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NATO to launch annual ‘Steadfast Noon’ nuclear deterrence exercise on 13 October
NATO will begin its annual nuclear deterrence exercise, Steadfast Noon, on Monday, 13 October, the Alliance’s Secretary General Mark Rutte confirmed on Friday, 10 October. He said the drills are designed to ensure that NATO’s nuclear forces remain “credible, safe,…
Poland moves to let its forces shoot down Russian drones over Ukraine without NATO sign-off
Poland is advancing legislative changes that would allow its armed forces to intercept Russian drones and missiles over Ukrainian territory without prior approval from NATO or the European Union. The proposal, first drafted by the Ministry of National Defence in…
Estonia open to UK nuclear-capable jets as NATO weighs response to Russian airspace breach
Estonia has signalled it is prepared to host British fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear weapons, as NATO members consider their rules of engagement following the breach of Estonian airspace by Russian aircraft last week. Defence minister Hanno Pevkur said…
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…
India sends 65 troops to Russian–Belarusian ‘Zapad-2025’ drills as tariffs row with Washington reshapes regional alignments
India has deployed a 65-strong contingent to Russia’s Mulino training ground for the multilateral military exercise “Zapad-2025”, marking New Delhi’s first participation in the Russian–Belarusian war games and signalling continued defence ties with Moscow amid heightened trade tensions with the…
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…
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…
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…
Belarus and Russia begin ‘Zapad-2025’ drills as Poland shuts Belarus border and Latvia restricts airspace
Belarus and Russia on Friday launched their joint strategic exercise “Zapad-2025”, a four-day series of drills running from 12 to 16 September across training grounds in both countries, with additional activity at sea. Minsk and Moscow say the exercise is…
Jets scramble, policy hesitates: Alliance response to Poland incursions underwhelms
Poland and its allies scrambled fighter aircraft overnight on 10–11 September after nineteen unmanned aerial systems — launched during a large Russian strike on Ukraine — violated Polish airspace. Polish F-16s, supported by Dutch and Italian jets, shot down several…