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☆ Ukraine says it thwarts attempt by Russian saboteur group to cross its northern border
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Aug 1 (Reuters) - Ukraine has thwarted an overnight attempt by a Russian saboteur group to cross its northern border, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app. "Last night, in the Chernihiv region, border guards stopped an attempt by an enemy saboteur-reconnaissance group to cross the state border of Ukraine within the Semenivka community," he said. Serhiy Naev, commander of the joint forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said that four armed people attempted to cross the border but were repelled by Ukrainian fire. He added that reserves of the State Border Guard Service and Ukraine's armed forces were deployed to strengthen the area. Ukraine has strengthened its northern military sector following the arrival of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in Belarus.

Persons: Ihor Klymenko, Serhiy Naev, Klymenko, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Anna Pruchnicka, Christina Fincher Organizations: Armed Forces of, State Border Guard Service, Thomson Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Chernihiv, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukrainian, Belarus

☆ Australia says it is 'confident' on US nuclear submarines as ministers meet
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

SYDNEY, July 28 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said he was confident a deal for the U.S. to sell nuclear powered submarines to Australia was on track, ahead of talks between defence and foreign ministers of the two countries on Friday. Twenty-five U.S. Republican lawmakers told President Joe Biden on Thursday the plan to sell three attack submarines to Australia under the so-called AUKUS partnership would "unacceptably weaken" the U.S. fleet without a clear plan to replace them. The United States, Britain and Australia announced the three-way AUKUS defence agreement in 2021 under which Australia is to obtain nuclear submarine technology from the United States. The U.S. is Australia's major security ally and announced with Britain in March that the United States would sell Australia three U.S. Virginia class nuclear powered submarines in the early 2030s, before Britain and Australia produce a new submarine class - SSN-AUKUS - the following decade. "Now's the time to be working closely with friends, and Australia has no better friend than the United States of America," Marles said at the start of a meeting with his U.S. counterpart.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Joe Biden, Antony Blinken, Lloyd Austin, Albanese, Richard Marles, Austin, Marles, Kirsty Needham, Alasdair Pal, Praveen Menon Organizations: SYDNEY, Australia's, Republican, U.S, Defence, ., Democrats, NATO, Britain, Australian Defence, Sky, U.S ., Marines, Thomson Locations: Australia, Queensland, United States, Britain, Lithuania, U.S, . Virginia, CHINA, East, South, Japan, United States of America, Darwin, Sydney, Lincoln

REUTERS/Jason Lee/File PhotoTAIPEI, July 14 (Reuters) - China's military has been flexing its muscles this week around Taiwan practicing joint force operations far out at sea, ahead of Taipei holding its annual war games at the end of the month when Taiwan will simulate breaking a Chinese blockade. Chieh Chung, a military researcher at Taiwan's National Policy Foundation think tank, said practicing long-distance missions was important for China as they would be the "main combat mode" in any conflict. "They are expanding military deterrence actions to create a cognitive effect that Taiwan's national defences are useless," the official said. China routinely denounces U.S. military activity in the strait as provocation. "The Eastern Theatre Command are well seasoned, but it's the Southern Theatre Command that needs training for long-distance support," Su said.

Persons: Jason Lee, Chieh Chung, Han Kuang, Tsai Ing, Kevin McCarthy, Xi Jinping, Su Tzu, yun, Su, Yimou Lee, Roger Tung, Yew Lun Tian, Ben Blanchard, Robert Birsel Organizations: Chinese Air Force, REUTERS, Foundation, Taiwan, House, Eastern Theatre Command, U.S . Navy, Institute for National Defence and Security Research, Southern Theatre Command, Thomson Locations: Beijing, TAIPEI, Taiwan, Taipei, China, Philippines, Japan, Borneo, Los Angeles

☆ US needs to speed up delivery of weapons to Taiwan - US general
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Idrees Ali | Thomson Reuters | National Security Correspondent Focusing On The Pentagon In Washington D.C. Reports On U.S. Military Activity | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, July 14 (Reuters) - The United States and its allies need to speed up the delivery of weapons to Taiwan in the coming years to help the island defend itself, the top U.S. general said on Friday. The United States is Taiwan's most important arms supplier. Beijing has repeatedly demanded the sale of U.S. weapons to Taiwan stop, viewing them as unwarranted support for the democratically governed island that Beijing claims. Milley said Taiwan needed weapons like air defence systems and those that could target ships from land. Milley said the United States was looking at whether it needed to change where some U.S. forces were based within the Asia Pacific.

Persons: Mark Milley, Milley, Antony Blinken, Wang Yi, Idrees Ali, Robert Birsel Organizations: U.S . Army, Joint Chiefs of Staff, U.S, Asia Pacific, Thomson Locations: TOKYO, United States, Taiwan, Beijing, U.S, Tokyo, Ukraine, Russian, China, Taipei, Asia, South Korea, Japan

Dnipro, Ukraine CNN —The much-anticipated and controversial American-made cluster munitions that the United States agreed to supply to Kyiv are now in Ukraine, according to a Ukrainian general and the Pentagon. On Thursday afternoon the Pentagon confirmed the presence of the munitions in country, saying “There are cluster munitions in Ukraine at this time.”Tarnavsky is commander of the “Tavria” Joint Forces Operation, which is operating on a large section of the southern Ukraine front. But they are very worried.”Eyebrows were raised at the US delivery of these cluster munitions, which are banned in over 100 countries. The general says Ukraine is carrying out “large scale offensives,” while also admitting Ukrainian troops have made modest gains, especially in the south. Russian lossesA rising star in the Russian military, Lt. Gen. Oleg Tsokov, was injured and killed in the Russian-occupied city of Berdyansk, on the Azov Sea.

Persons: Oleksandr Tarnavsky, Tarnavsky, Defense Lloyd Austin, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer, “, ”, ” ‘, ” Tarnavsky, Oleg Tsokov, Tsokov, Tarnavskiy, He’s, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Vladimir Putin Organizations: Ukraine CNN, Pentagon, CNN, ”, Forces, Russian, Defense, ” Kyiv, Russian Telegram, Military Locations: Dnipro, Ukraine, United States, Kyiv, Ukrainian, ” Brig, Austin, Russian, Berdyansk, Azov

☆ Russia seeks calm after aborted mutiny, West sees cracks in Putin's power
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

"We've seen more cracks emerge in the Russian facade," Blinken told NBC's "Meet the Press" programme on Sunday. It was unclear if his visit to Russia's strongest ally was precipitated by the Wagner mutiny. It vouched support for Russia's efforts to maintain national stability, referring to the tension as Russia's "internal affairs". Biden and Trudeau both expressed support of Ukraine as it pursues a counteroffensive to recover territory seized by Russia, according to official statements. Giving its daily morning roundup on Monday, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said Russian forces had conducted unsuccessful operations around Bakhmut.

Persons: Vladimir Putin, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Alexander Lukashenko, Sergei Shoigu, Putin, groping, Antony Blinken, Blinken, NBC's, Andrei Rudenko, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Joe Biden, Justin Trudeau, Biden, Trudeau, Zelenskiy, Lukashenko, Antonio Tajani, Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin, Hanna Maliar, Serhiy Nayev, ” Nayev, Simon Cameron, Moore, Lincoln Organizations: Wagner Group, Defence, Press, Russia's, Russian Federation, U.S, Canadian, Twitter, Russia's Security, Defence Ministry, Russia's TASS, RIA, Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, Russian, Ukraine's Joint Forces, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Russia, Ukraine, Moscow, Russian, Rostov, Belarus, Beijing, China, Bolshevik, Lyman, Donetsk, Bakhmut

☆ A US Reaper drone made its first-ever landing in the dirt, breaking away from the 'leash' of traditional runways
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-20 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The US military recently landed a MQ-9 Reaper drone on a dirt strip for the first time. An Air Force official hailed the exercise as an opportunity to break away from traditional runways. A US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper conducts the first ever MQ-9 Reaper landing on a dirt landing zone during a training exercise near Fort Stockton, Texas, June 15, 2023. For the Air Force, that means learning how to fight from austere locations that provide increased survivability and flexibility. In doing so, a travel pod was attached to the Reaper so it could resupply soldiers who were waiting at the dirt landing zone.

Persons: —, Brian Flanigan, Flanigan, Sgt, Cody H, Ramirez, David Payne , Organizations: An Air Force, Service, US Air Force, Air Force Special Operations Command, Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, AFSOC, Special Operations Squadron, Commando, 2nd Special Operations Squadron, The Air Force Locations: Fort Stockton, Texas, Fort Stockton , Texas, Wyoming, Rawlins , Wyoming

☆ Ukraine's forces are facing 'tough battles' and taking losses early in its offensive, but war experts say it has a lot left to hammer Russian lines
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Ryan Pickrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

There are reports of heavy personnel and equipment losses in some sectors. Ukrainian forces gained ground in areas around Bakhmut, a city of limited strategic value that Russia only recently captured at tremendous cost. Through its counteroffensive operations, Ukraine is confronting these hardened Russian defenses with a force that while experienced is employing new weapons with, in some cases, new tactics. Ukrainian forces will suffer losses, including of both Western and Soviet equipment, during any offensive operations," ISW said. "Loss of equipment — including Western equipment — early on in the counteroffensive is not an indicator of the future progress of Ukraine's counteroffensive," it said.

Persons: —, ISW, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, ANATOLII STEPANOV, Yevgeny Prigozhin, Serhii Naiev, Yevhen, it's, Mark Hertling Organizations: Service, Ukraine, Institute for, CNN, Getty, for Strategic, International Studies, DC, Wagner Group, Joint Forces of, Armed Forces of, Operational, Publishing, US Army Locations: Bakhmut, Russia, Donetsk Oblast, Zaporizhia Oblast, Donetsk, Ukraine, AFP, Europe, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Kyiv Region, Soviet, Ukrainian

☆ Russian missiles and drones had a 90% failure rate in May and that cost the Kremlin $1.7 billion, Ukraine says
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Around 90% of Russia's drones and missiles fired in May were destroyed, the Kyiv Post reported. The bulk of Russia's munitions expenses stemmed from destroyed Kh-101 and Kh-555 cruise missiles, costing $1.48 billion, the Kyiv Post reported. The Kyiv Post also wrote that Ukraine used 401 Shahed-136 drones costing around $20,000 each, and that 362 were destroyed by Ukrainian air defenses. That failure rate eclipses earlier estimates from the US, which said in 2022 that as much as 60% of Russia's missiles never reached their targets. US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said in November that American NASAMS air defense systems sent to Ukraine had a 100% success rate of intercepting Russian missiles.

Persons: —, Pete Shmigel, They're, Ukraine didn't, Lloyd Austin, General Serhii Naiev Organizations: Kyiv Post, Service, Kremlin, Post, NATO, US, Joint Forces of, Armed Forces of, CNN, Patriot, Press Locations: Kyiv, Ukraine, Australian, Russia, Moscow, Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian

☆ Video shows cockpit of US reconnaissance plane rattling as Chinese fighter jet cuts in front of it
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-30 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Chinese fighter jet recently intercepted an American spy plane, the US military said Tuesday. The jet flew right in front of the US aircraft's nose, forcing it to fly through rough turbulence. A video captured from the RC-135's cockpit shows the Chinese fighter jet streak across the sky just ahead of the aircraft before it hits the turbulence. For example, a Chinese J-11 fighter jet in December flew within 20 feet of an American RC-135, forcing it to take evasive actions to avoid crashing. Before that, both Australia and Canada had accused Chinese pilots of cutting in front of surveillance planes and making risky intercepts of aircraft.

Persons: —, Washington Organizations: Western Pacific, Service, Pacific Command, Pentagon, Pacific Joint Force, China Locations: American, Western, South, United States, Beijing, Australia, Canada

CNN —A Chinese fighter jet conducted an “unnecessarily aggressive maneuver” during an intercept of a US spy plane in international airspace over the South China Sea last week, the US military said in a statement Tuesday. The RC-135 was conducting “safe and routine operations” in international airspace, US Indo-Pacific Command said. The US has seen an alarming increase in the number of risky aerial intercepts conducted by Chinese aircraft, according to an INDOPACOM spokesperson. Chinese aircraft have been more aggressive, drawing closer to US and allied aircraft, prompting concern about a potential unsafe incident or miscalculation. Over the past several years, the South China Sea has emerged as a major potential flashpoint in the Asia Pacific.

Persons: ”, Nancy Pelosi’s, Lloyd Austin, Li Shangfu, it’s Organizations: CNN, Pacific Command, Pacific Joint Force, Pentagon, Defense, Dialogue Security, US, Defense Department, Department of Defense, Embassy, Navy, South China, Center for Strategic, Studies, Power Locations: South, United States, U.S, Taiwan, China, Beijing, Singapore, INDOPACOM, Asia

☆ How the F-16 pilot nominated to be the US military's top officer earned the callsign 'Swamp Thing'
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-25 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

His escape from a burning jet earned him the callsign "Swamp Thing." Gen. Charles "CQ" Brown, Jr., the current Air Force chief of staff and former F-16 Fighting Falcon pilot, is a distinguished four-star general. He has also logged more than 3,000 flying hours — including 130 in combat, yet his callsign is, perhaps unexpectedly, "Swamp Thing." Well I tell you what — he was back in the cockpit the next week with a new callsign: Swamp Thing." "While General Brown is a proud, butt-kicking American airman, first and always, he's always been an operational leader of the Joint Force," Biden said during Thursday's announcement.

☆ The stealth F-22 Raptor's days are numbered, and the Air Force is officially looking for designs for the fighter jet's next-gen replacement
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-18 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The Air Force is officially seeking designs for the next-gen fighter to replace the F-22 Raptor. "We will lose that edge if we don't move forward now," Frank Kendall, Air Force secretary, said. "No one does this better than the US Air Force, but we will lose that edge if we don't move forward now." There are two of these sixth-generation projects currently underway, one for the Air Force and the other for the Navy. The Air Force has pushed for the retirement of some earlier F-22s, but it has received pushback from Congress.

☆ Russia's air force has taken a beating, but its jets could still turn the tables in Ukraine, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's air force has had a limited role in Ukraine, despite numerical and technological advantages. Russia has held its air force back largely because of Ukraine's effective air-defense network. Which raises the question: If Ukrainian air defenses fade, will the Russian Air Force — known as the VKS — finally become a decisive factor in the war? Ukraine's small but resourceful air force put up spirited resistance that mitigated Russia's numerical and technological superiority, however. "So the air force, I think, would definitely be committed much more heavily if they had a chance."

☆ Poor training and outdated equipment left Russia's air force unable to help much in the invasion of Ukraine, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( Sophia Ankel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russia's air force has struggled to exploit air superiority over Ukraine since the start of the war. Pilots lack basic training to fly at low altitudes and sophisticated weapons, the report said. The report, published this week, outlines the strengths and weaknesses of Russia's air force in Ukraine based on a series of interviews with intelligence services, military experts, and Ukrainian air force commanders. The Russian air force has lacked success since the start of its invasion mostly due to the resilience of Ukraine's ground-to-air defense systems. "We need to do everything that we can to get Ukraine as much air defense capability as we possibly can."

☆ The Russian air force's struggles in Ukraine reveal glaring problems in now Moscow trains its pilots
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-10 | by ( Alex Hollings | Sandboxx News | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +35 min

Despite being bigger and more advanced than its enemy, Russia's air force has struggled in Ukraine. It's commonly said that Russian fighter pilots are not as well trained as their Western counterparts, particularly those from the United States. But however ineffective you may think Russian pilot training is compared to the West, the truth seems to be … much worse. A Russian air force pilot prepares to take off in an Su-35 fighter jet at Hemeimeem air base in Syria in September 2019. Put simply, the Gulf War air campaign creates a damning juxtaposition when compared directly to Russia's air campaign over Ukraine.

☆ Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark struck a deal to run their 200+ advanced fighter jets as a single fleet, creating a new headache for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Alia Shoaib | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Air force commanders of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Denmark said Friday that they have signed a letter of intent to establish a unified Nordic air defense, Reuters reported. "Our combined fleet can be compared to a large European country," commander of the Danish air force, Major General Jan Dam, told Reuters. Norway, Denmark, and Finland have all committed to the F-35 jets which are the most advanced Western fighter planes. NATO Air Command chief General James Hecker was also present at the signing of the letter at Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in May 2022, jolted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine into ending decades of their position of "non-alignment."

REUTERS/Tyrone SiuTAIPEI, March 13 (Reuters) - Taiwan's defence spending this year will focus on preparing weapons and equipment for a "total blockade" by China, including parts for F-16 fighters and replenishing weapons, the military said in a report. Xi also said that when it came to Taiwan, China must oppose pro-independence and secessionist activities and the interference of external forces. Taiwan's defence ministry said China has systematically increased the strength of its "joint combat readiness" actions around Taiwan. That is more than double the number from a year earlier and poses a "substantial threat" to Taiwan's defence, the ministry said. China has been "normalising" no-navigation zones around the Bohai Sea, the Yellow Sea and the Taiwan Strait, the ministry added.

☆ U.S. Air Force flags plans to buy 26 E-7 planes from Boeing
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Feb 28 (Reuters) - The U.S. Air Force plans to buy 26 Boeing Co (BA.N) E-7A airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) planes to replace its ageing fleet of E-3s, the Department of the Air Force said on Tuesday, as it announced a contract worth up to $1.2 billion. Boeing said it would develop two new variants of the E-7 for the U.S. Air Force, without providing details of the differences. The Air Force said the first plane was expected to be in service by fiscal year 2027 and it anticipated purchasing an additional 24 by fiscal 2032. "The E-7A will be the Department's principal airborne sensor for detecting, identifying, tracking and reporting all airborne activity to Joint Force Commanders," said Andrew Hunter, assistant secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. Other E-7 operators include the Royal Australian Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force, Turkish Air Force and the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force.

☆ Zelenskiy fires a top Ukrainian military commander, no reason given
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Feb 26 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday fired a senior military commander helping lead the fight against Russian troops in the country's embattled east but gave no reason for the move. In a one-line decree, Zelenskiy announced the dismissal of Eduard Moskalyov as commander of the joint forces of Ukraine, which are engaged in battles in the Donbas region. Zelenskiy mentioned Moskalyov in a daily address on Friday when listing the military commanders he had spoken to. Neither the joint forces' Facebook nor Twitter accounts made any mention of the dismissal. In a Facebook post, the Ukrainian armed forces' general staff said Russian troops had carried out several unsuccessful attacks in the Bakhmut area on Sunday.

☆ Rep. Michael McCaul on Air Force general's prediction of war with China: 'I hope he's wrong... I think he's right'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Summer-Concepcion-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Summer Concepcion | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A top congressional Republican on Sunday said he agrees with a memo by a four-star Air Force general that predicts the U.S. will be at war with China in two years. In the memo sent Friday and obtained by NBC News, Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, wrote, “I hope I am wrong. McCaul also accused the Biden administration of “projecting weakness” on the world stage and argued that there are “very high” odds of war with China because of it." The Air Mobility Command has nearly 50,000 service members and nearly 500 planes and is responsible for transport and refueling. The signed memo was addressed to all air wing commanders in Air Mobility Command and other Air Force operational commanders.

☆ Air Force general predicts war with China in 2025, tells officers to get ready
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Courtney-Kube-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Courtney Kube | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

A four-star Air Force general sent a memo on Friday to the officers he commands that predicts the U.S. will be at war with China in two years and tells them to get ready to prep by firing "a clip" at a target, and "aim for the head." In the memo sent Friday and obtained by NBC News, Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said, “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me will fight in 2025.”Air Mobility Command has nearly 50,000 service members and nearly 500 planes and is responsible for transport and refueling. His order builds on last year’s foundational efforts by Air Mobility Command to ready the Mobility Air Forces for future conflict, should deterrence fail.”In March 2021, Adm. Philip Davidson, then commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that “Taiwan is clearly one of [China’s] ambitions. “I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact, in the next six years,” said Davidson.

☆ Russia's war on Ukraine latest: Battle for salt town rages on
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Jan 12 (Reuters) - Ukraine says its troops are holding out despite heavy fighting on a battlefield littered with bodies in a salt mining town in eastern Ukraine, where Russian mercenaries have claimed Moscow's first significant gain in half a year. * Ukraine has acknowledged Russian advances but Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar told a briefing on Thursday that fighting was still fierce. MILITARY* Kremlin-watchers are poring over Russia's latest switch of battlefield leadership after Valery Gerasimov, chief of the military's general staff, was unexpectedly given direct command of the invasion. * The commander of Russian ground forces visited Belarus to inspect the combat readiness of a joint force stationed there. Increased joint military activity has prompted Ukraine to warn that Russia may try to launch a new ground invasion of Ukraine from Belarus.

☆ Chinese jet came within 20 feet of U.S. military aircraft- U.S. military
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 29 (Reuters) - A Chinese military plane came within 20 feet (6 metres) of a U.S. air force aircraft and forced it to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision in international airspace over the South China Sea last week, the U.S. military said on Thursday. The close encounter followed what the United States has called a recent trend of increasingly dangerous behavior by Chinese military aircraft. The incident, which involved a Chinese Navy J-11 fighter jet and a U.S. air force RC-135 aircraft, took place on Dec. 21, the U.S. military added in a statement. In a meeting with his Chinese counterpart in November, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin raised the need to improve crisis communications, and also noted what he called dangerous behavior by Chinese military planes. Reporting by Idrees Ali and Doina Chiacu Editing by Frances KerryOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Putin heads for Belarus amid fears of new assault on Ukraine
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Tom Balmforth | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

KYIV, Dec 19 (Reuters) - Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin flies to Belarus on Monday amid fear in Kyiv that he intends to pressure the former Soviet ally to join a new ground offensive against Ukraine and reopen a new front. There has been constant Russian and Belarusian military activity for months in Belarus, a close Kremlin ally that Moscow's troops used as a launch pad for their abortive attack on Kyiv in February. Moscow and Minsk have since set up a joint regional unit of forces in Belarus and held numerous military exercises. Three Russian warplanes and an airborne early warning and control aircraft were deployed to Belarus last week. Lukashenko said he and Putin will hold talks on a long-running effort to integrate their countries into a supranational union State.

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