-300 family of missiles.

The S-400 joined the Russian armed forces in 2007. The system is complemented by its successor, the S-500. The S-400 system has four radars and four sets of missiles covering different ranges and vertical bubbles.

The maximum target detection range is 600 kilometres, and targets can be engaged as far as 400 kilometres. The five S-400 batteries contracted by India in 2018 cost $5.43 billion, including reserve missiles.

All the sub-units are data-linked and controlled by a central command and control system with sufficient redundancy. The system is capable of layered defence and integrates with other Indian air defences.

One system can control 72 launchers, with a maximum of 384 missiles. All missiles are equipped with directed explosion warheads, which increases the probability of complete destruction of aerial targets.

The system is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise, and ballistic missiles, and can also be used against ground targets. It can engage targets up to 17,000 km/h or Mach 14. It can intercept low-flying cruise missiles at a range of about 40 km due to the line-of-sight requirement. The anti-ballistic missile (ABM) capabilities of the S-400 system are near the maximum allowed under the (now void) Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The number of simultaneously engaged targets by the full system is 36.

The system ground mobility speed is close to 60 km/h on roads and 25 km/h cross-country. It takes 5 minutes to be operational and fire when ordered while driving. Otherwise, the system response time is just 10 seconds. The time between major overhauls is 10,000 hours. The Service life is at least 20 years.

In Russia, the system was made operational around Moscow in 2007. Russia reportedly deployed S-400 in Syria. The system has been widely used in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and it is claimed to have shot down many aircraft.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has reportedly used Western weapons, mainly U.S.-made ATACMS missiles, to hit S-400 units on the ground.

Belarus has unspecified numbers of S-400 units. Deliveries to China, of the six batteries ordered, began in January 2018. Four batteries consisting of 36 fire units and 192 or more missiles were delivered to Turkey.

Algeria is another operator. Some other countries, like Iran, Egypt, Iraq, and Serbia, have also shown interest. South Korea is developing the KM-SAM, a medium-range SAM system based on technology from S-400 missiles, with assistance from NPO Almaz.

Three of the five batteries have arrived in India. India took deliveries despite the American threat of CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act).

The remaining two are expected in 2025/26. The recent conflict has revealed the rough location of two systems, one each in Punjab and Gujarat. As per open sources, the third is somewhere in the east. The systems have been tested in various Indian military exercises.

BrahMos
The BrahMos is a long-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from land, submarines, ships, and fighter aircraft. It is a joint venture between the Indian Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and the Russian Federation’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, which together have formed BrahMos Aerospace.

The missile is based on Russian P-800 Oniks. The name BrahMos is a portmanteau formed from the names of two rivers, the Brahmaputra of India and the Moskva of Russia. India holds 50.5 percent share of the joint venture. 75 percent of the missile is manufactured in India and there are plans to increase this to 85 percent.

Large numbers of land-launched, ship-launched as well as air-launched versions have been inducted and are in service with the Indian armed forces.

The missile guidance has been developed by BrahMos Aerospace. In 2016, after India became a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), India and Russia gradually increased the range of the missile to 800 km. The latest deliveries to the Indian Navy are of this type.

The cruise missile has anti-ship and land-attack roles, and has been in service since June 2007. The other operator is the Philippine Marine Corps. The unit cost is around $ 3.5 million.

The extended range variant costs around $4.85 million. Many futuristic variants are evolving. The BrahMos-A is a modified air-launched variant of the missile with a reduced size and weight (2.55 tons). It has a range of 500 km when launched from Su-30 MKI, and it can carry only one BrahMos missile.

50 IAF SU-30MKI were modified to carry the BrahMos-A missile. Smaller-sized variants like BrahMos-NG could be carried on more types of aircraft, even on LCA. Additionally, the BrahMos-NG will have an AESA radar rather than the current mechanically scanned one.

The Sukhoi Su-30MKI will carry three NG missiles, while other IAF fighters will carry one. The BrahMos-NG will be ready by the end of 2025. BrahMos-II will be a hypersonic cruise missile. A UCAV variant is planned.

This solid propellant missile can carry a 200–300 kg warhead that could be nuclear or conventional semi-armour-piercing. Max operational ranges are up to 8-900 kilometres. Export variants are currently restricted to 290 kilometres.

The BrahMos is generally considered the world’s fastest supersonic cruise missile. Currently, the missile speed is Mach 3. Later variants will be hypersonic (M 5+). The missile is very accurate with a CEP of less than one metre.

BrahMos was first test-fired on 12 June 2001 from the Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, in a vertical launch configuration. The September 2010 test of BrahMos created a world record for being the first cruise missile to be tested at supersonic speeds in a steep-dive mode.

BrahMos was tested with an Indian seeker for the first time in March 2018, and was tested with an India-developed propulsion system, airframe, and power supply in September 2019. On 30 September 2020, India successfully test-fired an extended-range BrahMos, offering a range of around 350 km, at speeds up to Mach 2.8.

The submarine-launched variant of BrahMos was test-fired successfully for the first time from a submerged pontoon on 20 March 2013. Even BrahMos Block III land-attack variants are operational. There are plans to have missiles with a range of 1500 km or more.

BrahMos is operationally deployed in large numbers by the three services. Additional missile orders have been recently placed for extended-range variants.

The Philippines has placed a substantial order for their services, and deliveries began in 2024. Russia, too, has plans to buy many missiles. Brazil has shown interest in the missile system. Vietnam and Indonesia have already signed deals.

Sky Is Not The Limit
Resolute political will, choice of targets, weapon matching and accuracy, actionable intelligence, strong Indian air defences, and great IAF professionals. and hitting strategic targets in depth were the clear clinchers.

Aerospace has become the primary means of prosecuting war. India-Russia relations are time-tested. Nearly 60 percent of IAF aircraft are of Russian origin.

Russian platforms and weapons with the Indian armed forces have performed exceedingly well for many decades, since the MiG-21s of the 1960s. The S-400 and Su-30MKI-BrahMos combination have excelled in Op Sindoor.

Could S-500 (600 km) be the next acquisition? Will India select the Su-57 fifth-generation aircraft and Make in India? Can Russia help accelerate the Indian nuclear submarine program? Should India acquire the “AWACS Killer” Russian R-37M AAM and collaborate on developing futuristic long-range aerial missiles?

Should there be more work together on the Su-30MKI upgrade? Can the two enter into a joint venture for Kamikaze drones required by both sides in large numbers, and India can help scale up production?

The Sky is NO more the limit!

“Sky Is NOT The Limit”: Su-57, S-500, R-37M In Spotlight As IAF Thrilled By Super Success Of S-400 & BrahMos (Part1)

Speaking at the “Katre Memorial Lecture,” a function organised by the Air Force Association at Bengaluru, the Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief, AP Singh made a specific mention of the deterrent capability of the S-400 Air Defence system, and the accuracy of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles that had a game changer role in “Op Sindoor”.

For long, IAF strategy, tactics, and inventories have been designed for offensive strikes against the Western neighbour with whom India has had three full-fledged wars and many shorter skirmishes.

Having a smaller economy and military, Pakistan was conscious and built an air force that is air defence oriented. In recent decades, India has also had to prepare to take on a potential threat from China.

Notwithstanding the known positions, the Indian strikes against both terror and military targets all across Pakistan proved very successful, and Pakistan’s defensive systems could not engage or thwart them.

Op Sindoor saw weapon platforms and armaments belonging to many countries at play. These included the USA, Russia, China, France, and Turkey, among others.

Most analysts have been comparing and analysing the performance of major weapons. This was also of interest to the manufacturing companies and their host countries.

Some of the writings were also part of the narrative building to introduce motivated biases with politico-commercial considerations. Both sides claimed to have shot down each other’s aircraft on the opening round, but since no aircraft crossed the border, or even came close to it, the wreckage, if at all, would have fallen in their own territories, and so proof may have been concealed.

But 3 months after the operation, more facts have come out.

The Air Chief talked of nearly five Pakistani fighter aircraft having been shot down in the air by an Indian S-400. Interestingly, the S-400 achieved its farthest kill ever by destroying a High Value Air asset (HVAA) at nearly 300 kilometres. In addition, at least three F-16s and one C-130 were destroyed during airfield strikes, Air Chief said.

Major Weapons at Play
The proof of the results of the strikes by French Scalp and BrahMos anti-surface cruise missiles, and indigenous SkyStriker loiter munitions (LM) was available from Battle Damage Assessment (BDA) satellite pictures. Israeli Harop, large Loiter Munitions, were also very effective.

The Chinese HQ-9 Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system, a poor copy of the Russian S-300, could not intercept any of the Indian strikes. Nor did Pakistan claim any aircraft had been shot down using these SAMs, as all claims were being assigned to the much-touted Chinese PL-15 Air-to-Air Missile (AAM).

Pakistan claimed shooting down a few Indian aircraft and attributed all kills to the Chinese PL-15. A few of them landed in India in complete form, perhaps having been fired at ranges outside the envelope or having had technical failures, and will allow India to evaluate the system and technology.

There were also doubts about the variant of PL-15 supplied to Pakistan. The upend variant with China has a claimed range of 180 kilometres. Pakistan was supposed to have the export variant, the PL-15E, with a range of 145 kilometres.

There was a unanimous opinion of all global experts on the good performance of two weapons, the S-400 SAM system and the BrahMos anti-surface missiles (ASM).

Both performed flawlessly. Both are of Russian origin, and both are universally feared (respected) for their range, speed of engagement, and precision. At least 15 Indo-Russian BrahMos missiles were fired. The number of S-400 system missiles fired is still not in the public domain.

Cross-Border Air Strikes
Just to recap, in the early hours of 7 May 2025, India launched air strikes on nine terrorist targets in Pakistan using 24 stand-off weapons. The missiles targeted only the camps and infrastructure of militant groups Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba, and no Pakistani military or civilian facilities were engaged.

The 23-minute duration initial Indian strikes were reportedly carried out by the Rafale aircraft using SCALP missiles, and Su-30 MKI firing BrahMos cruise missiles as well as the Indian Army’s Indo-Israeli SkyStriker loitering munitions.

Satellite and intelligence photographic proof of the success of strikes was presented to the Indian and Global media.

Pakistan responded with significant drone and missile strikes at Indian military and civilian targets under the operation codenamed Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos.

This included targeting airfields from Kashmir to Gujarat. India negated these strikes with its integrated air defence and counter-drone systems.

The S-400 missile system was deployed, marking India’s first combat use of this missile system. India’s indigenous Akash AD system played a huge role.

Pakistani strikes caused insignificant damage and very few civilian casualties. Meanwhile, the IAF carried out SEAD/DEAD operations, neutralizing Pakistani air defence systems, including the Chinese HQ-9 in Lahore, starting on 9th May.

On 10 May, in response to Pakistani strikes against Indian military targets, the IAF made a major airstrike across the length and depth of the country, targeting a variety of military targets, including airfields, AD systems, weapons, and logistic storage sites.

The “Nur Khan” military airfield at Chaklala, which is just next to the Capital, Islamabad, and the Pakistan Army’s HQs at Rawalpindi were also hit.

Other airfields hit were Sargoda, Rafiqi, Rahim Yar Khan, and radars and storage dumps at Pasrur, Malir, Chunian, Sukkur, Pasrur, and the Sialkot aviation base. India also inflicted extensive damage on air bases at Skardu, Jacobabad, and Bholari in Pakistan.

During its retaliatory strikes on Indian military targets, Pakistan claimed that the BrahMos storage facilities at Beas and Nagrota were destroyed, and that two S-400 systems at Adampur and Bhuj were neutralised.

International media acknowledged that all such claims were false. Immediately after the ceasefire, Indian Prime Minister Modi visited Adampur and addressed the personnel with the S-400 launcher forming the background. A similar visit was made by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to Bhuj.

Debt-ridden Pakistan, which was already seeking financial bailout from the IMF, was rattled by the audacity and accuracy of the air strikes, and its Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called his Indian counterpart on the hotline, requesting a ceasefire.

A new normal had been set between the two nuclear-armed neighbours. Similar strikes could be triggered again in case of another Pakistan-backed terror attack.

There was significant cyber warfare. There was also a war of narratives fought across the globe, especially to highlight the success or failure of specific military hardware for commercial reasons.

Turkey had supplied a large quantity of drones to Pakistan. These were used, but caused little damage on the ground. While the two sides were effectively at war, neither side had fully mobilized its ground forces. A fragile ceasefire was achieved around midday on 10 May. India called it a pause in hostilities. But it has held ever since.

India said that 21 of its civilians and five military personnel had died in the conflict. The casualties and the majority of the injuries occurred due to cross-LoC firing.

Pakistan said that 51 of its people had died in the clashes, including 40 civilians and 11 military personnel.

India claimed nearly 130 terrorists had been killed. India got global backing against terror; however, not many were willing to take sides during the conflict.

Few systems got universal praise. These included the S-400 AD System, India’s indigenous Akash AD system, the DRDO 4D (Drone, Detect, Deter, Destroy) counter-drone system, and the BrahMos anti-surface missiles. The French Scalp missile proved extremely accurate and destructive.

After Combat Debut Of JAS-39 Gripens, Thailand To Add More SAAB Fighter Jets To Boost Its Air Force.
Thailand has finally approved the acquisition of four SAAB Gripen-E/F fighter jets as it modernizes its aging air force amid rising security threats, as seen in the recent border conflict with Cambodia.

What began as skirmishes between the two countries in July 2025 quickly escalated into full-scale firefights, with artillery and gunfire rattling border villages for nearly a week. The conflict lasted for about five days before the two warring sides decided to accept an “immediate and unconditional ceasefire” on July 28.

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) currently operates the Gripen-C/D and the older American F-16 Fighting Falcons. Both aircraft were deployed in combat and used to launch strikes on Cambodian artillery positions.

This marked the combat debut for the Gripens anywhere in the world, 37 years after their first flight.

The conflict, rooted in a century-long border dispute, has raised concerns about further escalation. However, the purchase of Gripen-E/F was decided well in advance of this latest conflict and is not directly influenced by the hostilities with Cambodia.

The Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) officially announced its decision to buy a dozen Saab Gripen-E fighter jets over the American Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 aircraft in June. The Gripen-E outperformed the American F-16 Block 70/72 by offering technological and financial advantages that made its offer far more appealing and beneficial to Thailand.

The deal is a part of a long-term plan to acquire all 12 Gripen E/F aircraft by 2035 and integrate them operationally. The newly purchased Gripen-E variant will replace the archaic F-16 A/B and will be integrated into the RTAF alongside the existing SAAB Gripen jets.

Saab describes Gripen-E as “Designed to defeat any adversary. Made for forward-thinking air forces, Gripen E incorporates cutting-edge technologies, the latest systems, sensors, weapons, and pods to ensure combat advantage, delivering air superiority in highly contested environments. Silent networking and total sensor fusion across a tactical air unit to blind and confuse the enemy. One aircraft is active, the others go passive.”

The Swedish manufacturer promises that the aircraft allows the first missile launch opportunity and the first kill. Saab claims its design represents a breakthrough, allowing it to swiftly integrate new hardware and update software applications to adapt to evolving mission requirements. Further, the fighter jet incorporates more prominent air intakes and is powered by the enhanced General Electric F414-GE-39E engine.

It is designed for quick field deployment, especially at remote bases, and can be effectively maintained by a few people.

While Thailand was impressed by the cutting-edge features of the Gripen, it was the large scope of the Swedish deal, particularly the technology transfer, that mainly bore fruit. Lockheed Martin, the manufacturer of the F-16, was a lot more conservative in offering a deal to Thailand, as previously explained in detail by the EurAsian Times.

With a fighter fleet including upgraded F-16s, F-5s, and Gripens, Thailand has been steadily modernising its capabilities with multi-role platforms. That dominance became apparent during the border clashes. Cambodia, with no dedicated fighter jets in its inventory, had little ability to deter or respond to Thailand’s precision air strikes.

This may come as an added impetus to the acquisition.

However, Thailand is not the only country in the Southeast Asian region to go on fighter jet shopping in recent times. Several others, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, are exploring options and looking to sign new deals.

New And Advanced Fighter Jets In SEA
In addition to Thailand, Indonesia has been in the headlines for its intention to acquire new and more advanced combat aircraft.

The Indonesian government recently signed a contract to acquire 48 KAAN fighter jets from Turkey. The agreement covers extensive collaboration in manufacturing, technology transfer, engineering, and includes the establishment of a local aerospace infrastructure.

Indonesia is also co-developing the KF-21 4.5th generation aircraft, along with South Korea, and has a deal for 42 Rafale fighter jets with French Dassault Aviation. It could acquire an additional batch of Rafales from France, as indicated by the letter of intent (LoI) signed by the government recently.

Another Southeast Asian country, Malaysia, is building up its air power amid rising security threats in the South China Sea. On June 17, Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) Chief General Tan Sri Asghar Khan Goriman Khan confirmed that Washington had approved the third-party transfer of up to 33 F/A-18C/D Hornets currently in service with the Kuwaiti Air Force (KAF). In addition to this, the RMAF is also acquiring the South Korean FA-50.

Malaysia launched the MRCA (Multi-Role Combat Aircraft) program to acquire advanced fighter jets that could replace its aging fleet and help enhance Malaysia’s air power with a modern, multi-role fighter jet. This program has remained in limbo for several years. Some unconfirmed reports earlier suggested that Malaysia was interested in Russia’s Su-57 but those rumours have now fizzled out.

The most significant fighter jet acquisition in the region is the purchase of the US F-16 by the Philippines. The United States approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets worth US$5.58 billion to the Philippines in April as Manila builds capability to deter an increasingly aggressive China in the South China Sea. The Philippines Air Force (PAF), like its Thai counterpart, had earlier been examining two combat aircraft on offer, the Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 and the Saab Gripen-E.

The upgrade of the PAF would be essential for enhancing the Philippines’ ability to project power beyond its territorial waters. In addition to a new multi-role fighter, the country is also considering purchasing a dozen additional FA-50 fighters from South Korea to increase its numbers and boost readiness.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has reportedly been discussing a potential purchase of two dozen F-16s from the United States, in what is being interpreted as a break in the country’s strategic alignment with Russia.

The move is aimed at deterring China, which claims almost the entire South China Sea, has several territorial disputes in the region, and has been steadily expanding its military influence in the region.

Though unconfirmed, the reports suggest that Vietnam has been on the lookout for an alternative to its retired MiG-21, the Soviet-designed supersonic jet fighter and interceptor aircraft. There is no information on which F-16 is being negotiated and whether it would be a new aircraft or a used one.

The war-torn country of Myanmar has also made a significant acquisition. In January 2025, the Myanmar Air Force took delivery of its six Su-30 SMEs from Russia.

The six Russian jets were acquired under a 2018 contract valued at US$400 million. The acquisition has been financed through a Russian loan, and the final two fighter jets were commissioned on December 15, 2024, at Meiktila Air Base in Mandalay.

These Su-30 jets will serve as Myanmar’s primary aircraft for safeguarding territorial integrity and countering terror threats, and are stationed at Naypyidaw Air Base, enabling coverage of the entire country.

The Myanmar Junta is strengthening its air capabilities to deal with the rebels. On December 15 alone, the military commissioned six Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters, six Chinese-made FTC-2000G fighter jets, one K-8W fighter jet, and one Y-8 support aircraft, as earlier reported by the EurAsian Times.

Though attention has largely been focused on the turbulence and military build-up in Asia, the above-listed acquisitions suggest that Southeast Asia is evolving and going through a catharsis of its own as new security threats emerge and existing threats become bigger and more pronounced

Ahead Of Trump-Putin Talks, Russia Readies World’s 1st Nuclear-Powered Cruise Missile — 9M730 Burevestnik: Reports

As Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Alaska for a rare face-to-face meeting with his US counterpart, President Donald Trump, for Ukraine peace talks, Moscow is busy preparing another surprise for the world.

According to multiple media reports, Russia is preparing for new tests of its much-discussed and feared 9M730 Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile, a “one-of-a-kind” weapon in Moscow’s arsenal.

If these tests are successful, Russia will become the first country in history to have an operational cruise missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that moves on a nuclear propulsion system, giving it an unlimited range that can hit any other point on the planet from any point.

“Russia appears to be on the verge of conducting a new test of its controversial nuclear-powered cruise missile, the 9M730 Burevestnik (NATO code: SSC-X-9 Skyfall), from the Pankovo range in the Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya,” Defense Romania reported.

While Moscow has not made any official announcement, multiple clues point in this direction. Firstly, a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) warning has been issued from August 7 to August 12, covering 40,000 square kilometers over Novaya Zemlya.

Secondly, at least four russian vessels, previously anchored near the Pankovo test site, have moved into observation positions in the eastern Barents Sea, a standard safety measure taken during large missile trials.

Besides, two Rosatom aircraft are currently based at Rogachevo air base. Furthermore, in recent weeks, cargo ships have made multiple stops at Novaya Zemlya, suggesting logistical operations.

“Preparations have been underway for weeks at the Pankovo launch site on Novaya Zemlya in the Russian Arctic,” Norway’s ‘The Barents Observer‘ reported.

Notably, the Novaya Zemlya archipelago has been Rosatom’s chosen site for testing nuclear weapons and related technology since the late 1950s.

The 9M730 Burevestnik: World’s First Nuclear-Powered Missile
The Burevestnik represents a revolutionary weapon, and its specificity lies in the combination of nuclear energy propulsion and the ability to carry nuclear warheads, which gives it an almost unlimited range and the ability to avoid advanced anti-missile defense systems.

President Putin has described this missile as an “invincible” weapon, as its nuclear propulsion allows it to fly with an almost unlimited range. This means that the ‘Burevestnik’ can fly for a long time, changing its direction and trajectory to bypass the opponent’s defense systems, which makes it extremely difficult to intercept.

According to the United States Air Force’s National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) report, if Burevestnik were to enter service, it would give Russia a “unique weapon with intercontinental-range capability.”

“The aim with the ground-launched Burevestnik, however, is to give the missile alone intercontinental range… between 10,000–20,000km. This would allow the missile to be based anywhere in Russia and still be able to reach targets in the continental US,” the Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) said in its research paper.

Furthermore, a Russian military paper noted that the missile would maintain a notional altitude of 50–100 metres throughout almost all of its flight. While Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) fly in space along fixed and predictable trajectories, making them easy to intercept, cruise missiles fly at low altitudes and frequently change their path, which makes them difficult to intercept.

The theoretical attraction of nuclear propulsion for a cruise-missile application is that it offers a long-endurance power source far in excess of the traditional turbojet or turbofan engine. For missiles based on turbojet or turbofan engine propulsion systems, the range is in effect a function of how much fuel can be carried on them.

Information about its technology is top secret, but the missile is believed to use a conventional engine for launch, after which it activates a small nuclear reactor. This reactor superheats the incoming air, generating sustained propulsion and giving it a theoretically “unlimited” intercontinental range.

By comparison, Russia’s longest-range liquid-fuelled cruise missile, the Kh-102 (RS-AS-23 Kodiak), has a claimed maximum range of 4,500 kilometres.

However, there remain considerable technical challenges in ensuring the reliable performance of the nuclear-propulsion unit, and there have been multiple failed tests in the past.

Multiple Failed Tests And An Accident
According to the Centre for Strategic and International Studies’ Missile Defense Project, Russia has already conducted over a dozen tests of Burevestnik, with only a few of them achieving partial success.

The first test of the missile was reportedly performed in 2016. However, analysts believe that Russia must have started working on the concept in the early 2000s.

The concept of a nuclear propulsion system is not itself new. In the 1960s, the US experimented with its own design of a nuclear-powered delivery system, but this line of experimentation was abandoned before the actual missile design was ever tested.

The risks associated with this program are significant, as demonstrated by the Nenoksa accident in August 2019. At that time, an explosion during an operation to recover a nuclear propulsion source from the seabed killed several Russian scientists. It also caused a temporary increase in radiation levels in the city of Severodvinsk, underlining the significant risks and technical difficulties associated with a nuclear propulsion system.

On August 8, 2019, the Russian Defense Ministry put out a statement saying that that day, a liquid-propellant rocket engine blast had caused the death of two scientists and had
injured six, but there was no radiation released.

Two days later, Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear agency, issued its first statement on the accident, stating that five Rosatom scientists had died during work on an “isotope power source in a liquid-propulsion system.”

The death toll would rise to seven, and the Kremlin would attribute the accident to a
“nuclear-propelled missile.” Rosatom would go on to say that the test was conducted from
a sea platform and to say that it involved a “nuclear battery.”

“The testing carries a risk of accidents and local radioactive emissions,” Norway’s Intelligence Service (NIS) warned in its threat assessment report published last year. The NIS said that testing of both missiles and torpedoes is expected to continue.

There were further tests conducted in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Burevestnik’s development, along with that of the Poseidon nuclear torpedo, is part of a broader effort by Russia to diversify and modernize its nuclear triad, giving Moscow assured second-strike capabilities.

However, critics warn that the missile’s large size, over 12 meters, subsonic speed, and emission of radioactive material from its exhaust mean it could be detectable and vulnerable to some types of point and short-range missile defences. Subsonic Russian land-attack cruise missiles have, for instance, been reportedly intercepted in the Ukraine War.

U.S. Fights Su-57 Fighter Threat With F-16’s New Paint Scheme; Is USAF Acknowledging The Might Of Felons?

A Top Aces’ F-16A fighter jet has been spotted in an eye-catching new adversary paint scheme. The fighter aircraft, formerly with the Israeli Air Force, was seen supporting a Russian Su-57 Felon-inspired paint scheme.

Dubbed the “Felon Paint Job,” the aircraft was spotted in Arizona. It flew from Mesa Gateway Airport, where Top Aces performs maintenance on its F-16s, to Luke AFB, Arizona, as ACES 51.

After reaching Luke AFB, Arizona, the fighter jet took part in a local mission under the callsign ACES 1.

Though the fighter jet, formerly known as Netz 284, was also photographed while being wheeled out of the paint barn at Mesa, its return to Luke AFB, Arizona, offered a better look.

The F-16, tail number N871TA and bort number “284” Red, features a low-visibility, splinter-style grey camouflage pattern similar to that used by Russia’s fifth-generation stealth fighter.

The two-tone scheme includes angular transitions across the airframe, mimicking the faceted radar-evading design philosophy of the T-50/Su-57, the Aviationist reported.
The “Felon Paint Job” was complete with Soviet-style red stars on its tail and wings. The tail fin also carried Cyrillic script that read “Опыт Важен” (which translates to “Experience Matters”).

Notably, despite the “Felon Paint Job,” the fighter jet still retains the kill marking it earned in September 1981, when Netz 284 shot down a Syrian MiG-23.

Last year, another F-16 fighter jet from the Top Aces fleet was spotted sporting a “Flanker Blue” color scheme, inspired by the one used by some F-16s of the U.S. Air Force’s 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.

It remains to be seen what other paint schemes the Top Aces F-16 fleet will support in the coming days.

F-16’s Journey: From Israeli Air Force To Top Aces
The F-16A Netz 284 was one of the fighter jets that were retired from the Israeli Air Force at the end of 2016 and delivered to the US in 2021.

The aircraft was part of the 29 F-16 Netz (Hawk) fighter jets, which retired from the Israeli Air Force in 2016 after 36 years in service, and were subsequently bought by Top Aces for adversary training.

In 2021, the Israeli Ministry of Defense acknowledged the unprecedented sale of 29 F-16 Netz (Hawk) aircraft to Top Aces.

“Following negotiations led by SIBAT, the MoD has signed an unprecedented agreement to supply 29 F-16 aircraft to TOP ACES. These will be employed as staged adversary aircraft in U.S. Air Force training,” the Israeli Ministry of Defense posted on social media site X in 2021.
The first four of these F-16s were received at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in February 2021.

The four F-16s, with their wings, tail, and tailerons removed, were loaded on a Ukrainian Antonov An-124 at Tel Aviv-Ben Gurion airport on January 27 and, after a stop in Keflavik, Iceland, they arrived a day later at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway airport.

With these F-16s, Top Aces became the first company to provide a 4th-generation aircraft for staged adversary aircraft training. Till today, these F-16s remain the world’s only privately owned F-16s.

The F-16s were subsequently upgraded to a standard that is known as F-16 AAF (Advanced Aggressor Fighter).

These upgrades included the proprietary Advanced Aggressor Mission System (AAMS), which allows the F-16s to accurately replicate near-peer adversary fighters, enhancing training realism for U.S. pilots, AESA radars, infrared search and track (IRST), helmet-mounted cueing systems, datalinks, and electronic countermeasures to replicate near-peer threats.

The Top Aces’ F-16 fleet has also been equipped with IRST pods.

The “Felon Paint Job” for the F-16 suggests that in the coming days, the US Air Force pilots want to train against the threat posed by advanced fifth-generation Russian aircraft, the Su-57 Felon.

The Su-57 Felon Threat
After struggling with slow deliveries, it seems that Russia is finally making progress with expanding Su-57 production lines.

While the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aviation Plant is the primary production facility, new facilities have been opened to support this.

Officials have put into operation new development facilities related to the fuel system and started construction of a hangar for avionics testing at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur factory in eastern Russia, the state-owned aerospace conglomerate United Aircraft Corporation announced in August last year.

Russia only has a small number of Su-57 aircraft and they have played a limited role in the war in Ukraine, confined mainly to long-range strikes from within Russian territory.

The contract for the production of 76 planes by the end of 2027 was signed by the Defense Ministry at the Army Forum in June 2019, with Komsomolsk-on-Amur specified as the leading production site.

However, the plant was quickly deemed too small, forcing officials to spend time expanding production space, which entailed changing and adding new equipment.

The Su-57, designed to compete with NATO’s fifth-generation fighters, such as the US F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II, boasts cutting-edge stealth technology, supermaneuverability, and advanced avionics. The VKS received three batches of aircraft over the last year, with the last delivery recorded in December 2024.

Furthermore, in February this year, Yuri Kondratyev, Director of the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Aircraft Production Association (KnAAPO), said that a new version of the aircraft will be delivered to the VKS in 2025.

He did not specify any particular improvements, although there is speculation that the new version might feature the more advanced AL-51F1 or product 30 engines, which could improve the fighter’s performance.

Russian aerospace engineers are also continuously improving the Su-57 avionics and armaments.

Earlier this year, UAC chief Vadim Badekha said that as production expands, the aircraft will be integrated with newer features.

“The Su-57 platform has been created for a minimum of 40-50 years. It has an open architecture and can use a broad range of technologies with minimal changes to the basic solutions. Su-57 integration with unmanned aerial vehicles will be the central element of future combat systems. In the coming years, new features will be introduced into the serial Su-57 in the framework of the modernization program,” he said.

Additionally, last week, Chief of the Main Staff and First Deputy Commander in Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces Lieutenant General Alexander Maksimtsev said that the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter has been equipped with hypersonic weapons.

“In accordance with the state defense order, the Aerospace Forces annually receive advanced and modernized weapon systems. The pace of deliveries of fifth-generation Su-57 aircraft is increasing, along with modern aviation strike systems and hypersonic weapons,” the commander reported in an interview.

There is speculation that the hypersonic weapon referred to is an air-launched derivative of the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile. Integrating the Zircon hypersonic cruise missile with the Su-57 will make it a much more lethal platform.

The F-16’s “Felon paint job” suggests that the USAF pilots are finally gearing up to train against the Russian Air Force’s most advanced fighter jet.

Russia’s “Most Daring” Operation Or Massacre? 5 Months After Op Stream, Ukraine Says ‘They Were Unprepared’.
It was compared to the biblical story where a small force of soldiers emerged from beneath the earth and surprised and overwhelmed a much larger force to save the motherland.

In Russia, the soldiers who took part in the so-called pipeline offensive in the Kursk region (Operation Stream – Potok in Russian) in March this year, became the stuff of legends and were welcomed back home as “heroes.” Russian bloggers commented that the Operation would “go down in history books,” and many of the soldiers were awarded for their bravery.

“Blow up all your pipes out of fear… We’ll still come to you from under the ground,” boasted a new Russian war song on the daring mission, first performed outside a church in central Russia, with a 50-foot replica of the pipeline in the background for the people to admire.

However, in Ukraine, the story flipped 180 degrees. The operation was termed a ‘total failure,’ which resulted in the “massacre” of hundreds of Russian soldiers. The Russian soldiers who took part in the ill-planned operation were not heroes, but victims of poor and careless military planning, Kyiv claimed.

There is little clarity on what precisely the operation achieved and whether it should be termed a success or failure. All analysts, irrespective of their nationality, agree that the mission was daring and unconventional, but did it achieve its goals?
Now, more than five months after the operation, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) finally seem to be acknowledging, though grudgingly, that they were taken by surprise and the operation might have helped Russia in taking back substantial territory in the Kursk region.

Ukraine Acknowledges ‘They Were Unprepared’
Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky has admitted that the Ukrainian army did not expect Russian troops to take bold actions such as their Operation Pipeline in the Kursk Region.

“We had intelligence that they might use gas pipelines. Our forces were ordered to take those under control and monitor the areas where enemy soldiers could come to the surface. Still, we must have missed something out, or, perhaps, we did not expect them to be that bold,” Syrsky said in an interview with Ukraine’s TSN TV channel.

Further, Syrsky admitted that the Russian army’s operation had made it more complicated for Ukrainian forces to retreat from the Kursk Region.

However, despite these setbacks, Syrsky termed the Kursk operation a spectacular success.

First Anniversary Of Ukraine’s Kursk Operation
Notably, August 6 marked the first anniversary of Ukraine’s Kursk operation in which Kyiv was able to occupy hundreds of miles of Russian territory.

According to Syrsky, Ukrainian troops were able to break through Russian defense, enter deep into the Russian military’s rear, and disrupt the logistical support of the Russian forces operating in Ukrainian territory.

“During the most active period of the operation, the Ukrainian Armed Forces controlled up to 1,300 square kilometers of the territory of the Kursk region of the Russian Federation,” Syrsky claimed.

“The operation forced Russia to shift significant reserves to the north, which weakened its pressure on other sections of the front. We did not allow the enemy to carry out an offensive and created a buffer zone. It is thanks to this that Sumy and Kharkiv remain free,” Syrsky emphasized.

He also claimed that Russia lost more than 77,000 soldiers (killed and wounded) in Kursk, of which nearly 4,000 were citizens of North Korea.

“Ukrainian defenders also captured 1,018 Russian soldiers, which allowed for exchanges and the return home of hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers, including those who had been in captivity since 2022,” Syrsky said.

According to the commander-in-chief, Ukrainian forces still maintain a presence in the Glushkovsky district of the Kursk region, holding back part of the Russian offensive group.

Russian Counteroffensive In Kursk
Ukraine’s Kursk operation was a major setback for Russia, both militarily and in terms of Russian prestige.

It was the first time since the Second World War that Russia had lost part of its territory. The operation was also a big morale booster for the Ukrainian armed forces as it was the first time since the start of the war that Kyiv had taken the battle to Russian territory.

After being taken by surprise and losing hundreds of square miles of territory within weeks, Russia began its slow and grinding counteroffensive, which involved throwing thousands of soldiers into frontal meat grinder assaults.

By October-end, Ukrainian intelligence reported the presence of about 12,000 North Korean soldiers, including 500 officers and three generals, in the Kursk theatre of operation.

Despite the slow progress of Russian forces and heavy casualties, by January 2025, it became apparent that the Ukrainian troops faced imminent defeat in Kursk.

Eurasian Times reported in January this year that Kyiv faces the stark choice of choosing between swift retreat or crushing defeat in Kursk.

By March, Russia had retaken from Ukrainian forces nearly 70% of the territory they had lost in Kursk.

Op Stream: Russia’s Daring ‘Pipeline Offensive’
The Operation Stream (Potok) began on March 8.

Interestingly, the US had cut intelligence-sharing with Ukraine from March 5 to March 11, following a disastrous outing by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House on February 28, where he had a public spat with US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance.

Operation Stream took place within that time frame.

The operation involved 500 to 800 Russian soldiers walking nearly 15 miles inside gas pipelines to emerge behind enemy positions in the Sudzha region of Kursk.

“We had to pump the gas out, pump the oxygen in, build extra exits to the surface, transport the ammunition, food, water, military personnel,” said a Russian commander, who uses the call sign “Zombie.” He claimed all of this was carried out without Ukrainian forces noticing. “The enemy did not see us.”

Russian soldiers had to walk in brutal conditions: pitch darkness, sub-zero temperatures, lack of oxygen, and poisonous gases. At times, they had to crawl for miles as the pipeline was too narrow for them to stand.

Valery Gerasimov, Russia’s military chief, reported that 600 troops burst from the pipe and “surprised the enemy, contributing to the collapse of its defenses and the development of our offensive.”

However, at that time, Ukrainian analysts claimed that only 100 Russians had left the pipe. Ukrainian military bloggers described it as a bloodbath and claimed “hundreds” had already suffocated or been poisoned by fumes in the pipeline.

On March 9, the Russian military claimed to have recaptured three settlements, Malaya Lokhnya, Cherkasskoye Porechnoye, and Kositsa, all north of Sudzha.

On March 11, Russian media platform RT reported that “the dramatic shift in the situation on the front can be attributed to the success of Russia’s top-secret Operation Potok.”

By March 13, Russia claimed to have retaken Sudzha. Three days later, Ukraine confirmed that its forces had withdrawn from key positions in Sudzha.

On April 26, 2025, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Army General Valery Gerasimov, reported to President Vladimir Putin that the operation to liberate the Kursk Region was over.

According to the Russian military, Ukraine lost more than 76,500 troops in the Kursk area, the majority of them belonging to the AFU’s elite units.

In March, Ukrainian forces had claimed that they were already in the process of withdrawing from Kursk, and Russia’s operation Potok played no role in their retreat.

However, the latest remarks by Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Alexander Syrsky suggest that Kyiv is finally beginning to admit that they were taken by surprise, were unprepared for Russia’s bold operation, and that it might have played a role in their swift retreat from the Kursk region in March.

Russia’s S-500 Missiles Blinded? Ukraine Claims Eliminating S-500 AD System’s Yenisei Radar In Crimea.
Ukraine’s Prymary (Ghosts) special unit has claimed destroying a 98L6 Yenisei radar, deep inside Crimea. The system, part of Russia’s cutting-edge S-500 Prometey air defense network, is designed to track some of the most difficult aerial threats.

The Yenisei wasn’t the original target. During the operation, Ukraine’s intelligence (HUR) operators first believed they had located a component of the S-400 Triumf. Only after analysing combat footage did they realize the fact that they had eyes on one of Russia’s most valuable and elusive radar stations.

Destroying Yenisei is more than just a symbolic victory. It deprives Russia’s forces in Crimea of a crucial early warning tool. The radar not only serves the S 500 but can also be integrated with the S 400 Triumf, significantly boosting detection and interception capabilities across the peninsula.

By eliminating it, Ukraine has punched a hole in Russia’s air defense shield over Crimea, making it harder for Moscow to spot and respond to incoming threats in time.

A video released by HUR shows the strike in action, underscoring how Ukrainian forces have shifted toward precision operations designed to neutralize high-value assets that can not be easily replaced.
The S-500 Prometey: Russia’s Ambitious Shield
The S-500 Property is touted as Russia’s crown jewel in long-range air defense. After state trials in 2020-2021, it was officially accepted into service in April 2021, with Moscow presenting it as a next-generation system capable of countering virtually any modern aerial threat.

On paper, the Prometey’s mission set is ambitious. It is designed to intercept medium and intercontinental range ballistic missiles during their final flight phase, track and engage hypersonic weapons, destroy low orbit satellites, and shoot down enemy aircraft before they can approach Russian airspace.
Central to this defensive web is the 98L6 Yenisei radar, ‘Eyes’ of the S-500s. It is responsible for detecting and tracking high-speed, high-altitude targets, and without it, the system’s overall effectiveness drops dramatically.

According to Russian claims, the Yenisei’s core is a multielement active electronically scanned array (AESA) designed to resist heavy electronic jamming. It can in theory detect both aerodynamic and ballistic targets at ranges up to 600 km and altitudes reaching 100 km. The data it gathers is then fed to command posts, where other air defense assets such as missile batteries can act on it.

Visually, the Yenisei resembles the older 97L6E radar, sharing the same four axle MZKT chassis and a similar configuration, including a fully rotatable antenna unit mounted alongside an equipment container.

However, the two systems diverge in their antenna design. The 96L6E’s primary antenna is split into two sections of different sizes, while the Yenisei features a different array structure optimized for its expanded mission set.

One of Yenisei’s advantages is operational flexibility. It can scan in a full 360-degree mode for wide area surveillance, or focus on a narrow sector to improve its ability to spot ballistic threats. This makes it the standard radar for the S-500 systems and a critical component of Russia’s layered air defense network.

Yet, real-world performance tells a more complicated story. In 2024, when the S-500 was deployed to Crimea to protect the Kerch Bridge, it reportedly failed to intercept an incoming MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missile.

That failure raised uncomfortable questions about whether Russia’s most advanced air defense system can live up to its sweeping promises when facing fast, unpredictable, and well-planned attacks.

A Broader Ukrainian Strategy
The Prymary unit’s Yenisei strike is part of a larger operational pattern. Ukrainian forces have adopted a methodical approach. Identify and strike the nerve centers of the Russians’ detection network, rather than just the launch systems. By doing so, they render missile batteries less effective or even blind.

Another HUR special unit, Artan, has been conducting similar missions using FPV drones. These strikes have hit Russian vehicles, ammunition depots, and communications hubs, all documented with stark, close-up footage that shows drones weaving between obstacles before detonating on target.

The Prymary unit’s recent Yenisei strike fits into this wider strategy of targeting critical radar and missile systems that threaten Ukraine’s skies.

In one recent compilation video, HUR showcased hits on several high-value assets in occupied Crimea, including Nebo SVU, Podlet 1K, and 96L6E radars, as well as a BK 16 landing craft. Russian air defense and fighter jets scrambled to stop the drones, but they dodged missiles with near cinematic agility “like Neo in the Matrix”, as Ukrainian operators quipped.

Russia’s Radar Network Under Strain
The Prymary unit’s Yenisei strike is part of a larger operational pattern. Ukrainian forces have adopted a methodical approach. Identify and strike the nerve centers of the Russian’s detection network, rather than just the launch systems. By doing so, they render missile batteries less effective or even blind.

The Yenisei’s destruction comes at a time when Russia’s radar network is already under strain.

According to ‘Euromaidanpress’, Russia may have lost up to half of its radar capabilities since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.

One of the most costly setbacks has been the loss of Beriev A-50U airborne early warning aircraft, essential for detecting threats at long range. Ukraine has destroyed or damaged at least four of these aircraft, with the most recent hit occurring during Operation Spider Web in June 2024.

At the start of the war, Russia had an estimated seven A-50U aircraft. By winter 2024, aviation analyst Tom Cooper assessed that only four remained, and by mid-2025, possibly just three.

One surviving aircraft has been spotted in Vorkuta, far in Russia’s Arctic permafrost zone, likely to keep it out of Ukrainian strike range.

Moscow has been developing a next-generation A-100 radar aircraft, but none of the three prototypes are believed to be operational.

Strategic Implications
Each radar destroyed, whether mounted on a mast in Crimea or in the nose of an A-50U circling high above Russia, weakens Moscow’s early warning net. Fewer radars mean more blind spots, and more blind spots mean greater vulnerability for high-value targets, such as the Kerch Bridge, key air bases, naval facilities, and command centers.

This depletion also forces a change in Russian operating patterns. The remaining radar assets have become too precious to risk in exposed positions.

That means fewer sorties for the A-50Us, fewer deployments of rare ground-based systems like the Yenisei near contested areas, and an overall shift toward holding these assets in reserve. While this may protect them from destruction, it also reduces their deterrent effect and limits Russia’s ability to respond to fast-moving threats.

For Ukraine, the strategy is clear. By systematically targeting the rearrest and most capable radars, Kyiv not only weakens Russia’s current defences but also imposes a long-term cost.

The Road Ahead
If current trends continue, Russia’s radar coverage over Crimea and other contested areas will continue to thin.

Ukraine’s forces have shown they can find and hit even heavily guarded assets, and each successful strike emboldens further operations. The destruction of the Yenisei shows that no part of Russia’s high-end air defense network is beyond reach.

In modern warfare, control of the skies often comes down to who can see and act first. By dismantling Russia’s ‘electronic eye’, Ukraine is betting that blinding its adversary will open the way for strikes that could reshape the battlefield in its favour.

The loss of the Yenisei radar is one more step in that process and perhaps one of the most consequential yet.

“We Are Establishing Peace In The Caucasus”! Turkey Lauds US-Brokered Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Deal.
Turkey lauded an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan as progress towards a “lasting peace” on Friday after US President Donald Trump declared the foes had committed to end hostilities permanently.

“We welcome the progress achieved towards establishing a lasting peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, and the commitment recorded in Washington today in this regard,” Turkey’s foreign ministry said.

“At a time when international conflicts and crises are intensifying, this step constitutes a highly significant development for the promotion of regional peace and stability. We commend the contributions of the US administration in this process.”

Armenia, Azerbaijan To End Conflict
Armenia and Azerbaijan have committed to a lasting peace after decades of conflict, US President Donald Trump said Friday as he hosted the leaders of the South Caucasus rivals at a White House signing event.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s longtime President Ilham Aliyev said Trump’s mediation should earn him a Nobel Peace Prize — an award the US leader has been vocal about seeking.

The two former Soviet republics “are committing to stop all fighting forever, open up commerce, travel, and diplomatic relations and respect each other’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Trump said.

However, the fine print and binding nature of the deal between the long-time foes remained unclear.
The two leaders would have a “great relationship,” Trump said.
“But if there’s conflict… they’re going to call me and we’re going to get it straightened out,” he added.
Christian-majority Armenia and Muslim-majority Azerbaijan have feuded for decades over their border and the status of ethnic enclaves within each other’s territories.

The nations went to war twice over the disputed Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan recaptured from Armenian forces in a lightning 2023 offensive, sparking the exodus of more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians.

The Azerbaijan and Armenian leaders shook hands under the satisfied gaze of Trump, before all three signed a document the White House called a “joint declaration.”

Aliyev hailed the “historic signature” between the two countries, which were at war for more than three decades.”

“We are today establishing peace in the Caucasus,” he added.

Aliyev offered to send a joint appeal, along with Pashinyan, to the Nobel committee recommending Trump receive the Peace Prize.

“Who, if not President Trump, deserves a Nobel Peace Prize?” he asked.

Aliyev also thanked Trump for lifting restrictions on US military cooperation with Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan said the “initialing of (the) peace agreement will pave the way to end decades of conflict between our countries and open a new era.”

The Armenian leader said the “breakthrough” would not have been possible without “peacemaker” Trump, adding that the US president deserved the Nobel.

The agreement also includes establishing a transit corridor passing through Armenia to connect Azerbaijan to its exclave of Nakhchivan, a longstanding demand of Baku.

The United States will have development rights for the corridor — dubbed the “Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity” (TRIPP) — in the strategic and resource-rich region.

The foreign ministry of Turkey, a longtime supporter of Azerbaijan, hailed the “progress achieved towards establishing a lasting peace” between the two nations.

Trump has repeatedly praised his own diplomatic efforts to help halt deadly conflicts, notably between Cambodia and Thailand, as well as arch-foes India and Pakistan.

However, months of efforts have yet to solve the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war and the hunger plaguing Gaza during Israel’s offensive.
Armenia Gains ‘Strategic’ Partner
Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed on the text of a comprehensive peace deal in March.

But Azerbaijan had later outlined a host of demands — including amendments to Armenia’s constitution to drop territorial claims for Karabakh — before signing the document.

Pashinyan has announced plans for a constitutional referendum in 2027, but the issue remains deeply divisive among Armenians.

Asked what Armenia stood to gain from Friday’s deal, a White House official said it was “an enormous strategic commercial partner, probably the most enormous and strategic in the history of the world: the United States of America.”

“The losers here are China, Russia, and Iran,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The disputed mountainous enclave of Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but was controlled by pro-Armenian separatists for nearly three decades after a war following the breakup of the Soviet Union.

Azerbaijan captured part of the territory during a 2020 war, then took all of it with a lightning offensive three years later. Almost the entire local population of around

Macron: Ukraine's future must not be decided without Ukrainians.
Just days before a planned meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron has stressed that Ukraine must be included in any talks on its future.

"The future of Ukraine cannot be decided without the Ukrainians, who have been fighting for their freedom and security for more than three years now," Macron wrote on X.

Because their security is also at stake, Europeans must also be part of a solution, he said.

Macron had previously spoken on the phone with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, he wrote.

After his call with Macron, Zelensky wrote on X: "Ukraine, France, and all our partners are ready to work as productively as possible for the sake of real peace."

Trump is set to meet Putin in Alaska on Friday. According to the Wall Street Journal, Putin is seeking full Russian control over the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk — demands Zelensky firmly rejects.
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Germany's Merz to consult with Trump and Zelensky on Ukraine.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz plans to consult on Wednesday with US President Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders regarding the war in Ukraine, the government in Berlin said on Monday.

A video conference is planned, a government spokesman told dpa.

The discussion is to come ahead of Trump's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday about ending the war in Ukraine.

Before the consultations with Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, a virtual meeting is planned between Merz, Zelensky and the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Poland and Finland, the spokesman said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte are also expected to join the call.

Brazil, Venezuela and Cuba are rolling out the red carpet for Iran.

Iran is experiencing difficult times: a failing economy, a costly nuclear program, a corrupt theocratic regime and devastating economic sanctions. In this context, Tehran is seeking support from Cuba, Venezuela and Brazil. Just a few days ago, Iranian Speaker of the Parliament Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf concluded a tour of Latin America in a desperate attempt at regime survival.

Although Iran has expressed interest in negotiations and reaching agreements with the West, this would be an ideal time to increase pressure and break a regime that has caused great harm to Israel and Latin America.

In Venezuela, Ghalibaf met with dictator Nicolas Maduro, a ruler who has been accused of providing assistance to terrorist groups such as Hezbollah, cooperating with Iran on a drone factory and nuclear energy.

During his visit to Caracas, Ghalibaf highlighted the “strategic alliance with Venezuela” and delivered a donation of 2.3 million vaccines as part of bilateral cooperation. The Iranian parliamentarian also met with young university students to educate them on the fundamental role of both tyrannies in the so-called new world order.

Iran has been a key ally for Venezuela in oil matters, particularly in exports and the exchange of supplies to dilute heavy oil. Venezuela has often had to pay its debt to Tehran in gold. Both countries are in economic disarray, as the majority of their resources are channeled into their heavily repressive systems.

Ghalibaf’s tour of Brazil is one of the most worrying. Brazil has intensified its antisemitic rhetoric to while hosting an Iranian delegation with an opaque and dangerous agenda. During his visit to Brazil, the Iranian spokesperson participated in a forum of the BRICS countries — the acronym referring to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Iran wants to circumvent sanctions and sees a golden opportunity in the BRICS. At the parliamentary forum, Tehran raised the need to strengthen the BRICS payment mechanism and advance exchanges in national currencies. Last month, Brazilian leaders met with Iranian authorities to reaffirm Brazil’s support for the regime’s nuclear energy program, showing its closeness with the theocratic government.

Ghalibaf also met with Cuban dictator Miguel Diaz-Canel. Like Venezuela, Cuba is experiencing one of its worst economic crises. Iran wants to strengthen its political and diplomatic alliance with Cuba to change the narrative regarding the nuclear threat posed by the ayatollahs’ regime.

Iran and Cuba agreed to advance cooperation for the training of experts in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical sectors. Unlike in past decades, Iran does not have the capacity to promise $200 million in credit lines to Cuba. War, corruption and sanctions have brought Tehran to its knees.

In both Cuba and Brazil, the Iranian delegation insisted on harmonizing the legal framework to promote trade and establishing a parliamentary task force to document sanctions and promote lobbying in international bodies.

Iran’s sad, opaque tour of Latin America confirms that this is a good time to put an end to its terrorist regime. A drone factory and the presence of terrorist groups in Cuba and Venezuela should be a matter of deep concern and action. This grave threat cannot continue to be ignored.

The closeness of Brazil — one of the world’s largest economies and a member of the G20 — to Iran and its political attacks against Israel deserve stronger and more forceful condemnation. This is a serious issue and a real threat.

Iran has fewer allies and is economically devastated. Its allied militant groups are being defeated by Israel. Now is a golden opportunity to put an end to a fundamentalist regime that has brought misery to its people and terrorism around the world.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that drones had played a major role in the conflict in Ukraine and called for the rapid development and deployment of separate drone forces within the military.

"We are currently creating unmanned systems troops as a separate branch of the military and we need to ensure their rapid and high-quality deployment and development," Russian news agencies quoted him as saying at a meeting on arms development.

Drones have played a leading role for both sides in the more than three-year-old conflict pitting Moscow against Kyiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has since the outbreak of the war in February 2022 stressed the importance of developing a domestic drone development and production industry.

Putin told the second day of the gathering that Russia was well aware how Ukraine was dealing with the issue.

"But on the whole, I do not believe we are lagging behind on anything," he was quoted as saying. "More to the point, it seems to me we are bringing together good experience with a view to creating just such forces."

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov proposed the creation of a drone force late last year, setting a target date of the third quarter of 2025.

Putin also stressed developing air defences, which he said had destroyed more than 80,000 targets during the conflict that Russia still calls a special military operation.

"In this respect, a new state armaments programme must ensure the construction of a versatile air defence system capable of operating in any circumstances and efficiently striking air attack weapons, regardless of their type," he said.

On the opening day of the meeting, Putin called for due attention to be paid to the nuclear triad of land-based, sea-based and aircraft-launched weapons.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that special attention in the country's new arms programme should be paid to the nuclear triad - land-based, sea-based and aircraft-launched weapons.

Putin's remarks, broadcast on state television, were made at a meeting of senior officials devoted to the country's arms industry.

"Undoubtedly, special attention should be paid to the nuclear triad, which has been and will remain the guarantee of Russia's sovereignty and plays a key role in upholding the balance of forces in the world," Putin said.

A total of 95% of weapons in Russia's strategic nuclear forces, he said, were fully up-to-date.

"This is a good indicator and, in essence, the highest among all the world's nuclear powers," he told the gathering.

Opinion - Eurasia is the future — the US needs to get on board.

A major discovery of rare earth elements in central Kazakhstan earlier this year sent a jolt through global markets and policymaking circles, with early estimates suggesting it could place the country among the world’s top three holders of rare earth reserves. As the Trump administration scrambles to secure alternatives to China’s near-monopoly over these critical materials, used in modern technology such as smartphones, electric cars and computers, the spotlight is once again turning to a region long overlooked by Washington: the post-Soviet Turkic world.

These Turkic nations — Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan — are unfamiliar to most Americans. Yet U.S. officials have long recognized the region’s value, measured in energy, strategic minerals, rare earth elements and alternative supply routes.

For many thorny reasons, Washington has failed to establish firm allies there. Diplomatic presence tells the story: while Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin have visited Central Asia 14 and 83 times, respectively, since taking office, no U.S. president has visited any Turkic nation besides Turkey.

And now the U.S. has fallen behind.

Russia, China and the European Union have all successfully made inroads in the Turkic world in recent years. Moscow, which has traditionally dominated the region, has largely taken control of Uzbekistan’s gas industry, while partnering with Kazakhstan on gas and oil exports and nuclear technology for a planned power plant. In 2023, China increased trade with Central Asia by 27 percent from the year prior while signing strategic partnerships with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan. And the EU recently held a large summit with Central Asian countries in Uzbekistan, announcing it would invest $12 billion in the region.

These global powers understand the stakes. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan together hold 6.5 percent of global gas reserves. Turkmenistan ranks sixth worldwide in gas, and Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are major oil producers. And over the past several months, Astana has massively exceeded OPEC-plus production targets without signs of slowing.

But most important today is the region’s supply of minerals and rare earth elements. Besides Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan also has significant reserves and recently invested $2.6 billion to develop mineral extraction. Both Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan also have large reserves of strategic minerals with military, economic and technological uses, like gold, uranium, copper, tungsten, silicon, lithium and titanium.

Given Central Asia’s large reserves, Washington should invest in refining and mining rare earth elements, to break Beijing’s dominance. Refining is particularly important, as these countries lack the ability to refine important strategic minerals like lithium, uranium, nickel and cobalt and often do so in China or Russia. To pave the way for such investment, Congress should consider granting the Turkic world Permanent Normal Trade Relations status.

Besides having valuable resources, the region plays an important role in supply routes. During the height of the ancient Silk Road’s importance, the Turkic world glued the continent together, serving as a thoroughfare between China, India and Europe. Today, it may be resuming its historic role as a bridge between the East and West, as the Middle Corridor gains in popularity — a transit route from East Asia to Europe bypassing both Russia and Iran. U.S. officials have spoken of the importance of the Middle Corridor in the past, and last year, Washington and Europe signed a Memorandum of Understanding to further develop the route.

Such developments give the U.S. a clear opportunity. Should Washington start seriously developing the corridor, it would give Kazakhstani energy a bypass through Azerbaijan while weakening Russia’s hold on Kazakhstan. An important step would be brokering a final peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, widening the corridor and giving an alternative to Georgia, which has become closer to Russia in recent years.

Many Turkic leaders, including former Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev, former Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambayev and former Azerbaijani President Heydar Aliyev, have spoken about decreasing their outward reliance by forming a Turkic bloc. The bloc would represent a total of roughly 175 million inhabitants, with a GDP of some $1.9 trillion — about 95 percent of the Russian GDP, and a growth rate 2 percent higher than the global average. Currently, Turkic countries have deepened cooperation through the Organization of Turkic States.

Should Turkic countries increase cooperation further, they will be better able to dictate their own terms. Although Turkey was once expected to lead a unified Turkic bloc, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s Islamist policies and Ankara’s focus on the Arab world have alienated key regional powers. The secular Turkic governments are wary of ideological influence, and of becoming subordinate to Ankara. This has led to a leadership vacuum — although possibly not for long.

After the conclusion of the 2020 Karabakh war with Armenia, Azerbaijan has begun to position itself along with Kazakhstan as a leader of the Turkic world. Both countries hold the largest reserves of energy and minerals and are most crucial to trade routes. Azerbaijan is located on the very bottleneck between Iran and Russia that crosses the Middle Corridor. Kazakhstan’s location makes it the most feasible country for Chinese products to cross over to Europe.

The U.S. must take the Turkic world seriously, and soon — not just in words, but with a presidential visit, sustained investment and a new Silk Road strategy.

Britain should stay close to US to ward off threat from Moscow, says defence chief....

Britain should stay close to the US to stand up to the threat from Russia, the Chief of the Defence Staff has said.

Admiral Sir Tony Radakin’s comments came after Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary-general, told The Telegraph that people in Britain had “better learn to speak Russian” if the Government did not drastically increase defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP.

Sir Tony, the head of the British military, appeared before the Commons defence select committee on Tuesday, where he was asked if he agreed with Mr Rutte’s comments.

He said such a scenario could be avoided by sticking close to America and strengthening Nato, telling MPs: “We all accept that we are in this era of change.

“The piece that I think is so true and consistent for the UK is this security construct which is extraordinary and we should celebrate.

“We are a nuclear power. We are the world’s largest and most powerful military alliance and we have as our principal ally the world’s most powerful country on the planet. That’s what keeps us safe.

“That’s what we need to bind to, that’s what we are doing, and that’s what we need to strengthen so that we don’t have the concerns that we are all going to be speaking Russian.”

Sir Tony’s remarks came as Rachel Reeves prepared to deliver her spending review, in which the Chancellor will set out the details of departmental spending, on Wednesday.

However, Sir Tony, who steps down as CDS this autumn and will be replaced by Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, refused to say whether he supported an uplift in defence spending to 3 per cent and beyond.

Sir Tony also acknowledged the changing relationship between America and the UK, now that Donald Trump has asked the UK to shoulder more of the burden in Europe.

Asked if the US withdrew, either entirely or partly, its contribution to Nato, would Europe be strong enough to “match” Russia, Sir Tony said it was.

However, he also insisted that “America is sticking with Nato”.

“America is going to continue to provide all of us in Europe with the nuclear security guarantee,” he said, while cautioning that the US has other priorities, from homeland security to the Indo-Pacific.

“We no longer have that guarantee in terms of conventional American help for the security of Europe,” Sir Tony said. “That is a significant change and that’s why you are seeing Europe responding.”

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Russia makes in 3 months what NATO produces in a year.

He called for a "quantum leap" in how Europe defends itself.

NATO is seeking to boost weapons production but has struggled to boost stockpiles while arming Ukraine.

Russia produces as much ammunition in three months as NATO does in a year, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has warned.

Speaking at the Chatham House think tank in London on Monday, Rutte called on the alliance to urgently ramp up weapons production.

"In terms of ammunition, Russia produces in three months what the whole of NATO produces in a year," he said.

"Russia is reconstituting its forces with Chinese technology and producing more weapons faster than we thought," Rutte added.

He called for a "quantum leap" in how Europe defends itself, and said, "We must have more forces and capabilities to implement our defense plans in full."

Rutte said Russia was expected to produce 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armored vehicles, and 200 Iskander missiles in 2025.

Russia has massively ramped up its weapons and ammunition production to fuel its war against Ukraine, placing its economy on a war footing.

It's received support from allies including China, Iran, and North Korea.

Russia spent 13.1 trillion rubles, around $145.9 billion, on its military last year, a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies said. This is equivalent to 6.7% of the country's gross domestic product and a 41% annual increase in real terms, per the report.

European defense spending was $457 billion last year, the report said, a real-terms increase of almost 12% on the year before and a 50% increase in real terms from 2014 spending levels. If purchasing power parity is factored in, then Russia's expenditure is equivalent to around $461.6 billion, the report said.

The US is NATO's largest military power, and President Donald Trump has pressured European members to boost their military budgets. Rutte has backed US calls to raise the amount NATO members are required to spend on their military from 2% to 5%.

The war in Ukraine has become a gruelling war of attrition, with both sides firing thousands of rounds of ammunition daily.

But Ukraine's NATO allies have struggled to increase production to provide arms to Ukraine while rebuilding their stockpiles, amid warnings that Russia could be preparing to attack NATO in a matter of years.

"We are all on the eastern flank now. The new generation of Russian missiles travels at the speed of sound. The distance between European capitals is only a matter of minutes. There is no longer east or west. There is just NATO," Rutte added.

Serbia's populist President Aleksandar Vucic travelled to the Ukrainian city of Odesa for a regional summit on Wednesday, the first time the Moscow-friendly leader has visited the country during his 12 years in power.

Vucic travelled to Ukraine for one day to take part in the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit in the Black Sea port of Odesa, which this week faced a major Russian drone and missile attack.

Senior politicians from 12 Southeastern European nations also took part in the summit, which was hosted by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

At the summit, Vucic, who has previously met Zelenskiy at least three times, said Serbia could help Kyiv in the renewal of Ukraine's war-torn regions.

Vucic who balances relations between Russia and the West, said he abstained from signing the joint declaration at the summit, reflecting Serbia's bid to maintain good ties with both Kyiv and Moscow.

"By protecting our (Serbia's) interests I am partially protecting both Russian and Ukrainian interests alike ... as we are protecting interests of international ... law," he said in remarks to Serbian journalists.

The joint declaration supports Ukraine’s efforts to find a diplomatic path to a just and lasting peace, and includes a call to the international community to intensify its support for Kyiv and refrain from offering material or other assistance to Russia’s war effort.

Serbia wants to join the European Union, but Russia, a traditional Slavic and Orthodox Christian ally, remains its biggest gas supplier, and the country's sole oil refinery is majority-owned by Gazprom and Gazprom Neft.

Although Belgrade has refused to join Western sanctions on Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, it has condemned Moscow's policies in the United Nations and expressed support for Ukraine's territorial integrity.

Belgrade recognises Ukraine in its entirety, including territories seized by Russia since 2014, while Kyiv refused to recognise the 2008 independence of Kosovo, Serbia's predominantly Albanian former southern province.

In late May, the SVR, the Russian foreign intelligence service, accused Belgrade of "a stab in the back", alleging Serbia's defence manufacturers were selling ammunition and weapons to Ukraine via intermediaries.

According to a classified Pentagon document leaked online, Serbia in 2023 agreed to supply arms to Kyiv, despite the country's professed military neutrality. Moscow has criticised Belgrade several times over the issue. Serbia has denied it ever supplied arms to Ukraine but has said it has sold to other buyers worldwide.

The only Serbian president to visit Ukraine since the Balkan country became independent in 2006 was Boris Tadic in 2011. Ukraine's previous president, Petro Poroshenko, visited Serbia in 2018.

The dispute between Donald Trump and Elon Musk was triggered by months of intense stress on both sides, and the public battle between the U.S. president and the billionaire donor needs to stop, Musk's father told Reuters on Monday.

Trump and Musk began exchanging insults last week on social media, with the Tesla and SpaceX CEO describing the president's sweeping tax and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination".

Asked whether he thought his son had made a mistake by engaging in a public clash with the president, Errol Musk said people were sometimes unable to think as clearly as they should "in the heat of the moment."

"They've had five months of intense stress," Musk told Reuters at a conference in Moscow organised by conservative Russian tycoons.

"With all the opposition cleared and two people left in the arena, all they have ever done is get rid of everything and now they are trying to get rid of each other - well that has to stop."

Asked how it would end, he said: "Oh, it will end on a good note - very soon."

Neither the White House nor Musk could be reached for comment outside normal U.S. business hours.

Trump said on Saturday his relationship with Musk was over and that there would be "serious consequences" if the world's richest man decided to fund U.S. Democrats running against Republicans who vote for the tax and spending bill.

Musk bankrolled a large part of Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. Trump named Musk to head an effort to downsize the federal workforce and slash spending.

Musk's father told reporters he was standing by his son.

"Elon is sticking to his principles but you cannot always stick to your principles in the real world," Musk's father said. "Sometimes you have to give and take."

Speaking beside sanctioned Russian businessman Konstantin Malofeyev, Musk's father praised President Vladimir Putin as a "very stable and pleasant man." He accused "fake media" in the West of projecting "complete nonsense" about Russia and for casting it as an enemy.

Dangerous new hired guns have arrived on the battlefield of Mexico's cartel wars: Colombian mercenaries.

Former combatants in Colombia's long-standing internal conflict are increasingly being lured to Mexico by criminal groups to train hitmen, build bombs and fight bloody turf battles.

Eleven Colombians were arrested in Michoacán state last week in connection to a roadside bomb attack that killed eight members of Mexico's National Guard. Colombia's foreign ministry said all of the detained men had once been soldiers.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro said on X that a cartel known as Los Reyes had "hired the Colombian mercenaries to confront the Mexican state.”

The phenomenon highlights the growing intensity of Mexico's cartel warfare as well as the expanding role of Colombian combatants in conflicts globally. Recruited via private companies and even via TikTok, Colombians have fought in Sudan, Yemen and Ukraine.

More than 300 Colombian fighters have died defending Ukraine from Russian attacks, Colombian officials say.

Haitian authorities allege 26 Colombian mercenaries participated in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise. Colombians also were implicated in the 2023 killing of Ecuadorian presidential candidate Fernando Villavicencio.

Read more: Haitian president's assassination exposes shady world of Colombian mercenaries

Many of the fighters are former military personnel with meager or no pensions and little training for any activity other than war.

"You have this pool of human resources that is poorly compensated and not utilized to their full potential," said Elizabeth Dickinson, a Colombia analyst with the International Crisis Group, a nonprofit think tank. "They're being swept up with these attractive offers, both by states, by defense companies and also by criminal groups."

The soldiers are in demand because they have real-life experience battling narcos and guerrillas in their home country. Colombia's army is the largest and most professional in Latin America, the recipient of billions dollars in aid from the United States.

Compared with American or European security contractors, Colombian fighters are cheap, Dickinson said: "They're the ideal recruit."

Many Colombians say they were tricked into working with the cartels.

Freddy, a 46-year-old who did not give his last name for fear of reprisals from a cartel, left the Colombian military at age 32 after more than a decade of intense combat fighting leftist guerrillas. He earned about $300 a month working for a private security firm in Colombia. When he heard about a supposed job with the French Foreign Legion offering $3,000 a month, he signed up, imaging a future guarding dignitaries or assisting in peacekeeping missions.

He thought he would be making a quick stopover in Mexico City when his contacts flew him there last year. But once he arrived, he and the nine other Colombians he had traveled with were driven to an isolated encampment in Jalisco state. Their phones and passports were confiscated, and they were told they were now part of a cartel.

Freddy said he was forced to participate in torture and killings. He said he would be killed if he did not oblige: “It’s either your life or the life of the person in front of you.”

Two other Colombian fighters recently active in Mexico described being lured there with the promise of good-paying jobs, according to video footage reviewed by The Times. Upon arrival, they claimed, they were ferried to cartel hot spots, handed guns and told to fight — and warned that their families would be harmed if they deserted.

"They deceived me," said one man who said he was pledged $3,000 monthly as a security guard, but who instead was made to work for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel for roughly $300 a month.

He said he provided weapons training for about 100 cartel soldiers, many of whom were under 18 and there against their will. "We were practically slaves," he said. "They tell you: 'Go fight, and whoever dies, dies.' They don't care about human life."

The other man, a former Colombian police officer, said he worked as a medic alongside other international mercenaries from Venezuela and Guatemala. He said he had seen several Colombians die on the battlefield.

Mexican authorities have known for years that cartels are employing foreign fighters.

A Mexican military intelligence report from 2021 said the head of an armed cell working under a cartel leader known as El Abuelo — The Grandfather — employed 26 Colombian “guerrilleros” to fight rivals from the Jalisco cartel.

The report, made public by the hacktivist group Guacamaya, said a drug lord from another group had hired 10 Colombians, paying them a weekly salary of around $600.

Derek Maltz, who stepped down last month as head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, said Colombian fighters have an obvious appeal. In addition to providing combat-seasoned muscle, the mercenaries operate in the role of player-coach, helping young cartel foot soldiers learn the art of war, Maltz said.

Read more: Soldiers and civilians are dying as Mexican cartels embrace a terrifying new weapon: Land mines

"They are wanted for their expertise with the use of IEDs — these guys are experts in these types of techniques. They are training all the gangster sicarios," Maltz said, using the Spanish term for hitmen.

The group headed by El Abuelo — whose real name is Juan José Farías Álvarez — is based in the western state of Michoacán, which sprawls from heart of Mexico to the Pacific Coast. His gang was included on the Trump administration's list of cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations earlier this year.

The rebranding enables U.S. law enforcement to pursue harsher penalties, and could open the door to drone strikes or other U.S. military action in Mexico, a possibility Trump has repeatedly floated.

Maltz said the U.S. has seen "significant progress" from Mexico on security under Trump, but argued the presence of foreign fighters trained in bomb-making strengthens the case for U.S. intervention.

"If it comes down to it, the U.S. government should use all tools in the toolbox to neutralize them," Maltz said. "They need to feel pain like they’ve never felt before."

The Jalisco cartel, one of the most powerful criminal groups in Mexico, was also included in Trump's terror designation and is known to have strong Colombian connections.

The Mexican military recently released photos that indicate that some Colombians working for the cartels have fought in wars the world over.

One showed camouflage fatigues worn by a Colombian fighter festooned with patches that include the flag of Ukraine. Another showed a military-style beret with a logo referring to a Jalisco commander nicknamed "El Yogurt," reputed to lead an armed cell that includes Colombians.

A narcocorrido ballad dedicated to El Yogurt boasts of his skills cooking methamphetamine ("In the kitchen, not a rival has been found…") and notes that he "has a support team, his friends never leave him behind."
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said last week that her country is in talks with Colombia about how to stop the flow of mercenaries.

"This is not the first time that people of this nationality have been arrested," she said Thursday after the arrests of the 11 Colombians.

The issue is a sensitive one in Colombia, where the participation of Colombians in high-profile crimes has been the source of national shame. President Petro is pushing a bill that would require Colombia to sign on to a United Nations convention against the recruitment, financing and training of mercenaries.

Some veterans say it is discriminatory.

Ricardo Rodríguez, who worked as a security contractor in the United Arab Emirates after leaving the Colombian military, said in an interview that veterans should be able to take their skills elsewhere.

What former soldiers need, he said, is more support from the Colombian government.

"They’re stuck. They don’t have any hope of getting ahead," he said, adding that the nation's veterans will continue to look elsewhere for work "until the Colombian government gives them the opportunity to improve their lives."

After eight months, Freddy escaped the cartel. Because he lacked identity documents, he traveled back to Colombia overland.

He's back home now, but is out of work and in debt. He is plagued by nightmares about what he saw — and did — in Mexico. To toughen up young fighters, he said, cartel leaders forced them to eat barbecued human flesh.

Still, he is looking again for opportunities to go abroad as a mercenary. Europe — and the salary he could make there — still calls to him.

"I don’t have a career. I don’t have any other skills," he said. "When you spend so many years at war, you don’t have a vision of doing anything else. I like guns. I like security. This is what I was trained for."

The European Commission has proposed an 18th package of sanctions against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, aimed at Moscow's energy revenues, its banks and its military industry, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday.

The new package proposes banning transactions with Russia's Nord Stream gas pipelines as well as banks that engage in sanctions circumvention.

"Russia's goal is not peace, it is to impose the rule of might ... strength is the only language that Russia will understand," von der Leyen told a news conference.

The Commission has also proposed lowering the Group of Seven nations (G7) price cap on Russian crude oil to $45 a barrel from $60 barrel in a bid to cut Russia's energy revenues.

Von der Leyen said that the oil price cap will be discussed at a G7 meeting this week.

"My assumption is that we do that together as the G7. We started that as G7, it was successful as a measure from the G7, and I want to continue this measure as G7," she said.

The proposal also lists more vessels that make up Russia's shadow fleet and oil trading companies.

"The next round of EU sanctions against Russia will target Russia's energy revenues including the shadow fleet, its military industry and its banking sector," EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas said.

EU countries will start debating the proposal this week.

Opinion - Despite military purges, China’s next war ‘could be imminent’ and spread fast.

“There’s no reason to sugarcoat it,” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on May 31 at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security conference. “The threat China poses is real. And it could be imminent.”

Hegseth is right: America needs to urgently prepare for war.

War is coming to East Asia, and Taiwan — to which Hegseth was referring — is a target of Chinese aggression. Chinese President Xi Jinping, after all, has staked his personal legitimacy on annexing it as China’s 34th province.

Yet the U.S. and its partners have to be ready for anything at any place and at any time.

Why?

The Chinese regime, which is mobilizing all of society for war, is now unstable. It is not clear who, if anyone, is in charge. Therefore, the regime could take us by surprise.

One thing we know: Xi’s most senior loyalist in uniform has disappeared from public view. Gen. He Weidong, a vice chairman of the Communist Party’s Central Military Commission and the second highest-ranked uniformed officer, was last seen in public on March 11, at the end of the Communist Party’s major political event of the year, the so-called Two Sessions.

Many report that Xi sacked He. It’s true that Xi, since being named general secretary of the party in November 2012, has purged many military officers, ostensibly for “corruption,” and restructured the People’s Liberation Army. Both moves resulted in his taking firm control of the military.

Some have therefore assumed that Xi, for some reason, turned on his most important supporter in the military in March. However, it is not likely that Xi took down He.

On the contrary, it is much more probable that Xi’s adversaries removed that general.

While Xi loyalists were being removed from public view, PLA Daily, the Chinese military’s main propaganda organ, ran a series of articles praising “collective leadership,” a direct rejection of Xi’s continual calls for unity, centralization of control and complete obedience to his rule.

These articles, which began appearing last July, were written by people aligned with the top-ranked uniformed officer, Central Military Commission Vice Chairman Gen. Zhang Youxia. The propaganda pieces could not have appeared if Xi were in complete control of the military.

Moreover, He’s disappearance was followed by the disappearance of another Xi loyalist, Gen. He Hongjun. Rumors started that both generals had died by suicide in May at the military’s 301 Hospital in Beijing. Whether they are alive or not, they are out of the way, so their disappearance spells trouble for Xi.

“Gen. He Weidong was instrumental in Xi’s earlier purges in the military, so his disappearance could indicate a great threat to Xi’s authority,” Charles Burton of the Sinopsis think tank noted in comments to me this month.

The recent disappearances follow the sackings of, among others, Gen. Li Shangfu, a defense minister, Gen. Wei Fenghe, one of Li’s predecessors and perhaps as many as 70 in the Rocket Force, the branch responsible for the country’s nuclear weapons.

Given all the turmoil in the Chinese military, America and its partners need to focus on more than just Taiwan. In fact, the main island of Taiwan might be the least likely target.

To start hostilities by attacking Taiwan’s main island, China would need to launch a combined air-land-sea operation. To do that, Xi would have to give a general or admiral almost complete control over the military. The appointed flag officer would thereby become the most powerful figure in China.

Even in the calmest of times, Xi would be reluctant to create such a rival for power, but this is by no means a calm moment in Beijing. China’s leader seems to have lost substantial influence recently — so much so that there is speculation he could be pushed out of power in the coming months.

Whoever is controlling the purges — Xi or his political enemies — the Chinese military does not look ready to launch a complex operation such as a Taiwan invasion. Either Xi does not have the power to order an invasion because the military no longer answers to him, or Xi does not trust the most senior officers, a precondition for such a complex undertaking.

Despite all the turmoil in the leadership ranks, Hegseth was right to talk about an imminent war. The disruptive leadership moves in China have not prevented the Chinese military from engaging in low-level but especially provocative actions in the last couple of months against countries to China’s south and east.

We do not know whether China’s regime has made the decision to go to war, but its series of dangerous actions clearly reveals it has made the decision to risk war.

And war, if it begins somewhere, will likely spread. For one thing, the Chinese leadership will not be able to deal with incidents responsibly. In senior Communist Party circles these days, only the most hostile answers are considered acceptable.

Another factor is the existence of alliance and semi-alliance networks in the region. Four of China’s targets, South Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and Australia, are U.S. treaty allies, and one, Taiwan, is protected by the United States. China, for its part, could bring in its friends.

Moreover, the U.S. should be prepared for conflict with the world’s most destructive weapons.

“China has spent the last five decades investing in building nuclear proxy forces in Pakistan, North Korea and Iran to create nuclear crises to divert Washington’s attention away from the Taiwan Strait,” Richard Fisher of the International Assessment and Strategy Center told me this month. “China’s investment in Russia’s war in Ukraine is in the same vein.”

As Blaine Holt, a retired U.S. Air Force brigadier general, said after Hegseth’s comments, “Millions of lives now hang in the balance.”

Gordon G. Chang is the author of “Plan Red: China’s Project to Destroy America” and “The Coming Collapse of China.”

People in Britain had “better learn to speak Russian” if the Government does not ramp up defence spending, Mark Rutte has suggested.

The Nato secretary general also warned that Russia could attack Nato by 2030 in a speech in London on Monday.

Asked by The Telegraph if Rachel Reeves should increase taxes to fund a defence budget of 5 per cent of GDP, Mr Rutte said: “If you do not go to the 5 per cent, including the 3.5 per cent for defence spending, you could still have the NHS…the pension system, but you better learn to speak Russian. That’s the consequence.”
The Nato secretary general has for weeks been pressuring allies to boost spending on defence and security to a combined 5 per cent in order to placate Donald Trump, who has threatened to withdraw American troops from Europe.

Mr Rutte, who also met Sir Keir Starmer in Downing Street on Monday, was speaking hours after Russia launched its largest-ever drone attack against Ukraine, triggering Nato to scramble jets in Poland.

“We see in Ukraine how Russia delivers terror from above, so we will strengthen the shield that protects our skies,” Mr Rutte said.

He added that Nato needs “a 400-percent increase in air and missile defence” to maintain credible deterrence and defence.

“The fact is, we need a quantum leap in our collective defence,” he said.

He said “we are all on the eastern flank”, referring to the border with Russia, adding that the distance between European capitals is “only a few minutes” for Russian missiles.

NATO member Poland has put on hold plans to buy 32 Black Hawk helicopters.

It suggested that Russia's invasion of Ukraine shows they're not the right weapon to focus on.

It's not abandoned helicopters, but they have proven vulnerable in Ukraine.

NATO member Poland has postponed its purchase of 32 S-70i Black Hawk helicopters, with military officials there suggesting the way Russia is fighting in Ukraine shows they're not the right equipment for it to focus on.

General Wieslaw Kukula, the Polish armed forces chief of staff, said at a Friday press conference that "we have decided to change the priorities of the helicopter programs" in order to "better adapt to the challenges of future warfare," Reuters reported.

Poland's deputy defense minister, Pawel Bejda, said on X that his country's military, pilots, and experts were analyzing the geopolitical situation, as well as "the war in Ukraine" and what Russia is buying and equipping its military with.

Poland shares a land border with Ukraine.

Grzegorz Polak, a spokesman for Poland's Armament Agency, which buys equipment for its military, told Reuters that its priorities needed "some correction" and that it might be necessary to buy other equipment instead of the helicopters, "such as drones, or tanks, or some kind of communication."

He also told Polish outlet Defence24 that the armed force's priorities have changed amid evolving threats.

Poland, like other European countries, has warned that Russia could attack elsewhere on the continent.

Its prime minister, Donald Tusk, warned in March that Russia's big military investments suggest it's readying for a conflict with someone bigger than Ukraine in the next three to four years.

Poland is already the highest spender on defense in NATO, as a proportion of its GDP, and has been a major ally of Ukraine throughout the invasion.

Helicopters over Ukraine
Helicopters have played a role in Russia's invasion, with both sides using them to counter drones, offer air support, and launch attacks.

Ukraine has criticised Polish plans to establish a remembrance day for Poles massacred by Ukrainians during the Second World War.

Poland’s parliament this week approved a new public holiday on July 11 to commemorate victims of a “genocide” committed by Ukrainian nationalist groups during the conflict.

The date marks what Poles call “Volhynian Bloody Sunday”, when a 1943 operation by Ukrainian death squads killed thousands of civilians in settlements across the Wolyn province, which is mostly now in Ukraine and known as Volyn.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry attacked the move, saying the decision to commemorate what it described as a “so-called genocide” flew in the face of “good neighbourly relations between Ukraine and Poland”.

“Poles should not look for enemies among Ukrainians, and Ukrainians should not look for enemies among Poles. We have a common enemy – Russia,” it said.

It added: “The path to true reconciliation lies through dialogue, mutual respect and joint work by historians, rather than through unilateral political assessments.”

Volodymyr Zelensky has commemorated the massacre with the laying of wreaths, but labelling the killings a genocide continues to be a contentious issue between the two countries.

Although Poland has been one of Ukraine’s staunchest backers in its fight against Russia, relations have been strained due to rows over EU policies that favour Ukrainian agriculture.

Polish farmers have picketed the Ukraine border to protest grain shipments being diverted from the Black Sea through Poland, a move, they say, which undercuts domestic produce. Brussels has also scrapped tariffs on Ukrainian grain, although this duty-free regime is set to end on July 5.

Karol Nawrocki, Poland’s new president, has also struck a more critical tone than his predecessor on support for Ukraine, saying Kyiv should not be admitted to the EU. Though the president’s role is largely ceremonial, he has the power to veto legislation.

An estimated 100,000 Poles were killed by Ukrainian nationalists during the Second World War in an attempt to ensure that Wolyn did not become part of postwar Poland.

The Bloody Sunday attack was planned so that the death squads would surprise as many Poles as possible during the Sunday mass, according to the Second World War Museum in Gdansk.

Russia plans to step up cooperation with African countries, including in "sensitive areas" such as defence and security, the Kremlin said on Monday.

Russian mercenary group Wagner said last week it was leaving Mali after helping the military junta there in its fight with Islamist militants. But the Africa Corps, a Kremlin-controlled paramilitary force, said it would remain in the west African country.

Asked what this meant for Russia's role in Africa, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "The Russian presence in Africa is growing. We really intend to comprehensively develop our interaction with African countries, focusing primarily on economic and investment interaction.

"This also corresponds to and extends to such sensitive areas as defence and security. In this regard, Russia will also continue interaction and cooperation with African states."
Russia's growing security role in parts of the continent, including in countries such as Mali, Central African Republic and Equatorial Guinea, is viewed with concern by the West, and has come at the expense of France and the United States.

Russia's Africa Corps was created with the Russian Defence Ministry's support after Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin and commander Dmitry Utkin led a failed mutiny against the Russian army leadership in June 2023 and were killed two months later in a plane crash.

About 70-80% of the Africa Corps is made up of former Wagner members.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told ABC News' Martha Raddatz his country is ready for a ceasefire brokered by the United States, accusing Russian President Vladimir Putin of aiming for the "total defeat" of Ukraine.

In the exclusive sit-down interview in Kyiv with Raddatz, co-anchor of ABC News' "This Week," Zelenskyy said Putin is uninterested in peace and that only "hard pressure" led by the U.S. and joined by European allies would render Putin to be "pragmatic" in his thinking.

"Then they will stop the war," Zelenskyy said.

"I am convinced that the president of the United States has all the powers and enough leverage to step up," Zelenskyy told Raddatz.
Zelenskyy's pleas for the end of fighting in Ukraine -- a consistent message since Russia launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022 -- came as Russia bombarded Ukraine, launching 472 drones last week.
The Ukrainian air force said it was the largest drone assault of the war.

"Probably people don't realize that," Zelenskyy said. "They have to understand that we are under strikes, under attack every day. And you might remember that when they were talking about ceasefires, temporary ceasefire[s], they still continued attacking and launching strikes."

Russia launched almost 500 drones at Ukraine in the biggest overnight drone bombardment of the three-year war, the Ukrainian air force said Monday, as the Kremlin presses its summer offensive amid direct peace talks that have yet to deliver progress on stopping the fighting.

As well as 479 drones, 20 missiles of various types were fired at different parts of Ukraine, according to the air force, which said the barrage targeted mainly central and western areas of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s air force said its air defenses destroyed 277 drones and 19 missiles in mid-flight on Sunday night, claiming that only 10 drones or missiles hit their target. Officials said one person was injured. It was not possible to independently verify the claims.

A recent escalation in aerial attacks has coincided with a renewed Russian battlefield push on eastern and northeastern parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line.