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☆ Russia may not start an all-out war with NATO, but already has plans to destroy it from within
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Late last year, Poland's national security agency estimated that Russia could attack NATO within three years. AdvertisementBut whether Putin really does intend to attack NATO and what an attack might look like remains unclear. In March, Putin denied having any plans to attack NATO members, describing such claims as "complete nonsense." "So, his ambition in growing is not going to be that he will attack NATO and NATO countries next year. A covert war is already underwayRussia, some point out, is already engaged in a war with NATO, albeit covertly.

Persons: —, Donald Tusk, Tusk, Putin, Emmanuel Macron, NATO Putin, Philip Ingram, Ingram, Ruth Deyermond, Bryden Spurling, Robert Dover, Spurling, that's, SERGEY BOBOK, Russia's Organizations: Service, Poland's, Business, Bild, NATO, Germany isn't, Ukraine, King's College London, RAND Corporation, University of Hull, European NATO, RAND, Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces Locations: Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Baltic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Germany, Washington, Russian, NATO, European, Kharkiv, Soviet Union

☆ Thousands of planes have run into issues with jammed GPS signals while flying over Eastern Europe, and some people are blaming Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

About 46,000 flights reported navigation problems flying over the Baltics during an eight-month period, The Sun reported. AdvertisementThousands of planes may have run into issues with jammed GPS signals, according to a report by British tabloid The Sun which suggests that Russia may be to blame. AdvertisementBoth The Sun and The Guardian reported that Russia is suspected of being involved in GPS jamming attacks. The frequency of instances of navigation problems rocketed from fewer than 50 a week last year to more than 350 a week last month, The Sun reported. But the CAA told The Independent that jamming and spoofing near conflict zones were often by-products of military activity, not deliberate actions.

Persons: —, Grant Shapps, Rishi Sunak, There's, Luc Tytgat, Glenn Bradley Organizations: Sun, Service, British, The Sun, European Union Aviation Safety Agency, Guardian, Wizz Air, Royal Air Force, CAA, Independent, UK Civil Aviation Authority, Ryanair Locations: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Türkiye, Cyprus, Russia, GPSJAM.org, Sun, Baltic, Kaliningrad, Russian, Baltics, Eastern Europe, Ukraine

☆ Couple renovating their kitchen find treasure trove of 1,000 silver and gold coins from the 17th-century
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-20 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A UK couple found a trove of 17th-century coins during a home renovation. The collection includes Elizabeth I silver shillings and Charles I gold coins. Robert and Betty Fooks were renovating their farmhouse in southern England when they found a valuable collection of 17th-century coins concealed beneath their kitchen. The collection, which includes Elizabeth I silver shillings, Charles I gold unite coins, James I silver sixpence coins, and more, has an estimated value of £35,000, or $43,600. A hoard of 264 coins English gold coins from 1610-1727 was unearthed by an unnamed couple digging up their kitchen floor.

Persons: Elizabeth, Charles I, —, Robert, Betty Fooks, they've, Dukes Auctioneers, James, Duke's Auctioneers, Judith, Holofernes, Caravaggio, Charles Platiau Organizations: Service, Guardian, British Museum, REUTERS Locations: England, West Dorset, people's, underfloors, Paris, France, Toulouse, Baltic, Italian, Italy

☆ Fearing for Ukraine if Trump Returns, Some in Europe Try Outreach Now
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-19 | by ( Andrew Higgins | Tomas Dapkus | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As many in Europe worry about the possibility of a second presidency for Donald J. Trump that they fear could bring an end to U.S. support for Ukraine, some of Russia’s most fervent foes are taking a different tack: making nice with the Trump camp. Also attending were members of pro-Trump groups like the Heritage Foundation, an influential conservative group skeptical about helping Ukraine. Leading the participants from Ukraine was Oleksandr Merezhko, the chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s foreign affairs committee and an ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky. Reaching out to the Trump camp, he said, was simply a recognition of Ukraine’s perilous vulnerability to the shifting sands of American politics. “When we are fighting for our survival, we can’t afford to antagonize either Biden or Trump,” Mr. Merezhko said.

Persons: Donald J, Trump, Oleksandr Merezhko, Volodymyr Zelensky, ” Mr, Merezhko, ” Organizations: Trump, Heritage Foundation, Biden Locations: Europe, Ukraine, Lithuania, Baltic, Russia, Ukrainian

☆ Front-line NATO countries will be staring down a 'battle-hardened Russia' able to more easily strike if Ukraine falls, war analyst warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

If Ukraine loses to Russia, NATO forces would face an emboldened Russian military, war experts say. AdvertisementIf Ukraine loses to Russia, NATO countries could consequently find themselves facing an emboldened, "battle-hardened" Russian army with a clearer path to war, an analyst argues. Able to overrun a defeated Ukraine, Russia would be threatening parts of the alliance that haven't faced a Russian threat since the fall of the Soviet Union. AdvertisementIn that dire scenario, "NATO troops, inexperienced in fighting modern mechanized war, would be staring down a battle-hardened Russian military, emboldened from its victory in Ukraine," Kagan wrote. Zelenskyy has repeatedly said that helping Ukraine fight Russia today keeps NATO from having to fight it later.

Persons: —, Fredrick W, Kagan, haven't, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy Organizations: NATO, Service, Soviet Union, Russia, PBS Locations: Ukraine, Russia, NATO, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Baltic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Soviet, Russian, Moscow, Kyiv

☆ Russia is finding gaps around the air defenses of Ukraine's best-protected city
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian attacks have knocked out a major power plant near Kyiv. But it's running desperately short of air defense missiles. The Ukrainian air defense is working "at the edge of its capacity," Oleksiy Melnyk, co-director of international security programs at the Kyiv-based Razumkov Center think tank, told CNN after the Kyiv attack. AdvertisementUkraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on a tour of Baltic states Wednesday, said his country is "sorely lacking" modern air defense systems amid intensifying Russian attacks. AdvertisementBut more Russian missiles are now getting through, and Ukraine's second biggest city, Kharkiv, is facing increasingly intense Russian attacks, with its power supplies disabled for long stretches.

Persons: —, Andriy Hota, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Dmytro Kuleba Organizations: Service, BBC, CNN, Baltic, Patriots, Politico, US Patriot Locations: Kyiv, Russia, Ukraine, Russian, Ukrainian, Kharkiv

☆ Eastern Europeans buy up property in the West as Putin steps up ‘war on nerves’
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

But several realtors told CNN that their clients are now citing another reason: Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the fear that the conflict could spread. A record-breaking number of Poles bought property in Spain in 2023, topping the previous record set the year before, according to Polish outlet Bizblog. Lopez said a client last month bought a property because they wanted to avoid being conscripted into the Polish military. “The trigger, really, was the war in Ukraine.”But most buy just for peace of mind – a back-up plan, for those wealthy enough to afford one. “Obviously, we are in NATO, but I must say there’s a big amount of people who are really, really afraid,” she said.

Persons: Agnes Marciniak, She’s, “, ”, Kostrzewa, Volodomyr Zelensky, Ukraine “, Donald Trump, Donald Tusk, –, Maria Ruiz Lopez, Lopez, Wieslaw, John Keeble, Liivia Illak, she’s, ” Illak, Alexey Navalny, Putin, they’ve Organizations: CNN, realtors, United States, NATO, Getty Locations: Baltic, Ukraine, Russia, Europe, Spain, Warsaw, Poland, Andalucia, Malaga, Belarus, Estonia, Lithuania, Russian

☆ Nijole Sadunaite, Lithuanian Nun Who Opposed Soviet Rule, Dies at 85
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Sam Roberts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Nijole Sadunaite, a fearless but forgiving Roman Catholic nun and anti-Soviet Lithuanian nationalist who was inspired by Pope John Paul II and publicly hailed by President Ronald Reagan, died on March 31 in Vilnius. Her death was confirmed by Sister Gerarda Elena Suliauskaite, laureate of the Freedom Prize of the Republic of Lithuania, which was also given to Sister Sadunaite in 2018 for her defense of democracy and human rights. In 1975, Sister Sadunaite (pronounced sah-DOO-nay-teh) was arrested by K.G.B. agents who had stormed an apartment where she was writing an underground newspaper, The Chronicle of the Catholic Church in Lithuania, which documented abuses against Christians in the Baltic state. “I had typed six pages when I was caught, so I effectively got one year for every page,” she told The Atlantic in 1994.

Persons: Nijole, Pope John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, Sister Gerarda Elena Suliauskaite, Sadunaite, “, ” Organizations: Catholic Church Locations: Soviet Lithuanian, Vilnius, Republic of Lithuania, Lithuania, Baltic

☆ NATO helicopters are shooting down and eliminating enemy drones in a rarer kind of Red Sea battle
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Houthi attack drones have mostly been intercepted by US and allied warships in the Red Sea. Air-to-air combat has been much less common, but last month, a French helicopter shot down a drone. One recent interception, however, was credited to a French helicopter crew, which blasted a Houthi attack drone out of the sky in air-to-air combat. AdvertisementPilots are 'well-trained'And the US hasn't been the only naval force to destroy Houthi threats in the Red Sea with embarked helicopters. A Germany Navy Sea Lynx helicopter flies over the corvette Oldenburg in the Baltic Sea on June 05, 2023 near Rostock, Germany.

Persons: —, FRANCOIS NASCIMBENI, Brynn Tannehill, Hawk, Tannehill, Damon Coulter, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Sean Gallup, You've, you've Organizations: US, Red Sea, Service, Helicopters, Getty Images, US Navy, Navy, UH, US Army Black, US Navy Sikorsky, Helicopter Maritime, Naval Air Facility, Getty, aircraft, Command, Germany Navy Sea Lynx, German Bundeswehr Joint Forces Operations Command, BI, Lynx Locations: Red, French, France, Sissonne, AFP, Getty Images France, Iran, Yemen, Kanagawa, American, Hessen, Baltic, Rostock, Germany

☆ Denmark closes major shipping strait over faulty missile launcher
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Caitlin Danaher | Antonia Mortensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Denmark has closed one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes over an activated but malfunctioning missile launcher on a Danish navy ship, the country’s military said Thursday. The Niels Juel ship is stationed in Denmark’s Great Belt strait, the main maritime gateway to the Baltic Sea. “Until the booster is disabled, there is a risk that the missile could launch and fly several kilometers away,” it said. The missile is not in the direction of the Great Belt Bridge. The air space in the area is also currently closed, the military said.

Persons: Niels Juel Organizations: CNN —, Naval Locations: CNN — Denmark, Danish, Baltic

☆ Faulty missile launcher closes busy Danish sea lane
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An activated but faulty missile launcher on a Danish navy vessel triggered a closure of airspace and shipping traffic in the Great Belt strait on Thursday, the Danish armed forces said. Denmark's National Maritime Authority had earlier warned ships not to sail through the Great Belt strait, one of the world's busiest sea lanes and the main maritime access to the Baltic Sea, due to the risk of "falling missile fragments". "The problem occurred during a mandatory test where the missile launcher is activated and cannot be deactivated," the military said in a statement. "Until the missile launcher is deactivated, there is a risk that the missile can fire and fly a few kilometres away," the military added. The warning covered an area some four kilometres (2.5 miles)south of the Great Belt bridge, which crosses the strait.

Persons: Iver Huitfeldt Organizations: Royal Danish Navy, Naval Base, Maritime Authority Locations: Korsoer, Denmark, Danish, Baltic

The military said that only the booster was activated, not the engine that takes over after launch, and not the warhead, so the missile could not travel far and the warhead could not detonate. The missile test on Thursday was conducted aboard a frigate, the Niels Juel, in the port of Korsør, which sits beside the Great Belt. The Great Belt is the strait between Denmark’s two largest islands, Zealand and Funen, and is part of the main shipping route between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. “From those I have spoken to in the Navy, they are taking it very calmly,” said Søren Nørby, an assistant professor at the Norwegian Defense Academy. If it goes off, there is about 52 kilograms of metal object flying and falling down.”

Persons: Flemming Lentfer, Niels Juel, ”, Søren Nørby Organizations: Navy, Norwegian Defense Academy, “ Locations: U.S, Yemen, Korsør, Zealand, Funen, Baltic

☆ NATO’s next challenge: How to reverse years of underfunding defense
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Luke Mcgee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

For over a decade, allies have chronically underspent on defense while the West’s adversaries modernized and bolstered their own military capabilities. Defense spending stayed low across the West not just because of budget pressures, but also because everyone – including the US – was frightened to provoke Russia. However, the nature of NATO allies’ support for Ukraine – much of it direct military support – has exposed the vulnerability that years of underfunding has caused the alliance. Fabian Bimmer/Pool/ReutersThis means that the challenge in front of NATO allies now is not just how can they meet the demand for weapons coming from Ukraine, but how do they reverse years of underfunding their own defenses? Some allies don’t trust that others will be quite so generous with defense spending if the Russia-Ukraine war were to end.

Persons: Vladimir Putin’s, Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, Murat Kula, ”, ” John Herbst, Antony Blinken, Ulf Kristersson, Andrew Caballero, Reynolds, underfunding, It’s, Herbst, NATO’s, –, Jens Stoltenberg, Olaf Scholz, Fabian Bimmer, Stoltenberg, ” Stoltenberg, Peter Ricketts, Douglas Lute, “ Organizations: CNN, NATO, Turkish, Anadolu Agency, Pentagon, “, Swedish, US State Department, Getty, Ukraine, Rheinmetall, Trump Locations: Soviet, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Ukraine, United States, British, Vilnius, Russia, Kyiv, Europe, Germany, AFP, North Korea, Iran, Washington, Unterluess, Baltic, Brussels, Finland, Sweden, NATO

☆ How Taiwan could depend on one of the cheapest naval tactics to stop a Chinese invasion
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

An element of that strong defense, experts argue, could be one of the cheapest naval tactics: sea mines. Experts say that naval mines could be very useful for stopping China's People's Liberation Army Navy or, at the very least, creating major headaches during an invasion. "Naval mines are such a capability, complementing various other weapons." AdvertisementThat speaks to larger problems naval mines pose. But, additional capabilities would be required to fully employ a naval mine defense.

Persons: —, China's, Jonathan Dorsey, Kelly Grieco, Jennifer Kavanagh, Scott Savitz, Bernd von Jutrczenka, Hsu Shu, Dorsey, Grieco, Kavanagh Organizations: Service, Business, China's People's Liberation Army Navy, PLA, RAND, Getty, Second Mining Operations Squadron, Taiwan Locations: China, Taiwan, Baltic, Latvia, Tamsui, Azov, Ukraine, Russia, Taipei

☆ As Trump blasts NATO allies for not paying for defense, these front-line countries are readying for war
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Chris Panella | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

But as Russia's bloody war in Ukraine enters its third year, and the threat to NATO countries, particularly those on Russia's borders, grows, the Baltic states are investing in their defense more than ever. Shawn CooverThe talk came just on the heels of Trump's most recent attack on NATO members who he deems aren't paying their 'fair share." Last week, the former president said that he would keep the US in NATO should European countries pay and "play fair." He said the US "was paying 90% of NATO," and that without the US, NATO "literally doesn't even exist." "We've reinstated conscription, so we're building up our armed forces," an unpopular move that Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs is pushing other NATO members to do, too.

Persons: —, Donald Trump, Margus Tsahkna, Vladimir Putin, Tsahkna, Shawn Coover, Trump, ALAIN JOCARD, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, isn't, Macron, Krišjānis Kariņš, Kariņš, Thomas Wiegold, We've, Edgars Rinkēvičs, Rinkēvičs Organizations: Service, NATO, Business, Hudson Institute, Washington DC, Estonian, US Marine Corps, Staff, Getty, Latvian, Financial Times Locations: Ukraine, Baltic, Washington, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Russia, Russian, China, Europe, NATO, Poland, estonian, Rakvere, AFP, Baltics, France, Germany, Russia's, Greece, Belarus, Finland, Romania, Hungary

Washington Approves $228 Million in US Military Aid to the Three Baltic States, Estonia SaysEstonia's defense officials say the U.S. Congress has passed a bill that involves a total of $228 million in military and defense aid to Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania this year under the Baltic Security Initiative

Persons: Estonia's Organizations: Washington, Aid, . Congress, Baltic Security Locations: Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania

☆ Russia is returning to its Cold War posture with plans to increase troops along its NATO borders, Lithuania's PM warns
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia plans to increase its troops along its border with NATO, Lithuania's prime minister said. Ingrida Šimonytė said Russia is returning to a Cold War posture and Europe needs to be prepared. AdvertisementRussia is returning to its Cold War posture and is preparing to seriously grow the number of troops that it has along its shared borders with NATO, Lithuania's prime minister warned. Ingrida Šimonytė told Business Insider in an interview that the rebuilding of Russia's military capacities on its borders with NATO member states means that it is "returning to the Cold War sort of posture." As Business Insider previously reported, this is the kind of language Putin used before he launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Persons: Ingrida Šimonytė, —, Šimonytė, Russia hadn't, It's, Vladimir Putin, Putin Organizations: NATO, Service, Ukraine, EU, Finland, Business, Lithuania, for Locations: Russia, Europe, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Finland, Ukraine, Kaliningrad, Soviet Union, Russia's, Baltic

A CNN team at a polling station in Moscow said the line grew rapidly over a five to ten minute spell at around noon, and estimated 150 people had arrived. The CNN team said that police were letting people in batches through the gates to pass through security, with metal detectors and bags being checked inside the building. I think everybody in this queue knows why.”Voters queue at a polling station in St. Petersburg, Russia, at noon local time on Sunday. He posted a video of himself voting at a polling station near Moscow. The Navalny team also posted an image from the city of Novosibirsk with the caption: “Today is #noon.

Persons: Alexey Navalny, ”, Boris Nadezhdin, Navalny, Navalny’s, Yulia, “ Alexey, Putin, Navalnaya, Molotov, Vladimir Putin, Putin’s, Joseph Stalin Organizations: CNN, YouTube Locations: Russia, Moscow, St . Petersburg, Social, St Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Siberia, Ukraine, Alaska, Kaliningrad, Soviet

☆ Ukraine drones attack multiple oil refineries in the campaign against Russia's strategic energy industry
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Cameron Manley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine attacked another Russian oil refinery on Saturday night. AdvertisementA long week of attacks on oil and gas infrastructureThis past week, Ukraine has made a concerted effort to degrade Russia's oil production capabilities. The governor of Russia's Samara Oblast reported on March 16 that Ukrainian drones had attacked two Rosneft oil refineries. One attack had hit another major oil refinery operated by Lukoil in the southwestern Volgograd region. Similar incidents had occurred across Russia in January, hitting the Slavneft-Yanos oil refinery, an oil refinery in Tuapse, a storage facility in Klintsy, and a Baltic sea Ust-Luga terminal.

Persons: —, Ukrainska, Russia's, Andriy Yermak, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelensky, Краснодарському кра РосВдео Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Business, Astra, Ukrainska Pravda, Security Services, Security Service, Stringer, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Reuters, Staff, Lukoil, НПЗ Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Krasnodar, Moscow, Russia, Russia's Samara Oblast, Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod, Leningrad, Lukoil's Norsi, Russia's Belgorod, Norsi, Ukrainian, Volgograd, Tuapse, Klintsy, Baltic

CNN —A wave of Ukrainian drones has targeted Russia on the third and final day of voting in Russia’s presidential election. Ukraine launched a total of 36 drones overnight over Russia, aimed at various parts of the country, including the capital Moscow, Russia’s Ministry of Defense said on Sunday. In Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, a 16-year-old girl was killed due to shelling, the governor of Belgorod, Vyacheslav Gladkov, posted on Telegram. A polling station in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region was also attacked by two Ukrainian drones on Sunday, according to Vladimir Rogov, member of the Russian-installed Zaporizhzhia administration. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces shot down 14 drones over the Odesa region on Sunday after they were launched by Russia overnight, according to the Ukrainian Air Force.

Persons: “, Vyacheslav Gladkov, Vladimir Rogov, Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joseph Stalin, CNN’s Christian Edwards Organizations: CNN, Russia’s Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Defense, district’s Dispatch Service, Ukrainian Air Force Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Belgorod, Kursk, Kaluga, Rostov, Oryol, Bryansk, Krasnodar Krai, Slavyansk, Russian, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Alaska, Kaliningrad, Soviet

☆ Russia is suspected of jamming the signals of a plane carrying the UK's defense secretary
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewRussia is suspected of jamming the signals of a military plane carrying UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps. A UK defense source told Business Insider that the GPS on the plane carrying Shapps back from a NATO exercise to Poland was temporarily jammed near Kaliningrad, Russia's Baltic enclave, on Thursday. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Related storiesThe report said that it's unclear if Shapp's plane was deliberately targeted, but the flight path was visible on flight tracking websites. Russia has a powerful electronic warfare capability, which enables its military to scramble GPS signals remotely.

Persons: —, Grant Shapps, Shapps Organizations: Service, Business, RAF, Times, Norwegian Communication Authority, GPS, NATO Locations: Russia, NATO, Poland, Kaliningrad, Russia's, Russian, US, Baltic, Norway, Finland, Ukraine

☆ Russia presidential election: Putin set to sweep to fifth term in power
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Russia’s Central Election Commission (CEC) approved only three candidates to oppose Putin: Leonid Slutsky of the Liberal Democratic Party, Vladislav Davankov of the New People Party and Nikolay Kharitonov of the Communist Party. “A vote for Slutsky and LDPR is absolutely not a vote against Putin,” he said. Although the ruling United Russia party has declared its “full support” for the president, Putin is running as an independent candidate, placing himself above party politics. A local election commission member prepares a polling station for early voting in the Republic of Karelia, March 10, 2024. Polls are set to open in Russia’s far eastern Kamchatka at 8 a.m. local time on Friday (4 p.m.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Putin, Joseph Stalin, Leonid Slutsky, Vladislav Davankov, Nikolay Kharitonov, Slutsky, “, ”, Stringer, Yekaterina Duntsova, Boris Nadezhdin, Alexey Navalny, Navalny “, Navalny, “ Putin, Yulia Navalnaya, Don’t, Natalia Kolesnikova, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s, Dmitry Serebryakov Organizations: CNN, Kremlin, Commission, Liberal Democratic Party, New People Party, Communist Party, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia, United, Getty, CEC, Russian Security Service, The New York Times, TASS, Russia Locations: Alaska, Kaliningrad, Ukraine, Russia, Soviet, United Russia, AFP, Moscow, Republic of Karelia, Avdiivka, Russia’s, Kamchatka

☆ Russia keeps threatening world leaders when they go to Ukraine. What happens if someone gets hurt?
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the two years since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion, allied dignitaries visiting Ukraine have been harried by strikes — and in one case, a drone — in the cities they've visited. "Definitely, I think Russia has been trying to be quite aggressive and intimidate Western leaders," he told Business Insider. President Joe Biden with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during an unannounced visit to Kyiv, Ukraine, on February 20, 2023. NATO's principle of collective defense — Article 5 — doesn't apply to armed attacks in this scenario as they would not be in NATO space, Loss told BI. Russia is 'greasing' a slippery slopeRussia is testing NATO's attitude to risk, Loss told BI, and the incidents involving leaders visiting Ukraine can be read as part of a much wider strategy of provocations.

Persons: —, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Mitsotakis, Vladimir Putin, they've, Joe Biden's, Josep Borrell, António Guterres, Frank, Walter Steinmeier, Cristian Nitoiou, Joe Biden, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Evan Vucci, Annalena Baerbock, scurrying, Nitoiou, Rafael Loss, Ukraine's, we've, JOHN THYS, Emmanuel Macron's, Putin Organizations: Service, Business, Reuters, UN, UK's Loughborough University, European Union, German Defense, European Council, Foreign Relations, NATO, Getty Locations: Russia, Ukrainian, Odesa, Mitsotakis, Ukraine, Kyiv, United States, Russian, Mykolaiv, Moscow, Poland, Baltic, Polish, AFP

☆ NATO's newest member says it's ready to fortify a strategic island in the middle of the Baltic Sea close to Russia
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-12 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sweden is considering reinforcing Gotland, a strategic island in the Baltic Sea, after joining NATO. AdvertisementSweden is open to re-fortifying a crucial island in the Baltic Sea now that it's joined NATO, its prime minister said. "That goes in terms of presence on Gotland, but also in terms of surveillance, in terms of submarine capabilities." Gotland marked with an arrow in the Baltic Sea. Gotland is considered to hold a key strategic position in the Baltic Sea, and is often referred to as an "unsinkable aircraft carrier."

Persons: —, it's, Ulf Kristersson, Kristersson, Tom Porter, Anna Wieslander, Eric Adamson, Carl, Oskar Bohlin Organizations: NATO, Service, Financial, Google, Atlantic, FT, Atlantic Council, BBC Locations: Sweden, Gotland, Baltic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Poland, Swedish, Russian, Kaliningrad, Crimea, Ukraine, Russia

☆ NATO navies can exploit a Russian fear and keep Putin from invading more neighbors
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Today, NATO's naval power is far superior to Russia's. NATO may dominate the oceans, but that may not be much help if Russian tanks invade the Baltic States or Poland. Or more specifically, use naval power to scare Moscow into allocating its scarce resources to defending its huge coastlines rather than invading neighbors. "Rather than naval combat per se, the purpose of Russian sea power is to ensure that the Russian state can compete and engage in conflict safely and effectively," the essay said. In 2024, the fear is that NATO ships could launch long-range guided missiles at the Russian heartland.

Persons: Napoleon, Hitler fumed, Russia —, Kaushal, Rene Balletta, Alfred Thayer Mahan, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Channel, Royal Navy, NATO, Alliance, Britain's Royal United Services Institute, Russian Navy, Black, Century, Russia, Russian Army and Aerospace Forces, West, Baltic, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: British, Russia, Baltic States, Poland, Moscow, Britain, Europe, Asia, Russian, Crimean, Sevastopol, Ukraine, Russia's, Finland, Norway, Forbes

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