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UK Forces Intercept Sanctioned Russian Shadow Fleet Tanker in English Channel
Britain’s first seizure of a vessel linked to Russia’s so-called “shadow fleet” marks a notable escalation in the West’s increasingly sophisticated effort to constrain the Kremlin’s war economy. Yet the dramatic operation in the English Channel also unfolded against an…
Iran May Have Rebuilt Missile Arsenal With Russian Help During US Ceasefire, Reports Say
Western allies reportedly believe Iran used the eight-week pause in fighting with the United States to reopen missile storage sites, replenish stocks and possibly add Russian-made missiles to its arsenal. Iran may have used its eight-week ceasefire with the United…
NATO’s Kosovo Drawdown Signals Confidence — but Not Complacency
NATO’s decision to begin gradually reducing the size of its peacekeeping mission in Kosovo marks an important milestone in one of the alliance’s longest-running operations. Yet it also serves as a reminder that stability in the Western Balkans remains a…
Diehl Talks With Ukraine Point to New Phase in European Missile Production
German missile maker Diehl Defence is in talks with Ukrainian arms manufacturer Fire Point over possible joint production of the Ukrainian Flamingo cruise missile in Germany, in a move that would mark a new stage in Europe’s relationship with Ukraine’s…
Cyprus Becomes New Front in Wider Contest Between Turkey, France and Regional Powers
Turkey’s warning over the France-Cyprus defence agreement has moved the security of the island into a wider confrontation involving Ankara, Paris, Nicosia, Athens, Israel, Iran and the United States. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkey would give a “very clear”…
Crimea’s Growing Isolation Exposes Russia’s Strategic Miscalculation
The latest overnight attacks on Russian-occupied Crimea have again exposed the peninsula’s central military weakness: its dependence on vulnerable supply routes linking it to occupied parts of southern Ukraine and to Russia itself. Strikes around Armyansk, following earlier damage to…
Is Bulgaria Becoming the EU’s New Sick Man of Europe?
Sofia’s decision to halt arms supplies to Kyiv is not simply a national policy adjustment. It raises questions about EU cohesion, NATO reliability, defence-industrial planning, and the durability of long-term security commitments in wartime. Bulgaria’s announcement that it will stop…
Russia’s Northern Build-Up Puts NATO’s New Frontier Under Pressure
Russia is expanding military infrastructure close to NATO’s northern and Baltic borders, raising concern that Moscow is preparing for a larger and more permanent force posture opposite Finland, Norway, Estonia and the Baltic Sea region. A joint Nordic-Baltic investigation, based…
Rheinmetall Turns to Start-up Innovation to Build Europe’s Drone Future
Germany’s rearmament drive has produced no shortage of ambitious announcements over the past three years. Yet a new partnership unveiled this week by defence group Rheinmetall may prove more consequential than its modest profile initially suggests. The Düsseldorf-based manufacturer has…
One in Ten Europeans Now See US as an Ally, Poll Finds
Only 11 per cent of Europeans across 15 countries now view the United States as an ally, according to a new European Council on Foreign Relations survey that points to a sharp deterioration in public confidence in the American security…