Surprise! What Ukraine negotiations really need is …Chancellor Scholz?
The Russo-Ukrainian War has been going for over ten years, and it has been nearly three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of their southwestern neighbour.
Defence
Latest reporting and analysis on defence.
Three old military ‘truths’ shaken by the Ukraine war
Conventional wisdom often gets a bad rap when things go wrong, but it should normally be a source of strength.
Cheney’s Iraq war left half-million dead, but his shameless ego goes on
Capital cities in countries with fighting-armies can generate a magnetic force-field that will attract the most ambitiously hypocritical within the societies they…
To get his eco-friendly combat vehicles ready for a fight, Scholz will have to pay billions
Worry about this now, if you worry at all about Europe’s defence abilities: fixing the problems with Germany’s Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFV) will cost billions,…
Ukraine F-16 crash shows what happens ‘when training is rushed’, Western official says
The fatal crash of a Ukrainian F-16 fighter jet late in August was what happens when pilot training has been rushed, a senior Western defence official has reportedly…
Netherlands vows to create ‘credible deterrence’ with rapid armed forces expansion
This decision comes after the new cabinet's commitment to increase defence spending to meet NATO’s 2 per cent GDP target, raising the annual defence budget by…
Kremlin says the threat from the West forces change to nuclear doctrine
The Kremlin said on Wednesday, September 4, that Russia was adjusting its nuclear doctrine because the United States and its Western allies were threatening Russia…
Hamas butchery goes on, UK response is arms embargo against Israel
The British Foreign Secretary David Lammy announced this week a partial arms embargo against Israel, the day after the discovery of the bodies of the six hostages…
Could Modi turn out to be Ukraine’s peace guru?
There is a long tradition of Westerners resorting to India to find peace.
UN watchdog says fighting poses serious risk to Russian nuclear plant
The head of the UN's nuclear agency on August 27 warned of the risk of a serious accident at a Russian nuclear plant because of fighting nearby between Russian and…
Poland searches for suspected Russian Shahed drone
An unidentified object, which Polish news portal Salon24 reported the Polish military believed was a Russian Shahed drone produced by Iran, has entered Polish territory…
Russia launches missile and drone attacks on Ukraine
Ukraine's military has reported large-scale Russian missile and drone attacks across the country, including the capital Kyiv.
Putin has not taken the bait: will Kursk offensive backfire on Ukraine?
Ukraine has surprised the world with an impressive offensive into the Kursk oblast.
Swedish Home Guard faces soldier shortage after recruits realise war involves weapons
The Swedish Home Guard, the military reserve force of the Swedish Armed Forces, faces a soldier shortage after a wave of applicants realised what joining up would…
Germany to establish first foreign military base since Second World War
Germany is set to establish its first permanent military base abroad since the end of the Second World War.
Ukraine launches ‘one of largest drone attacks on Moscow’, mayor says
Ukraine has launched one of its largest drone attacks on Moscow, the city's mayor said, with Russian air defence units destroying 11 of the munitions targeting…
Kyiv: our Kursk attack shows Kremlin red lines are bluff
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday his country's assault on Russia's Kursk region showed that Kremlin threats of retaliation were a bluff, and…
Ancient hatreds: Mother Russia ‘desecrated by NATO-backed neo-Nazis’
Bohdan Krotevych, a chief of the semi-independent Azov Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, declared recently that Japan, Finland, Moldova, Georgia and Poland should use…
Croatia to reintroduce compulsory military service
Croatia has said it will reintroduce compulsory two-month military service starting in 2025, local media is reporting.
EU-funded NGO pays tribute to assassinated Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh
The European Commission via Erasmus+ has funded four projects of the youth section of the Al Sharq Forum from 2021 to 2023 with a total of €110,279
Terror probe launched after Irish priest stabbed outside barracks
Police in Ireland have launched a terror probe after a priest was stabbed outside an army barracks late on August 15.
Rare joint Franco-British foreign ministers peace trip to Middle East
British and French foreign ministers will travel to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories to call for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and a de-escalation in…
Azov boss says five more countries should seize back land from Russia
For all of human history, waging war for territory has been the norm. Most, if not all, modern countries had their modern borders defined by war.
Moscow steps up attacks after Ukraine incursion into Russian territory
Following Ukraine's recent incursion into Russia's Kursk province, Moscow has stepped up its assaults on key energy targets across Ukraine.
Russia evacuates another border region amid Kursk counterattack
Russia on August 12 evacuated civilians from parts of a second region next to Ukraine after Kyiv increased military activity near the border just days after its…
Ukraine has ‘right to hit targets in Russian territory’, says Brussels
Peter Stano, the European Commission's lead spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security, has confirmed the bureaucracy's support for Ukraine's strikes within Russia.
Ukraine penetration of Russian Federation sparks Europe energy fears
A Ukraine invasion of internationally recognised Russian territory has sparked energy concerns.
Russia says Ukrainian forces attempt to pierce Russian border near Kursk
Ukraine struck Russia's Kursk region with drones and rockets on Wednesday as part of what Russian officials said was a major attempt to smash through the Russian…
Arab and Israeli civilisation gaining ground against Iran
Perhaps my perception from North America of European official attitudes is incomplete, but a reasonably thorough hunt around the internet has given me the impression…
Who’s who in Russia-West prisoner exchange
An exchange involving 24 prisoners has taken place in Turkey - the first since the last major swap between the West and Russia in 2010 of 14 prisoners.