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☆ A secretive SEAL-like unit is leading Ukraine's shadowy battle against Russia in a vital corner of the country
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-28 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations appears to be leading the effort for Ukraine. For Ukraine, the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, a secretive SEAL-like unit, is leading the shadowy battle against Russia. Therese PratsThe 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations was based on the Soviet-era 17th Naval Special Purpose Brigade. The 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations could play a significant role in future large-scale fighting. Roxana DavidovitsLike the 73rd Naval Center of Special Operations, most of the Ukrainian military emerged from the Soviet military.

☆ Greek conservatives win parliamentary election
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/6] Supporters of New Democracy conservative party react at the party's main election kiosk after the announcement of the first exit polls, in Athens, Greece, May 21, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis KonstantinidisATHENS, May 21 (Reuters) - Greece's conservative New Democracy party achieved a crushing victory in a national election on Sunday, official results showed. New Democracy had a lead of 40.8% of the vote based on 94.3% of the votes counted versus 20.1% for the leftist Syriza party, but fell just short of the threshold needed to form a government on its own. Following are the official results released by the Interior Ministry. Source: Interior Ministry data, with 94.3% of votes countedND: Conservative New Democracy party, leader Kyriakos MitsotakisSyriza: Leftist coalition party, leader Alexis TsiprasPASOK: Socialist party, leader Nikos AndroulakisKKE: Communist party, leader Dimitris KoutsoumbasEL: Right-wing Elliniki Lysi (Hellenic Solution), leader Kyriakos VelopoulosReporting By Athens BureauOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Greek conservatives lead in national election-exit poll
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/4] Supporters of New Democracy conservative party react at the party's main election kiosk after the announcement of the first exit polls, in Athens, Greece, May 21, 2023. REUTERS/Alkis KonstantinidisATHENS, May 21 (Reuters) - Greek conservatives were leading over the leftist Syriza in elections on Sunday, a joint exit poll by six polling agencies showed. The exit poll gave the conservative New Democracy party between 36-40% of the vote versus 25-29% for the leftist Syriza party, which governed the country in 2015-2019, at the peak of Greece's financial crisis. The projections suggested that New Democracy was not likely to win outright. EXIT POLLExit poll conducted by: ALCO, Marc, Metron Analysis, MRB Hellas, Pulse and GPO* ND: Conservative party, leader PM Kyriakos MitsotakisSyriza: Leftist party, leader Alexis TsiprasPASOK: Socialist party, leader Nikos AndroulakisKKE: Communist party, leader Dimitris KoutsoumbasMera25: Leftist party, leader Yanis VaroufakisEL: Right-wing Elliniki Lysi (Hellenic Solution), leader Kyriakos VelopoulosPlefsi Eleftherias, leftist party, leader Zoe ConstantopoulouReporting by Athens newsroomOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia's scramble to find microchips for its weapons hints at struggles the US and China could face in a future war
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-11 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Russia's scramble to find microchips for its weapons hints at struggles the US and China could face in a future war. Russian strikes and microchipsA Ukrainian military official with electronics from a destroyed Russian T-90M tank in Kyiv in March. Oleksii Chumachenko/Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesWestern-made microchips and processors power many of Russia's weapon systems, even its most advanced missiles and aircraft. ASML is the only firm that produces extreme ultraviolet, or EUV, lithography machines, which are needed to make advanced microchips. A US-Chinese clash over Taiwan, or some other disruption, like a Chinese blockade, that halts exports of advanced semiconductors would affect numerous other industries.

☆ Ukraine's special operators have been 'taking it to the Russians,' the head of US Special Operations Command says
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-09 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukrainian special operators have been putting their US-provided training to use against Russia. Ukrainian special-operations forces will also have a key role in the outcome of those battles. Ukrainian commandos on the jobRomanian, Ukrainian, and US Army Green Berets train in Romania in May 2021. Roxana DavidovitsAs Russian forces poured into the country at the start of the war, Ukrainian special operators went hunting. SOCOM had also incorporated a focus on unconventional warfare, a specialty of US Army Special Forces, into its training.

☆ After 35 years in flight, the US military says it's done buying one of its most unique and controversial aircraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-05 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Since its first flight in 1989, the V-22 Osprey has provided a unique capability to the US military. One of them is the V-22 Osprey, a unique and controversial aircraft that has carried conventional troops and special operators around the world for two decades. US Navy/Vernon PughIn the three decades since its first flight, the V-22 Osprey has brought a distinct capability to the US military's aviation fleet, despite its troubled development. Conventional and special-ops missionsUS Air Force special tactics operators fast rope from a CV-22B during an exercise in the UK in April 2021. In August 2022, Air Force Special Operations Command grounded its CV-22s over issues with its clutch, which had caused several "safety incidents."

☆ Surprise resort trips and empty hotel rooms reveal how Russia's plan for an easy victory in Ukraine fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-30 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

While Russian intelligence services ramped up operations, the US intelligence community started declassifying intelligence about Russian plans. In an unprecedented move, the US revealed Russia's intentions and informed Kyiv about the Russian intelligence operations inside Ukraine. Once Russia's military secured the city, its special-operations forces would begin what the report calls "repressive operations." The Kremlin even compiled a target deck full of unwanted people to be "liquidated" once the Russian forces were in control of the country. Preparing the battlefieldA member of the Ukrainian military in front of a destroyed Antonov An-225 at the airport in Hostomel in July 2022.

☆ Russia wanted a quick victory in Ukraine, and it sent its spies after Ukrainian nuclear power plant workers to make it happen
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine's nuclear power plants were a central part of Russia's plan to force Kyiv's capitulation. So when Russia started planning its invasion, Ukraine's nuclear energy infrastructure was a top target. According to the RUSI report, Ukraine's nuclear energy infrastructure "played a significant role" in Russia's invasion plan and in the Kremlin's public narratives about the conflict. Moscow's big planRussian military personnel at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in May 2022. Although Russian forces still control the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, that has not won the Kremlin any leverage over Kyiv.

☆ US Special Operations Command's workhorse helicopter is getting upgrades to replace parts that are nearly 50 years old
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US special operators rely on their variant, the MH-47, for missions at night and behind enemy lines. As such, the US special-operations community's workhorse helicopter is getting upgrades to replace parts that are nearly 50 years old. US Army Special Operations Command has used Chinooks for several decades. Early versions had modifications for special operations. The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, nicknamed "the Night Stalkers," is the cream of the crop when it comes to US military aviation.

☆ The live volcano sitting below Santorini
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Elinda Labropoulou | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —Everywhere you look on Santorini, you’re reminded that you’re on a volcano. Few realize that beneath the hypnotic kaleidoscope of colors lies an active volcano. The East Mediterranean’s most active underwater, and potentially dangerous, volcano, Kolumbo, is five miles northeast of Santorini and part of the same volcanic system. They include a visit to the volcano of Nea Kameni: one of five islands that form the Santorini volcanic complex, and a national geological park in itself. A simmering volcanoTourists can take boat trips to Nea Kameni, home to an active volcano.

☆ Russia's military has been preparing for a drone-filled battlefield, and even its cooks are being trained to shoot them down
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Counter-drone training has also become common throughout the Russian military. Having used drones and seen drones used with increasing frequency, the Russian military has also expanded its counter-drone training. The threat is now considered so widespread that most Russian troops, regardless of military specialty, are getting instruction in spotting and dealing with drones. Ukraine's military has been bolstering its drone defenses throughout the war, as shown in the Western military aid being sent to Kyiv. Despite having kinetic and electronic-warfare countermeasures to take out Russian drones, Ukraine still faces a difficult challenge.

☆ Another SEAL parachuting death highlights the inherent danger of US special operators' go-to infiltration method
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Deadly accidentsNaval Special Warfare operators perform a free-fall jump in Alaska in September. The incident, which likely happened during as part of a pre-deployment workup, is still under investigation, according to Naval Special Warfare Command. Despite that danger, however, free-fall parachuting is also extremely valuable as an insertion method for special-operations units. The Navy SEAL community — especially the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, formerly known as SEAL Team 6 — is well-versed in free-fall operations. Most US special-operations units have recognized the value of free-fall parachuting and have incorporated it into their training.

☆ Russia can't match the US military's hardware, but it has other ways to keep it from working properly
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-20 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But Russian information operations could still affect US forces, a US government watchdog says. Once perceived as a conventional near-peer threat, the Russian military now appears to be more of a paper tiger. While Russia can't match the US military's hardware, it has other ways to keep it from working. Near-peer adversaries, such as China and Russia, know that and have sought ways to counter their more powerful adversary. Doing so could mean that Chinese or Russian intelligence services could not only to influence individual service members but also the performance of specific weapons.

[1/5] Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visits the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. Rail workers, on strike since March 2, have extended their walkout until Friday. "We could have been there, we could have been on that same train," Aria Laska, 23, told Reuters. Three more railway workers were detained and accused of disrupting public transport leading to deaths, the semi-state Athens News Agency reported. "We are together in this trial," Mitsotakis said, adding that young people and their parents had "every right to be angry".

☆ Greek workers join walkout over deadly train crash, call protests
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-07 | by ( Karolina Tagaris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ATHENS, March 8 (Reuters) - Thousands of workers will join a nationwide strike on Wednesday in protest over Greece's deadliest train disaster that killed 57 people, and mass demonstrations are expected to culminate outside parliament in Athens. Wednesday's strike, to be joined by various public sector workers, is expected to disrupt metro, tram and bus servives, and ferries will remain docked in ports as seamen join the walkout. "We will impose safe railways so that no one will ever experience the tragic accident at Tempi ever again," the main railway workers union said in a statement. ADEY, the umbrella union representing hundreds of thousands of public sector workers, also called for a day-long strike and protest over the "murderous crime". Greece sold its state-owned railway operator, now called Hellenic Train, under its international bailout program in 2017 to Italy's state-owned Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane.

☆ Fiery train collision kills 26, injures at least 85 in Greece
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A cargo train and a passenger train collided in the Evangelismos area of Larissa, Greece on March 1, 2023. A passenger train and an oncoming freight train collided in a fiery wreck in northern Greece early Wednesday, killing 26 people and injuring at least 85, Fire Service officials said. Rescuers wearing head lamps worked in thick smoke, pulling pieces of mangled metal from the rail cars to search for trapped people. ... We're getting cranes to come in and special lifting equipment clear the debris and lift the rail cars. Rail operator Hellenic Train said the northbound passenger train from Athens to Thessaloniki had about 350 passengers on board when the collision occurred.

The collision occurred as the passenger train, heading to the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki from the capital Athens, emerged from a tunnel near the central town of Larissa. Our thoughts today are with the relatives of the victims," Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said at the site of the crash, looking shattered. [1/15] The site of a crash, where two trains collided, is seen near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. REUTERS/Giannis Floulis 1 2 3 4 5'MUM, I'M HURT'The passenger train was carrying 342 travellers and 10 crew, while two crew were on the cargo train, according to Hellenic Train data. Greece's ageing railway system is in need of modernising, with many trains travelling on single tracks and signalling and automatic control systems still to be installed in many areas.

☆ Hours after deadly train crash, Greece agonises over what went wrong
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-01 | by ( Angeliki Koutantou | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/7] A general view of the site of a crash, where two trains collided, near the city of Larissa, Greece, March 1, 2023. There have been widespread media reports electronic signal software was not working, meaning signalling was done manually. OSE, the country's state-owned operator for rail infrastructure, did not respond to calls requesting comment nor did it issue a statement. Within hours, Greek police had arrested the station master at a provincial train station, accusing him of death through negligence. Hellenic Train, a unit of Italy's Ferrovie dello Stato which acquired passenger and freight operations, said it was working with authorities on the investigation.

☆ EU antitrust regulators scrap investigation into Coca-Cola, bottlers
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Foo Yun Chee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BRUSSELS, Feb 28 (Reuters) - EU antitrust regulators on Tuesday scrapped an investigation into potential anti-competitive practices by The Coca-Cola Co (KO.N) and its bottlers, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Coca-Cola Hellenic (CCHB.UL), citing insufficient ground for the case. It subsequently collected information from Coca-Cola and its bottlers, retailers and competitors. "Based on the evidence collected, the Commission has concluded that there is insufficient ground to further pursue the investigation," the EU competition enforcer said in a statement. "The closure of the investigation is not a finding that the conduct in question complies with EU competition rules," it said. (This story has been refiled to correct the company's name in the headline)Reporting by Foo Yun Chee, Editing by Louise HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Russia has been able to keep its most effective drone flying over Ukraine thanks to Western-made parts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-27 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Ukraine and Russia have employed an array of drones since Moscow attacked in February 2022. Despite sanctions imposed by the US and its allies, Russia has been able to keep its most effective drone flying over Ukraine thanks to Western-made parts. The Orlan-10's specifications and characteristics in a graphic published by the Royal United Services Institute in December 2022. Russian intelligence services are likely involved in sourcing this technology through contacts and front companies around the world. Western-made components found in the Orlan-10, according to the Royal United Services Institute.

☆ Here's what happens when US Navy special operators go up against dolphins trained to keep them out of sensitive bases
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-01 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US Navy has been training dolphins and sea lions to detect undersea threats since the 1960s. "Those mammals were very real and very scary," a former US Navy SEAL officer told Insider. The program tested out a number of animals but found dolphins and sea lions to be the best suited for the mission. The US military wasn't the only one using dolphins and sea lions to protect its warships and ports. BUD/S course instructors "have a sadistic tendency to scare the shit out of students before open-water swims," the former Navy SEAL officer said.

☆ Rare battlefield footage shows how Ukraine's upgraded Soviet-era tanks are outperforming Russia's upgraded Soviet-era tanks
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Ukraine upgraded many of its tanks before the war, but Russia also had newer, higher-quality tanks. On the outskirts of a destroyed town, the Ukrainian tank is advances down a road, straight toward the Russian tank. Without stopping, the Ukrainian tank fires a round at its adversary. Ukrainian troops perform maintenance on tanks near the frontline in Donbas on January 18. More victories, better weaponsUkrainian troops inspect a destroyed Russian tank near Kupiansk in the Kharkiv region in December.

☆ How US Navy SEALs train new special-operations units to make the seas into 'our playground'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

US Navy SEALs travel around the world to train with other countries' special-operations forces. In 2022, SEALs in Europe trained with Croatia's ZSS, a relatively new special-operations unit. Through these training deployments, US Navy SEALs help new special-operations units to become proficient in new missions and skill sets. When it comes to progression of training, SEALs use the same "crawl, walk, run" approach they employ in their own training. These relationships with foreign special-operations units give US special operators access to almost any region of the world.

☆ Russia was making big plans for Ukraine's nuclear power plants before its invasion fell apart
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Those plans depended in part on seizing Ukraine's nuclear power plants and using them for leverage. Dmytro Smolyenko/Future Publishing via Getty ImagesAccording to the RUSI report, Russia's war plans viewed Ukraine's nuclear power plants as a means to achieve Moscow's larger aims. The Kremlin's plan envisioned three uses for the Ukrainian nuclear power facilities once the invasion was underway. Moscow also incorporated Ukraine's nuclear power facilities into its information operations. Fighting in a nuclear plantThe Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant on August 29.

☆ US special operators borrowed a unique part of Army Green Beret training to prepare Ukrainians to fight Russia
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

As part of that, US trainers set up a version of US Army Special Forces' "Q course" for Ukraine. "Q course" assesses Green Beret candidates and teaches them the basics of their profession. Ukraine's 'Q' courseCandidates during US Army Special Forces Assessment and Selection at Camp Mackall in North Carolina in March 2020. Gaelle Girbes/Getty ImagesThe "Q course," officially called the US Army Special Forces Qualification Course, assesses and teaches Green Beret candidates the basics of their profession. Edwards acknowledged that some NATO militaries still have special operators in Ukraine, though strictly in an advisory role, and that US special operators "rely heavily on them" to understand the situation on the ground.

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