Defencematters.eu Correspondents
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Defencematters.eu Correspondents
Reports link Russia–Iran cargo flights to unrest and claims of asset transfers
Reports of repeated Russian heavy-lift flights into Tehran over the year-end holiday have fed speculation that Iran’s leadership is moving valuables abroad and preparing contingency escape plans as protests spread and the currency slides. Air Cargo Week, an airfreight industry…
Oreshnik launch from Kapustin Yar reported in overnight strike near Stryi in Ukraine’s Lviv region
Russia fired a nuclear-capable “Oreshnik” ballistic missile at a target in western Ukraine overnight, the second acknowledged use of the weapon, as both sides reported a fresh wave of long-range strikes on 9 January. Russia’s defence ministry said the launch…
Small Missile, Serious Message: How Babcock Plans to Beat the Drone Swarm
In an era when the drone has become both sword and scourge on modern battlefields, a new pact between British defence stalwart Babcock and a nimble Estonian start-up could mark a decisive shift in Europe’s maritime air-defence posture. The memorandum…
Channel passage highlights limits of sanctions policing as Russian oil tankers keep moving
Two oil tankers sanctioned by the United States sailed through the English Channel on Thursday 8 January, as western governments stepped up scrutiny of vessels suspected of helping Russia move oil in defiance of restrictions. The first ship, identified as…
US boards and seizes Russian-flagged tanker linked to Venezuela and Iran sanctions
US authorities have seized an oil tanker previously flagged to Guyana and linked by Washington to sanctions evasion involving Venezuelan and Iranian crude, after the vessel switched into the Russian registry during a weeks-long pursuit across the Atlantic. The vessel,…
US aircraft movements add to uncertainty as Iran protests intensify and regional diplomacy shifts
Open-source flight tracking and recent reporting have pointed to an increased tempo of US military air movements linked to the Middle East, coinciding with a sharp escalation in Iran’s internal unrest and a widening set of regional flashpoints. The Iranian…
Russian submarine escorts Marinera as US pursuit of ex-Bella 1 continues
Russia has deployed a submarine and other naval assets to accompany an oil tanker pursued across the Atlantic by the United States Coast Guard, escalating a sanctions-enforcement operation into a direct encounter with Russian military forces in international waters. The…
Ukraine’s drone commander claims December strike toll matched Russia’s monthly recruitment
Ukraine’s commander of Unmanned Systems Forces, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, has said Ukrainian drone units killed or wounded more than 33,000 Russian troops in December 2025, describing it as the first time drone-only losses matched Russia’s reported monthly intake of contract…
Latvia Acts Swiftly as Baltic Cable Damage Tests Europe’s Resolve
When news broke that an optical fibre cable beneath the Baltic Sea had been damaged off Latvia’s coast, the reaction in Riga was swift, measured and — crucially — decisive. In an age when hesitation can invite speculation and ambiguity…
After the raid: Washington has seized Maduro, but not Venezuela
The United States has removed Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro in a single night of air strikes and a Special Forces raid. The harder question is what, precisely, Washington thinks it has taken control of. Mr Maduro and his wife, Cilia…