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Russian air defences in Venezuela ‘offline’ during US raid to seize Maduro, report says
Russian-supplied air defence systems deployed by Venezuela were not connected to radar networks, and some equipment was kept in storage, when US forces struck military targets around Caracas in early January. The Times said part of Venezuela’s Buk-M2 surface-to-air missile…
Ukraine claims strikes on Lukoil platforms in Caspian Sea
Ukraine’s General Staff said on Sunday, 11 January, that Ukrainian forces struck three offshore drilling platforms operated by Russia’s Lukoil in the Caspian Sea, describing the operation as part of measures to reduce Russia’s “military and economic potential”. The platforms…
Reports of “mysterious weapon” follow US raid that seized Venezuela’s Maduro
The United States’ 3 January operation in Caracas that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has prompted a second, more opaque debate: whether US forces used a directed-energy or acoustic system to disable Venezuelan defenders during the…
After the Paris Declaration: Can Europe Deploy Troops in Ukraine?
Europe’s discussion of a multinational military presence in Ukraine has intensified after a meeting of the Coalition of the Willing in Paris on 6 January produced a “Paris Declaration” on security guarantees for Ukraine. Issued by France, the declaration sketches…
A missile message to Europe: what Russia’s Oreshnik strike was meant to signal
For a second time in a little over a year, Russia has used its Oreshnik missile against Ukraine, and for a second time the political message has been louder than the physical results. The latest launch was recorded overnight on…
China, Russia and Iran join South Africa for BRICS naval drills off Cape Town
CAPE TOWN — Warships from China, Russia and Iran have begun a week of naval drills with South Africa in waters off Cape Town, in an exercise organised under the BRICS grouping as Washington escalates action against Venezuelan oil shipments.…
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…
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,…