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Kim Jong Un’s Arsenal: Fearsome Missiles, Fragile Reality
When Kim Jong Un declares that North Korea must “rapidly expand” its nuclear armament, the world tends to listen. It is not simply the bluster of a regime addicted to confrontation; it is also a signal that Pyongyang continues to…
Trump Flirts with Appeasement as Britain and Europe Rally to Defend Ukraine
European leaders are racing to Washington in a high-stakes effort to safeguard Western unity after Donald Trump’s eyebrow-raising meeting with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. Ursula von der Leyen, Germany’s Friedrich Merz, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Finland’s Alexander Stubb will join…
Ukraine claims strike on Russian cargo ship at Caspian port used for Iran–Russia transfers
Ukraine’s Armed Forces say Special Operations Forces struck the Russian seaport of Olya in Astrakhan region on 14 August, hitting the general cargo vessel Port Olya-4, which Kyiv alleges was carrying components for Shahed-type drones and ammunition from Iran. The…
Ukraine strikes Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region amid intensifying long-range campaign
Ukraine said its forces struck the Syzran oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region in the early hours of Friday, 15 August, igniting fires at one of Rosneft’s larger processing plants. The General Staff reported “a target hit” at the facility…
Satellite images point to possible Burevestnik test ahead of Trump–Putin talks
Russia appears to be preparing to test the 9M730 Burevestnik, a nuclear-armed, nuclear-powered cruise missile, according to two independent US researchers and a Western security source, ahead of Vladimir Putin’s meeting with US President Donald Trump on Ukraine. Commercial satellite…
Europe warns Trump: no Ukraine peace deal without Kyiv at the table
European leaders have urged Donald Trump to ensure Ukraine plays a direct role in talks with Vladimir Putin, warning that any agreement reached without Kyiv risks forcing it to surrender territory to Russia. Mr Trump and the Russian president are…
China and Russia Join Forces in Pacific Drills, Sparking Alarm in Canberra
China and Russia have concluded a five-day series of joint naval patrols in the waters off Vladivostok, deepening military cooperation between the two authoritarian powers and delivering what many in the West see as a provocative signal of growing strategic…
Talisman Sabre 2025: Allies Join Digital Front in First-Ever Cyber Defence Drill
In a landmark step towards a fully integrated digital defence alliance, cyber units from Australia, New Zealand and the United States have, for the first time, jointly conducted a live-fire cyber warfare exercise during this year’s Talisman Sabre war games,…
Trump Orders Deployment of Nuclear Submarines Towards Russia in Response to Medvedev Threats
President Donald Trump has announced the deployment of two US nuclear-powered submarines to regions near Russia, citing recent nuclear threats issued by former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The unprecedented public disclosure, which overrides longstanding US policy of strategic ambiguity, marks…
Lights Out Over the Strait: Taiwan, Blockade, and a Conflict That Could Reshape the Pacific
This week the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released Lights Out? Wargaming a Chinese Blockade of Taiwan, a detailed simulation-driven enquiry by Mark F. Cancian, Matthew F. Cancian and Eric Heginbotham. Over the course of 26 separate wargames, Beijing…