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☆ Ukraine's new drone boats are armed with heat-seeking missiles to scare off Russian aircraft, commander says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewUkraine has armed its naval drones with heat-seeking missiles, giving the systems a major upgrade that will allow them to target Russian aircraft patrolling around the Black Sea. "Such developments are effective — Russians are very afraid of them," the commander of "Group 13," a special HUR unit dedicated to operating the naval drones, said in a recent interview. AdvertisementA Ukrainian Magura V5 drone is seen on water during an exhibition of military equipment and weapons at an undisclosed location on April 13, 2024. Moscow, largely unable to stop Ukraine's unrelenting naval drone attacks, has turned to combat aircraft to patrol the waters and protect its warships. Kyiv has relied on its fleet of naval drones, as well as long-range missiles, to inflict these losses.

Persons: —, HUR, Archer, Lloyd Austin Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, Directorate of Intelligence, Business, REUTERS, NATO, Sukhoi, MiG, Black, Grad, US Locations: Ukraine, Soviet, Moscow, Ukrainian, Kyiv

☆ Ukraine says it took out prized Russian S-400 launchers with a strike on a base in Crimea
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Ukraine said its forces took out multiple S-400 launchers during an attack on a Russian base. The strikes on the Dzhankoi base in Crimea this week destroyed or damaged four launchers, Kyiv said. The S-400 is a prized Russian air-defense system, and relatively few have been lost during the war. AdvertisementUkraine's military intelligence agency says Kyiv took out several of Russia's prized S-400 air-defense launchers during an attack on an airbase in the occupied Crimean peninsula this week. "The occupiers believed in their newest air-defense system so much that they placed warehouses with missiles directly next to the launcher," Atesh claimed in a Telegram statement.

Persons: —, Ukraine's, 🇺🇦 @ Organizations: Service, Ukrainian, Directorate of Intelligence, Business Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russian, Crimean

☆ Brazil Increases Northern Border Military Presence Amid Venezuela-Guyana Spat -Ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil "has intensified defensive actions" along its northern border as it monitors a territorial dispute between its neighbors, Guyana and Venezuela, the country's defense ministry said on Wednesday. Defensive actions have been intensified in the northern border region of the country, promoting a greater military presence," it said in a statement. Venezuela's claims on the Esequiba, which have been the source of a long-running territorial dispute, were reignited in recent years after Guyana's discovery of oil and gas near the maritime border. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is expected to rule on Friday on a request by Guyana that the referendum be called off. The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Brazil's actions.

Persons: Ricardo Brito, Peter Frontini, Vivian Sequera, Gabriel Stargardter, Diane Craft, Sandra Maler Organizations: Reuters, Ministry of Defense, Court of Justice Locations: BRASILIA, Brazil, Guyana, Venezuela, Venezuelan, Caracas

☆ Brazil increases northern border military presence amid Venezuela-Guyana spat -ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBRASILIA, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Brazil "has intensified defensive actions" along its northern border as it monitors a territorial dispute between its neighbors, Guyana and Venezuela, the country's defense ministry said on Wednesday. Defensive actions have been intensified in the northern border region of the country, promoting a greater military presence," it said in a statement. Venezuela's claims on the Esequiba, which have been the source of a long-running territorial dispute, were reignited in recent years after Guyana's discovery of oil and gas near the maritime border. On Dec. 3, Venezuelans will vote in a referendum on "the rights" to the Esequiba. The Venezuelan communications ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Brazil's actions.

Persons: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria, Ricardo Brito, Peter Frontini, Vivian Sequera, Gabriel Stargardter, Diane Craft, Sandra Maler Organizations: National Bolivarian Armed Forces, REUTERS, Rights, Ministry of Defense, Court of Justice, Thomson Locations: Venezuela, Esequiba, Guyana, Caracas, Rights BRASILIA, Brazil, Venezuelan

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Russia says ties with North Korea have reached 'new, strategic level' as Western concerns over weaponry grow
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Holly Ellyatt | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Amur region on Sept. 13, 2023. Relations between Russia and North Korea have reached a "new, strategic level," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at the beginning of his trip to Pyongyang Thursday, Russian state media reported. Western officials have expressed alarm in recent months over deepening ties, accusing North Korea of supplying weaponry to Russia for use in the war against Ukraine. Russia and North Korea deny the allegations. The trip to North Korea by Russia's top diplomat comes hot on the heels of Russian President Vladimir Putin's trip to China this week, where Putin said Washington's decision to supply long-range ATACMS missiles to Ukraine was "a mistake."

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Sergei Lavrov, Vladimir Putin's, Putin, Xi Jinping, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: North, Vostochny Locations: Amur, Russia, North Korea, Pyongyang, Ukraine, China, Beijing, Moscow

☆ An Israeli woman whose husband was called up to serve in the army following Hamas' attacks says this is her worst nightmare
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Israeli mother says her husband being called to war is her worst nightmare coming true. Soon after Hamas attacked Israel, Danielle Rozenboim's husband left to go fight. Her husband was called in the middle of the night, leaving her with their one-month-old and 3-year-old. An Israeli mother of two who gave birth just one month ago says her husband being called up to serve in the army following Hamas' attacks on Israel is her worst nightmare coming true. At least 700 people have been killed in Israel since Hamas first attacked, the country's defense ministry said on Monday.

Persons: Danielle Rozenboim's, —, Danielle Rozenboim, Ariel, Rozenboim, Alisa Shodiyev Kaff Organizations: Service, Hamas, Israeli Armored Corps, BBC News, Israeli Defense Forces, NBC News, Israel, Gaza Ministry, Health, West Bank, BBC Locations: Israel, Israeli, Gaza, Jerusalem, Mazkeret Batya, Tel Aviv, Ariel, Hamas

☆ Russia's Black Sea Fleet has taken hits, but intel says military leaders may be more worried about an airbase attack near Moscow
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-22 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine has relentlessly targeted the Black Sea Fleet based in occupied Crimea in recent days. Russia's Black Sea Fleet warships take part in the Navy Day celebrations in the port city of Novorossiysk on July 30, 2023. Ukraine's forces have launched several missile strikes on assets belonging to Russia's Black Sea Fleet, which is based in the occupied Crimean peninsula. On Wednesday, Kyiv said it hit a command post near the port of Sevastopol, and Russia's defense ministry admitted on Friday that the fleet's headquarters in the city was damaged by Ukrainian missiles. Britain's defense ministry attributed the increase in deep strikes to a slow-moving battlefield, where Ukrainian forces continue to make steady territorial gains in their grinding counteroffensive.

Persons: —, Antonov, STRINGER Organizations: Black, Fleet, intel, Kyiv, Service, Chkalovsky, Base, NATO, Ukrainian, Directorate of Intelligence, Getty, Kremlin Locations: Ukraine, Crimea, Russia, Moscow, Wall, Silicon, Russia's, Novorossiysk, Crimean, Sevastopol, Ukrainian, Russian

☆ Saboteurs 'blew up' aircraft at a Russian base in the latest in a string of attacks, causing 'hysteria,' Ukrainian military intelligence reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Unknown saboteurs blew up several Russian aircraft at a military base near Moscow, Ukraine reported. Kyiv said the attack damaged two planes and a helicopter and caused 'hysteria' in the Russian military. These attacks, some of which were carried out by drones, have damaged and destroyed several Russian military aircraft and underscored serious gaps in Moscow's force protection capabilities and air-defense network. The Ilyushin Il-20 ground attack aircraft. After the incident and in an attempt to better protect the airbase from future attacks, Moscow turned to a newly created civilian volunteer force to patrol the area.

Persons: that's, HUR, Antonov, Sergei Karpukhin, NIKITA SHCHYUKIN Organizations: Service, Russian, Ukrainian, Directorate of Intelligence, REUTERS, Ukrainska Pravda, Ilyushin, Getty Images Locations: Moscow, Ukraine, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Chkalovsky, AFP, Russia's, Soviet, Crimean, Russian, Sevastopol

☆ Ukrainian soldier says US-made Bradley fighting vehicles are 'priceless' in nighttime assaults, offering visibility better than in daylight
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukrainian soldiers have relied on US-made Bradley fighting vehicles to stay alive in combat. In a recent interview, one soldier said the Bradleys are "priceless" during nighttime assaults. Ukrainian soldiers and mechanics work on a Bradley at a secret workshop in the Zaporizhzhia region on July 13. But despite the heavy praise by Ukrainian soldiers, Bradleys are not indestructible and they have still fallen victim to Russia's formidable defenses and relentless artillery in the months since. Open-source intelligence collected by the site Oryx shows that 53 of the Washington-provided vehicles have been destroyed, damaged, or abandoned during fighting.

Persons: Bradley, —, Ed Ram, Bradleys, Pat Ryder, Ryder, Biden Organizations: Service, Bradley, Russian, Ukraine's Strategic Communications Directorate, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Washington, Getty, —, US, Pentagon Press, Air Force, NATO Locations: Wall, Silicon, Ukrainian, Soviet, Zaporizhzhia Region, Ukraine, Iraq, Zaporizhzhia, Bradleys, Kyiv, Russian, Washington

☆ Ukraine's spy chief reveals how Russia's Il-76 airlift planes were targeted and destroyed in an attack launched from inside its own territory
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The attack was launched from within Russia, Ukraine's military intelligence chief revealed. "We are working from the territory of Russia," Kyrylo Budanov told The War Zone publication. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt remains to be seen how Russia responds, but "previous strikes against Russian military airbases have led to the dispersal of Russian aircraft to locations across Russia," the UK defense ministry said. The past month has featured a significant uptick in Ukrainian drone strikes, the UK said, with at least 25 attacks— likely all carried out by one-way attack drones — on Russian territory. This could have theoretically put the Pskov base within Ukrainian reach even if the new weapon was launched from Ukraine's sovereign territory.

Persons: Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, —, Wang Xiujun, Volodymyr Zelenskyy Organizations: Service, Ukraine's, Directorate of Intelligence, TASS, Russian, Army Games, China News Service, Getty, Kyiv Locations: Pskov, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Russia's, Kyiv, Ukraine, Moscow, Soviet, Russian, Moscow Region, Ukrainian

☆ The US is selling Taiwan a $500 million search and tracking system for its F-16 fighter jets
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-26 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The US has agreed to sell Taiwan a $500 million tracking system for its F-16 fighter jets. Taiwan plans to use the system to help identify long-range targets. The Pentagon informed Congress of the sale of an F-16 infrared search and track system to Taiwan following approval from the US State Department Wednesday. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed the US had agreed to a deal over the tracking system, which it said would help it defend the volatile Taiwan Strait. AdvertisementAdvertisementThe country's defense ministry said it intended to use the tracking systems on its F-16 fighter jets to help it better detect long-range targets.

Persons: Joe Biden Organizations: US, Service, Pentagon, US State Department, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Reuters Locations: Taiwan, China, Wall, Silicon, stoke, Taiwan Strait

☆ Ukraine says its special forces pulled off a daring amphibious raid into occupied Crimea, hit Russian troops, and raised the flag on the peninsula
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Jake Epstein | Nathan Rennolds | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special forces made a surprise amphibious raid into occupied Crimea on Thursday. Kyiv's military intelligence agency said its troops engaged with Russians and raised a flag there. It is the latest in a string of engagements around Crimea, which Ukraine has vowed to liberate from Russia. The amphibious raid — and symbolic flag raising — also comes as Ukraine observes its 32nd Independence Day. Indeed, many of Kyiv's Western military backers sent messages to mark Ukrainian Independence Day, renewing commitments to keep supporting the country with economic and security assistance.

Persons: HUR, —, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, General Budanov, Zelenskyy, Kyrylo Budanov, Putin, Budanov, Sophia, Lloyd Austin Organizations: Service, Directorate of Intelligence, Ukraine's Defense Forces, Ukrainian, REUTERS, NATO, US Locations: Crimea, Ukraine, Wall, Silicon, Crimean, Russian, Russia, Ukraine's, Olenivka, Moscow, Kyiv, Kerch, Ukrainian, REUTERS Ukraine, Kyiv's St, United States

☆ New video captures the moment Ukrainian forces destroyed a Russian S-400, a rare loss of a prized and formidable air-defense system
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-23 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Ukraine published a video on Wednesday showing the moment it destroyed a Russian S-400. The S-400 is formidable air-defense system that has drawn comparisons to the US Patriot battery. Kyiv's military intelligence said in a statement that the attack dealt a "painful blow" to Russia. Russia's advanced S-400 Triumf is a mobile, surface-to-air system that's capable of shooting down targets at high altitudes and long ranges. According to open-source intelligence site Oryx, Moscow's military had lost just three S-400 launchers and one command post for the system.

Persons: that's, HUR, Anton Gerashchenko, ANDREY SMIRNOV, It's, Kyrylo Budanov, Budanov, Wednesday's Organizations: US Patriot, Service, Ukrainian, Directorate of Intelligence, American Patriot, Getty, Kyiv Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Crimean, Olenivka, Kyiv, Crimea, Moscow, British, Western, Kerch

☆ Russia's planting mines everywhere, even cruelly hiding explosives in everyday items like fridges, toys, and children's books, Ukrainian military engineers say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-05 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Russian soldiers who previously occupied Ukrainian territory left it littered with land mines. Moscow's troops hid explosives in every items like toys, fridges, and even children's books. For instance, they cruelly hide explosives in everyday household items like refrigerators, toys, and even children's books. Military sappers inspect an area for mines and non-exploded shells left after Russia's invasion in Kyiv Region, Ukraine April 21, 2022. REUTERS/Mykola TymchenkoUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned in April 2022 that Russian soldiers retreating in the north at the time had left mines everywhere, creating a "complete disaster."

Persons: it's, Mark Milley, sapper, Gleb Garanich, Oleksandr, Mykola Tymchenko, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Maksym Trykur, Trykur, That's, Europe's Organizations: Service, Joint Chiefs, Staff, Ukrainian Armed Forces, REUTERS, Ukraine's, Transport Service, State Emergency Service, Special Transport Service, Mining, Mines Locations: Ukrainian, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, Russian, Izium, Kharkiv region, Kyiv, Kyiv Region, Udy, Kharkiv, Africa

☆ Wagner mercenaries entering Belarus as Minsk announces 'road map' for joint military drills
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

A fighter from Russian Wagner mercenary group conducts training for Belarusian soldiers on a range near the town of Osipovichi, Belarus July 14, 2023 in this still image taken from handout video. Separately, a spokesperson for Ukraine's State Border Guard Service said Saturday that the force also had observed "some groups" of Wagner fighters crossing from Russia into Belarus. The Belarusian Defense Ministry said in an online statement late Friday that it had developed a "road map" with Wagner's management for joint training exercises drills by the nation's military personnel and the private mercenaries. Earlier Friday, the Defense Ministry said that Wagner fighters had begun training Belarusian soldiers. Prigozhin had accused the senior Russian military leadership for months of bungling the war in Ukraine and starving his troops of ammunition.

Persons: Russian Wagner, Wagner, Belaruski Hajun, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, couldn't, Andriy Demchenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin, Putin, denigrate Prigozhin Organizations: country's Defense Ministry, Russian, The Associated Press, Lukashenko, AP, Ukraine's, for National Resistance, State Border Guard Service, Ukrainska Pravda, Belarusian Defense Ministry, Defense Ministry, General Staff, Russia's Kommersant Locations: Russian, Osipovichi, Belarus, Russia, Ukraine, Ukrainian, Minsk, Moscow, Rostov, Prigozhin

☆ Watch Putin draw a weird face on a smart board as Russia tries to act like everything is normal after Wagner went rogue
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Putin made two public appearances this week just days after the Wagner Group staged a revolt. Military experts told Insider that the Wagner coup could very well be the beginning of the end for Putin's multi-decade reign. On Thursday, the Russian president attended the Agency for Strategic Initiatives forum, where he toured an exhibition of award-winning concepts for new national brands that can substitute Western products, according to Russian state media agency Tass. In a Telegram post, Russian state news agency TASS shared video of Putin interacting with the NexTouch interactive touch screen. The Thursday appearance came one day after Russian state television broadcast Putin meeting "hundreds of people" in Derbent, Dagestan.

Persons: Putin, Wagner, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Prigozhin, doodled, Putin's Organizations: Wagner Group, Service, Kremlin, Prigozhin, Agency for Strategic Initiatives, TASS, Putin Locations: Russian, Ukraine, Moscow, Belarus, Derbent, Dagestan

☆ Prigozhin says he's sorry Wagner mercenaries shot down Russian aircraft, but the military might not forgive them for killing its service members
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Wagner fighters downed several Russian military aircraft during their short-lived rebellion. But it's unclear if the Russian military is going to readily forgive the mercenaries for the bloodshed. Wagner fighters also captured a Russian infantry mobility vehicle and a mine-resistant ambush protected vehicle. Video shows Russians cheering for Wagner and Prigozhin as they leave the key military hub of Rostov-on-Don. ReutersQuickly and without any resistance, Wagner fighters captured Rostov-on-Don before making their way toward Moscow.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Prigozhin, ROMAN ROMOKHOV, Russia's ultranationalist, Russia's, Vladimir Putin's, they'd, Antony Blinken, they've, Blinken, Putin Organizations: Service, Group, Institute for, Southern Military District, Getty, Russia's, Reuters, CBS News Locations: Washington, Rostov, Moscow, AFP, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, russia, moscow, Kyiv

☆ Russian citizens warned to stay indoors are filming within spitting distance of Wagner troops in Rostov-on-Don
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Hannah Getahun | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin marched on a Russian military building on Saturday. Videos on social media show troops from the Wagner mercenary group crowding the streets. Citizens can be seen filming from close distances despite being told to stay off the streets. One clip from Saturday morning verified by the Washington Post shows tanks rolling through the streets of Rostov-on-Don and surrounding Russia's Southern Military District headquarters. Fighters of Wagner private mercenary group are deployed in a street near the headquarters of the Southern Military District in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023.

Persons: Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vasily Golubev, Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Service, Don, Washington Post, Military, Southern Military District, Post, Fighters, Reuters, Kremlin Locations: Rostov, Don, Russia, —, Ukraine, Russia's

☆ Russia's defense ministry is pressuring volunteer brigades fighting in Ukraine to fall under its command, but at least one is resisting
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's MOD said Tuesday it signed contracts with 4 detachments and 3 brigades of volunteers. It came after the MOD announced last week that Russian "volunteer" groups fighting in Ukraine would be required to sign contracts with the country's defense ministry. The move was widely seen as an effort to bring the Wagner Group under official military control, the BBC reported. Wagner group head Yevgeny Prigozhin said on Sunday that he received an order from Russia's defense ministry to bring his group under its command. The Wagner group — which sent tens of thousands of mercenary fighters and convicts to fight in Ukraine — and Russia's defense ministry have been involved in an escalating public feud.

Persons: It's, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, —, Vladimir Alekseev, Prigozhin, Sergei Shoigu, Sergey Surovikin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: MOD, Service, Ministry of Defense, Kremlin Wagner, Volunteer Assault Corps, Wagner Group, BBC, Russian MOD, Washington DC, for, Ukraine's, Kremlin, Washington Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Bakhmut

☆ Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says he will resist Russian military efforts to take control of mercenary group
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-11 | by ( Peter Gelling | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Wagner mercenary group has played a key role in the Ukraine War. Russia's military may be now trying to take control of Wagner and Prigozhin is having none of it. The move is widely seen as an effort to bring the Wagner Group under official military control, the BBC reported. He eventually became known as Putin's Chef before graduating to more consequential affairs and establishing the Wagner mercenary organization. Wagner has also accused the Russian military of mining the roads the mercenary group used to retreat from Bakhmut.

Persons: Wagner, Prigozhin, —, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin, Nikolai Pankov, Sergei Shoigu, Putin Organizations: Service, Wagner Group, BBC, Defense Ministry Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Moscow, Africa, Russia's, Syria, Libya, Bakhmut

☆ A Ukrainian donation drive built an 'Army of Drones' and picked up an unusual system called a 'Shahed Hunter' for Kyiv's forces
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-10 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

It has used the funds to purchase thousands of UAVs, and systems to hunt Russian drones. The Shahed Hunter system is a network of radars and signal jammers that can detect Russian drones from around 25 miles away, Fedorov said. It's unclear where, exactly, the Shahed Hunter systems have been used or how many times they have been deployed. But Fedorov noted that Ukraine needs more of the systems to defend against continuous waves of Russian drone attacks. On Sunday night alone, Ukraine's air defense systems shot down 35 drones — 30 of which targeted Kyiv, according to the country's defense ministry.

☆ Colombia cocaine seizures break record in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BOGOTA, Jan 28 (Reuters) - Colombia seized more cocaine in 2022 than any other year on record, the South American country's defense ministry reported Saturday. Security forces seized 671 tonnes of the drug last year, surpassing the 2021 total by about 1.7 tonnes. The data showed that Narino, Bolivar and Valle del Cauca provinces were the site of the most seizures last year. The guerilla group National Liberation Army, dissidents from the FARC rebel group and criminal gangs made up of former right-wing paramilitaries have all been implicated in drug trafficking. Cocaine seizures were 505 tonnes in 2020 and 428 tonnes in 2019.

☆ U.S. to designate Wagner mercenary group a ‘transnational criminal organization’
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-21 | by ( Leila Sackur | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. will designate the Russian mercenary Wagner Group as a “significant transnational criminal organization” and impose further sanctions against the organization and its support network next week, the White House said Friday. He said the U.S. believes it was a delivery of infantry rockets and missiles for use by the Wagner Group. The Wagner Group is headed by Yevgeny Prigozhin, a longtime ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Yevgeny Prigozhin at the funeral of Wagner group fighter Dmitry Menshikov, in St. Petersburg, Russia, last month. The Wagner Group did not comment on his allegations.

☆ South Korea fires warning shots as North Korean drones enter airspace for the first time in 5 years, South Korea says
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Ellen Thomas | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

North Korean drones entered South Korean airspace on Monday for the first time since 2017. The South Korean military responded by firing shots at the drones, though the country's defense ministry could not confirm if any drones were shot down. "This is a clear provocation, and an invasion of our airspace by North Korea," South Korean defense official Lee Seung-oh said during a briefing. The last time a North Korean drone entered South Korean airspace was five years ago, according to the South Korean military. On Friday, South Korea said North Korea launched two short-range ballistic missiles, according to CNN.

☆ UK intel says Russia is rushing reserve troops into battle with 'barely usable' rifles, creating a new kind of headache for Putin's generals
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia sent newly mobilized reservist troops to Ukraine with "barely usable" rifles, UK intel says. Britain's defense ministry said some of these soldiers are using guns designed in 1959. Citing open source imagery, however, Britain's defense ministry said that mobilized reservists who did show up with rifles were often issued with AKM assault rifles. Britain's defense ministry said many of the AKM rifles given to Russian reservists are "likely in barely usable condition following poor storage." Beyond the newly mobilized reservists, Russian forces — like conscripts — have had to use decades-old rifles that exited production long ago.

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