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Ukraine targets Russian energy sites in Bashkortostan and Volgograd
Ukrainian forces struck two major energy facilities deep inside Russia overnight on 17–18 September, hitting the Gazprom Neftekhim Salavat petrochemical complex in Bashkortostan and the Lukoil-operated Volgograd oil refinery. Regional authorities in Bashkortostan reported a fire at the Salavat site…
Poland signals interest in nuclear sharing after Russian drone incursions
Poland’s new president, Karol Nawrocki, has signalled that Warsaw wants to participate in NATO’s nuclear-sharing arrangements and to develop “its own nuclear capabilities — energy, civilian and military”. Speaking in a televised interview with France’s LCI on 16–17 September, Mr…
Polish media: F-16 missile likely damaged house during drone incursion
A house damaged during Russia’s mass drone incursion into Polish airspace on 10 September was likely struck by a malfunctioning air-to-air missile fired from a Polish F-16, rather than by a falling drone, according to a report by the daily…
Trump’s Belarus overture risks confusing NATO at a fraught moment
U.S. military officers’ surprise appearance at Zapad-2025 in Belarus has jarred allies already managing drone incursions and a large Russian–Belarusian drill on NATO’s doorstep. The visit may have been designed as observation under OSCE rules, but its timing and optics…
China Spy Case Collapse Casts Questions Over UK’s Ability To Safeguard National Interests
The intelligence community is reeling after British authorities abandoned charges against two men suspected of spying for China, raising troubling questions about the United Kingdom’s resolve and effectiveness in addressing foreign espionage threats. Christopher Cash, a former researcher for Conservative MP…
Eastern Sentry Looks Reactive as Russian Drones Test NATO’s Eastern Flank
Repeated air alerts in Poland and Romania this week, coupled with NATO’s launch of the Eastern Sentry mission, underscore an alliance still reacting to events rather than shaping them. On 9–10 September, Poland became the first NATO member state to…
Project Bromo: can Europe’s satellite champions escape gravity of Brussels bureaucracy?
If Europe needed a symbol of its belated awakening to the new age of great-power competition, it could do worse than the news that Airbus, Thales and Leonardo — the continent’s aerospace titans — are preparing to fuse their satellite…
Poland’s Sikorski questions value of “security guarantees” for Ukraine, urges focus on funding and arms
Poland’s foreign minister, Radosław Sikorski, has questioned the usefulness of proposed “security guarantees” for Ukraine, arguing that such pledges would lack credibility without states willing to fight Russia if deterrence failed. Speaking at the Yalta European Strategy (YES) annual meeting…
Zelenskyy: Russian drone operated in Romanian airspace for 50 minutes; Romania scrambles F-16s, Poland shuts Lublin airport amid UAV threat
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle penetrated roughly 10 kilometres into Romania and remained in NATO airspace for about 50 minutes. Romania’s defence ministry reported scrambling two F-16s after detecting a drone during Russian strikes…
NATO’s ‘Eastern Sentry’ begins as French Rafales arrive in Poland
Brussels/Warsaw — 13 September 2025. NATO has launched Operation Eastern Sentry to reinforce the Alliance’s eastern flank following this week’s drone incursions into Polish airspace. The move brings additional allied air and naval assets to the region and introduces a…