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☆ Photos show how Putin massively scaled back his Victory Day celebrations compared to the ostentatious military displays of previous years
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Photos from this year compared to previous years show how much the Victory Day parade has changed:A Soviet T-34 tank during the Victory Day Red Square Parade on May 9, 2023, in Moscow, Russia. Russian tanks in Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, May 9, 2021. Armored vehicles drive past the Kremlin after a military parade on Victory Day, with an empty sky, on May 9, 2023. Russian soldiers march toward Red Square to attend a Victory Day military parade in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, May 9, 2023. A Russian service member walks across a street before a military parade on Victory Day in Moscow, Russia, on May 9 2023.

☆ The Russian military is trying to recruit Central Asian migrant workers to fight in Ukraine to avoid another mandatory mobilization, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-08 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is attempting to recruit Central Asian migrants to fight in Ukraine, UK intelligence said. They are reportedly being enticed with high payments and offers of a fast track to Russian citizenship. Russia is likely trying to avoid another mandatory mobilization to minimize domestic anger. Recruiters have visited mosques and immigration offices, where staff who speak Tajik and Uzek attempt to recruit migrants, the update said. The attempts to recruit migrants come amid reports that Russia is trying to sign up 400,000 additional soldiers.

☆ Russia is using the supposed Kremlin drone strike as an excuse to scale back its Victory Day celebrations and hide its military losses, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia is reducing its large-scale Victory Day parades, which are used to show its military strength. Experts said it is using an alleged Kremlin drone strike as an excuse to scale them back. But Russia likely wants to conceal its military losses in Ukraine, the ISW said. The ISW said the Kremlin "likely hopes to limit typical May 9 events to conceal the degradation of the Russian military." Russian T-90M and T-14 Armata tanks parade through Red Square during the rehearsal of the Victory Day military parade on May 7, 2022.

[1/5] Britain's King Charles speaks to guests during a reception for overseas guests attending his coronation at Buckingham Palace in London, Britain, May 5, 2023. It will be the largest show of its kind in Britain since the coronation of Charles' mother. Once at the abbey, much of the ceremony will feature elements that Charles' forebears right back to King Edgar in 973 would recognise, officials said. Handel’s coronation anthem "Zadok The Priest" will be sung as it has at every coronation since 1727. After returning to Buckingham Palace, the royals will make a traditional appearance on the balcony, with a fly-past by military aircraft.

[1/2] Royal fans wait on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace ahead of the coronation of Britain's King Charles and Camilla, Queen Consort, in London, Britain, May 5, 2023. REUTERS/Maja SmiejkowskaLONDON, May 5 (Reuters) - Heavy bursts of rain could dampen King Charles' coronation celebrations in London on Saturday, according to Britain's Met Office forecaster. Charles is due to leave Buckingham Palace and travel along a mile-long ceremonial procession through the capital before the coronation ceremony at 1000 GMT. If it does rain on his parade, Charles will not be alone: the last two monarchs endured wet weather on their big day according to Met Office data. The coronation of Queen Elizabeth in June 1953 saw "light rain throughout the day" while 8.2 millimetres (0.32 inches) of rain fell during George VI's 1937 crowning.

☆ Denmark to make $250 mln donation to Ukraine for military use
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

COPENHAGEN, May 2 (Reuters) - Denmark will donate military equipment and financial support to Ukraine worth 1.7 billion Danish crowns ($250 million), the Nordic country's Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Tuesday. The minister also said Denmark will reduce its military presence in Iraq starting in early-2024 and instead focus on the Baltic countries, offering NATO a battalion to defend the region. The rest of the year, the troops will remain in Denmark, ready to be deployed to the Baltic states in case of a crisis, the ministry of defence said. "We must be prepared for the Danish presence in the Baltics to be long-term, and there is a need for balancing between having soldiers on the ground and being ready to deploy them from Denmark," Poulsen said. ($1 = 6.8051 Danish crowns)Reporting by Louise Breusch Rasmussen, editing by Terje SolsvikOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia is building defenses deep inside its own territory, fearing a sweeping Ukrainian counterattack: UK intel
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Kieran Corcoran | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

UK officials on Monday noted extensive Russian defense far from the current front lines. Ukraine is preparing a counteroffensive, but it isn't clear that could invade Russia, or wants to. The UK Ministry of Defence posted an update on Twitter Monday morning, noting the presence of trench networks "well inside internationally recognised Russian territory including in the Belgorod and Kursk regions." The UK update noted that the defenses far from the front line might be more of a propaganda effort to harden the population's resolve by making them think the Ukrainian military could come close to their homes. The UK update noted that Russia has also been fortifying defensive lines inside occupied Ukrainian territory, much closer to the fighting.

☆ Thousands are trying to escape from Port Sudan. Only a few can make it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Larry Madowo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Port Sudan, Sudan CNN —In the dark of night, the nightmare is nearly over for the lucky few gathered on the quayside in Port Sudan. Sudanese-American businessman Adil Bashir was one of just 52 evacuees who boarded the Royal Saudi Navy ship HMS Al-Diriyah on Sunday. And as fighting has driven more people out of Khartoum, Port Sudan has become a key evacuation hub. The journey from Port Sudan to Jeddah can take up to 12 hours depending on sea conditions. Saudi Royal Navy officials carry a disabled civilian to a Saudi Navy Ship, during his evacuation from Sudan to escape the conflict, Port Sudan, Sudan, April 30, 2023.

☆ Russia is still losing 500 soldiers a day in Ukraine even after reducing its casualties by 30%, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

But Russia is still likely suffering around 500 casualties a day, the UK Ministry of Defence said. It comes as Russia is "preparing for anticipated Ukrainian offensive operations," it added. In March, the country was losing an estimated 776 soldiers a day, which dropped to 568 in April, it said. Russia does not release its own casualty figures, but the UK MOD pointed to figures released by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Russia's slowing losses are explained by it moving to a more defensive position ahead of Ukraine's expected counteroffensive efforts, the UK MOD said.

☆ Latest status on foreign states' Sudan evacuation efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Several evacuation efforts appear to be via Port Sudan on the Red Sea, which is directly located about 650 km (400 miles) northeast of Khartoum, but is about 800 km (500 miles) by road. SAUDI ARABIA AND KUWAITSaudi Arabia on Saturday pulled 91 Saudis and about 66 people from other countries out from Port Sudan by naval ship to Jeddah, across the Red Sea. QATARSudan's army accused the RSF of attacking and looting a Qatari embassy convoy heading to Port Sudan. OTHER COUNTRIESJordan said it had begun evacuating about 300 of its nationals from Port Sudan on Saturday. Sweden has given the government permission to deploy forces to help evacuate embassy staff and families.

☆ British PM Sunak chairs emergency meeting on Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 22 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak chaired a meeting of the government's emergency response committee on Saturday to discuss the situation in Sudan, with defence minister Ben Wallace among those attending. The army said the United States, Britain, France and China would evacuate diplomats and other nationals from Khartoum "in the coming hours". "We recognise that the situation is extremely concerning for British nationals trapped by the fighting in Sudan," a government spokesperson said when asked about the comments. "We are doing everything possible to support British nationals and diplomatic staff in Khartoum, and the Ministry of Defence is working with the Foreign Office to prepare for a number of contingencies." On Saturday, Britain's Foreign Office updated its travel advice for Sudan to warn that "in the event of a ceasefire, any decision to move must be taken at individual risk".

☆ UK defence ministry is engaged in 'prudent planning' on Sudan
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 21 (Reuters) - Britain's government said its defence ministry was engaged in "prudent planning" related to the current conflict in Sudan, after a report that British troops and aircraft had been put on standby to evacuate embassy staff and civilians if needed. Britain said it was coordinating with international partners to provide consular assistance to British nationals and support diplomatic staff. "The Ministry of Defence is supporting the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office with prudent planning for various contingencies," it added. Sky News reported that British troops and aircraft were being put on standby at an overseas military base to airlift embassy staff and British nationals if needed. Earlier on Friday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak spoke with the president of Djibouti to discuss the security situation in Sudan and how to protect their nationals.

☆ Germany to end Patriot air defence system deployments in Poland, Slovakia this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

"The nations have been informed about the plans," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence was quoted as saying by Funke media group. The deployment in Poland should end in June while the one in Slovakia will expire by the end of year, the spokesperson added. The German government has also delivered a Patriot system from army stocks will also be delivered to Ukraine this year. Germany had 36 Patriot units when it was NATO's frontline state during the Cold War. Today, the German forces are down to 11 Patriot units.

☆ How Sudan's Hemedti carved his route to power
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-15 | by ( Michael Georgy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

He won the rank of lieutenant-general and had free rein to seize gold mines in Darfur and sell Sudan’s most valuable resource. It’s true, we have gold mines and there’s nothing preventing us from working in gold,” Hemedti said in a BBC interview. After years of supporting Bashir, Hemedti took part in the ousting in 2019 of his longtime ally, who had faced pressure from mass protests calling for democracy and an end to economic woes. In a video statement, Hemedti said that the army seized power to “correct the course of the people’s revolution” and achieve stability. Hemedti has said the military is prepared to hand over power in case of an agreement or elections.

☆ Russian jet almost shot down a British surveillance plane flying near Ukraine, and only failed because the missile malfunctioned: report
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-13 | by ( Mia Jankowicz | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Russian jet tried to fire on a British spy plane last year, but the missile malfunctioned, NYT reports. In their telling, the Russian fighter jet pilot misheard the radar operator on the ground as conveying permission to fire, locked on to the British aircraft, and only failed because the missile didn't launch properly. One of the Russian jets "released a missile" in the "vicinity" of the UK plane, which he described as "potentially dangerous." Following the incident, the UK temporarily ceased surveillance patrols, later sending them out with an armed escort. A Russian Su-27 fighter jet seen approaching a US MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Black Sea on March 14, 2023, in video released by the US military.

☆ Taliban aim to boost Afghan security forces, anti-aircraft capacity -army chief
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Mohammad Yunus Yawar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

In his remarks on Tuesday, Qari Fasihuddin Fitrat, a Taliban commander from the northern region of Badakhshan and the chief of army staff, condemned incursions by foreign drones into Afghan airspace. Fitrat said a major defence focus was securing Afghan airspace against drones and other incursions. He also stopped short of naming Pakistan, against which the Taliban administration has regularly protested, accusing its neighbour of allowing drones to enter Afghanistan. Ties between the neighbours have occasionally been tense as as Pakistan has accused the Taliban administration of allowing Afghan territory to be used as a haven for militant groups. The Taliban administration denies allowing its territory to be used for attacks on others, however.

☆ Fact Check-New York subway ad urging welfare recipients to join Ukraine war is not authentic
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An advertisement seeking to recruit U.S. citizens on the welfare scheme to the International Legion of Ukraine, purportedly seen on New York underground trains, is not an official poster. A spokesperson for the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington told Reuters that the poster is not real. The text on the poster which carries the logo of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) reads: “Tired of living on welfare? Join the International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine.”The International Legion for the Defence of Ukraine was formed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and recruits foreign citizens to fight for Ukraine in the war (fightforua.org/). The poster calling on welfare recipients in the U.S to join the war in Ukraine is not authentic.

☆ Russian paratroopers are getting thermobaric tank-mounted 'flamethrowers' to make them more deadly after a string of failures, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's paratroopers are getting a powerful new weapon in Ukraine, the UK MOD said. But the UK MOD said the move suggests Russia wants it to play a larger role in any new offensive. The UK Ministry of Defence said in an intelligence update on Tuesday that, according to Russian media, paratroopers were receiving TOS-1A thermobaric multiple launch rocket systems. Russia's efforts to reconstitute the paratrooper force mirrors its efforts to rebuild other once elite units that suffered significant losses. Earlier this month the UK MOD highlighted Russian efforts to repair the reputation of the 155th Naval Infantry Brigade of the Pacific Fleet.

☆ Britain says reported US intelligence leak has 'serious level of inaccuracy'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, April 11 (Reuters) - Britain's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday that there was "a serious level of inaccuracy" in a widely-reported leak of alleged classified U.S. information. U.S. national security agencies and the Justice Department are investigating the release of dozens of classified documents to assess the damage to national security and relations with allies and other countries, including Ukraine. "The widely reported leak of alleged classified U.S. information has demonstrated a serious level of inaccuracy," a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said in a statement published on Twitter. U.S. officials have said some documents giving battlefield casualty estimates from Ukraine appeared to have been altered to understate Russian losses. Reporting by William James; editing by Muvija M. and Alex RichardsonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ukraine war live updates: Secret Pentagon and NATO files leaked; Russians have reached center of Bakhmut, UK says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-07 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A Ukrainian serviceman looks on as he sits on an anti-air gun near Bakhmut, on March 24, 2023. Russian forces have "highly likely" advanced into the center of the war-ravaged city of Bakhmut after weeks of bloody fighting and little progress, the UK's Ministry of Defence wrote in its daily intelligence update. "Russia has made further gains and has now highly likely advanced into the town centre, and has seized the west bank of the Bakhmutka River. Ukraine's key 0506 supply route to the west of the town is likely severely threatened," the ministry wrote on Twitter. "Russian regular forces, likely including airborne troops, have probably reinforced the area, and Russia is again using artillery more effectively in the sector."

☆ Russia is looking for money from 'friendly' nations to indirectly support its war in Ukraine, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( Sinéad Baker | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Russia appears to be anticipating financial support from countries seen as "friendly," it said. As a result, foreign investors would be "indirectly financing Russia's invasion of Ukraine." The MOD said that the move is "almost certainly an indication that Russia anticipates external financial support from foreign states it deems 'friendly.'" "Such investors would be indirectly financing Russia's invasion of Ukraine," the MOD said. Last June, Russia defaulted on its foreign debt for the first time since 1918.

☆ Indian rescuers scour site of deadly avalanche for any more victims
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Rescue team members search for survivors after an avalanche in the northeastern state of Sikkim, India, April 4, 2023. Indian Ministry of Defence/Handout via REUTERSApril 5 (Reuters) - Rescue teams made final checks on Wednesday for anyone still trapped in an avalanche that swept down on a road in the Indian Himalayan state of Sikkim the day before, killing seven people. We will scour the area properly before we call them off," Tenzing Loden Lepcha, a police official in the northeastern state, told Reuters by telephone. Avalanches have killed at least 120 people in the Indian Himalayas over the past two years. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded in 2018 that climate change had increased avalanche risks in the Himalayas.

☆ Russia wants to ditch the Wagner Group and replace it with another private army that's easier to control, UK intel says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tensions between Wagner and Russia's Defense Ministry have been simmering for months. Russia might replace the Wagner group with another private military company that it can exert "more control" over, the British Ministry of Defense tweeted on Tuesday. It comes as a very public feud between Russian military leaders and the Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to have spiraled out of control. This led to the Kremlin cutting all ties with the group, Prigozhin said last month. A spokesperson for Russia's Ministry of Defense did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

☆ UK says Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems win nearly $200 mln contract, to create 140 jobs
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

April 4 (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and BAE Systems Plc (BAES.L) won a F-35 jet maintenance support contract worth 161 million pounds ($200 million), creating 140 jobs in Britain, the country's Ministry of Defence said on Tuesday. The contract was signed by the U.S. Joint Program Office and Lockheed Martin as F-35 prime contractor, with BAE Systems to carry out the work as a sub-contractor, the government said in a statement. Of the 140 jobs, 130 jobs will be based at the Norfolk base and around 10 jobs more would be created through the supply chain, the statement added. ($1 = 0.8053 pounds)Reporting by Anirudh Saligrama in Bengaluru; Editing by Himani SarkarOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India avalanche kills six, injures 30 and traps many more - police
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Rescue team members search for survivors after an avalanche in the northeastern state of Sikkim, India, April 4, 2023. Indian Ministry of Defence/Handout via REUTERSGUWAHATI, India, April 4 (Reuters) - An avalanche in India's northeastern state of Sikkim on Tuesday killed at least six people, injured 30 and trapped many more, local officials said. All six dead were tourists and at least 70 people were feared trapped in the snow, rescue officials said. Rescue operations were on at the site, Reuters partner ANI reported on Twitter. An ANI video showed rescue workers and local residents crowding at the site of the accident.

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