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☆ As fighting rages in Ukraine, the US is sending drones to keep an eye on another tense corner of Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

US Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones deployed to Greece during the final weeks of 2022. Operating from Larissa air base, the drones will keep an eye NATO's borders in southeastern Europe. The deployment comes as NATO grapples with the war in Ukraine and with tensions between Turkey and Greece. Predator in the skiesUS Air Force airmen do pre-flight checks on an MQ-9 at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam in May. A US Air Force F-15C at Larissa Air Base in May 2021.

☆ Russians are posting footage of air-defense systems being installed on Moscow's roofs, a sign the Kremlin may fear an attack
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Russian Telegram channels are posting footage of anti-air systems installed on Moscow's rooftops. The footage, which Insider was unable to independently verify, has since been reposted several times on Twitter. On January 13, Russia's longer-range S-400 surface-to-air-missile systems were also seen deployed in photos posted by the anti-war Telegram channel CHTD. The images, which Insider was also unable to independently verify, show the systems installed in two parks near central Moscow. Russian state media and officials have not addressed the new footage of the missile systems so far.

LONDON/WASHINGTON, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A Russian hacking team known as Cold River targeted three nuclear research laboratories in the United States this past summer, according to internet records reviewed by Reuters and five cyber security experts. Cold River has escalated its hacking campaign against Kyiv's allies since the invasion of Ukraine, according to cybersecurity researchers and western government officials. 'INTELLIGENCE COLLECTION'In May, Cold River broke into and leaked emails belonging to the former head of Britain's MI6 spy service. Reuters was unable independently to confirm why Cold River targeted the NGOs. "Google has tied this individual to the Russian hacking group Cold River and their early operations," he said.

☆ Germany's Scholz: We must avoid dividing world into Cold War-style blocs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN, Dec 5 (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned against creating a new Cold War by dividing the world into blocs and called for every effort to be made to build new partnerships, writing in an opinion piece for Foreign Affairs magazine published online on Monday. The West must stand up for democratic values and protect open societies, "but we must also avoid the temptation to once again divide the world into blocs," wrote Scholz in the piece. "This means making every effort to build new partnerships, pragmatically and without ideological blinders," he added. Scholz singled out China and Russia in particular as two countries that pose a threat to a multipolar world, which requires stronger European and transatlantic unity to overcome. "Germans are intent on becoming the guarantor of European security that our allies expect us to be, a bridge builder within the European Union and an advocate for multilateral solutions to global problems," wrote Scholz.

☆ Finnish leader says the brutal truth is Ukraine shows Europe isn't 'strong enough' without the US
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

"I must be brutally honest with you, Europe isn't strong enough right now," Sanna Marin said. "We would be in trouble without the United States," Marin added. "I must be brutally honest with you, Europe isn't strong enough right now. We would be in trouble without the United States," Marin said during remarks at a think tank in Sydney, Australia, per Reuters. "The United States has given a lot of weapons, a lot of financial aid, a lot of humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Europe isn't strong enough yet," Marin said.

☆ Russia's Lavrov says European security body is hobbled by West
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 1 (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that big problems had accumulated in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), accusing the West of spurning the chance to make it a real bridge with Russia after the Cold War. Lavrov made the comments at the start of a news conference during which he gave a long recital of Russian historical grievances against the West, saying the "reckless enlargement" of NATO had devalued the basic principles of the OSCE. "Taking advantage of its numerical superiority in this organization, the West has been trying for many years to, if you like, privatise it. Or perhaps it's more correct to say it is trying to carry out a takeover raid on the OSCE, to subjugate this last platform for regional dialogue," said Lavrov. Reporting by Reuters Editing by Andrew OsbornOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ An often overlooked Swedish fighter may be the jet Ukraine needs to take on Russia now, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Saab JAS 39 Gripen fighter jet has earned high marks for its capabilities and affordability. But buyers have often passed on the Gripen in favor of other jets, including the US-made F-35. A Saab JAS 39C Gripen jet during an air show in June 2011. US Air Force F-16s with Swedish air force JAS 39 Gripens over the Baltic Sea during an exercise in June 2018. A new Brazilian Air Force F-39E Gripen at an air base in Brasilia in October 2020.

☆ The deadly missile incident in Poland is a 'propaganda gift' for the Ukrainians and Zelenskyy, Russia expert says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Two people were killed after Russian-made missiles landed in Poland, according to reports. The incident could benefit Zelenskyy's efforts to stir up further assistance, a Russia expert said. "This is a propaganda gift for the Ukrainians," said Simon Miles, an assistant professor at Duke. But what marks the first seeming spillover of Russia's war beyond Ukraine could ultimately benefit Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's ongoing efforts to stir up additional assistance and support, a Russia expert told Insider. On top of being a fatal tragedy for Poland, the Tuesday incident also bolsters Ukraine's ongoing wartime rhetoric.

☆ Rising tensions between 2 of NATO's biggest militaries are driving fears of the first war between alliance members
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Greece and Turkey have two of NATO's largest militaries and are in an important corner of Europe. Their tensions have escalated in recent years, stoking new fears about the first war within NATO. Greece's defense spending in 2022 was the highest in the alliance as a share of GDP. (NATO also calls for 20% of members' defense spending to go toward equipment purchases and upgrades.) Greece's defense minister said that "as long as there is a threat of territorial sovereignty, it renders futile any attempt at communication."

☆ Europe's militaries have been working together for years to keep an eye on what Russia is up to at sea
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The Nord Stream pipeline sabotage in September drew new attention to maritime threats in Europe. European militaries have already been working on new ways to protect undersea infrastructure. Although the pipelines were not in use— Nord Stream 1 was shut down in March by EU sanctions against Russia, and Nord Stream 2 wasn't yet operational—the incident highlights the risks to underwater infrastructure. Even before the war in Ukraine, Western officials had grown worried about increasing activity by Russian ships and submarines around underwater cables crossing the Atlantic. "Russia is clearly taking an interest in NATO and NATO nations' undersea infrastructure," the admiral said at the time.

☆ Biden knows there are limits on American power, but they're nowhere to be found in his first major security strategy
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Gil Barndollar | Defense Priorities | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This month, the Biden administration released its long-delayed National Security Strategy. The brief moment of post-Cold War American hyperpower is long gone, a victim of both natural power dynamics and three decades of incessant American foreign policy hubris and error. Six months before the assault on Ukraine began, the Biden administration admitted the limits of American power in another land that defeated Russian invaders: Afghanistan. The saving grace of the National Security Strategy may be its meaninglessness. The Biden administration's actual emerging national security strategy could be far better than the document lets on.

☆ Ukraine's surprise attack on Putin's 'miracle' bridge is more than just a military loss for Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The bridge between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula was hit by a surprise attack on October 8. Bridge over troubled waterThe Crimean bridge on October 9. Contributor/AFP via Getty ImagesThe Crimean bridge is very important to the Russian war effort in Ukraine. Vehicles wait to cross the Crimean bridge on October 9. Happy birthday, Mr. presidentUkrainians pose with a mock postage stamp depicting the Crimean Bridge on fire on October 8.

☆ NATO navies are teaming up for the first time to practice using drones to hunt submarines and other undersea threats
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The exercise, Dynamic Messenger 22, was held in the waters off of Portugal's Troia Peninsula from September 23 to September 30. NATO Maritime CommandDynamic Messenger 22 involved 1,500 personnel from 16 NATO member-states operating more than 18 ships and 48 unmanned vehicles. NATO Maritime CommandMany NATO members see unmanned maritime assets as valuable additions to their fleets, and the role of those assets in alliance naval exercises has increased in recent years. A concerted effortA drone helicopter in use during NATO exercise Dynamic Messenger. NATO Maritime CommandREPMUS — short for "Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping using Maritime Uncrewed Systems" — supports NATO's Maritime Unmanned Systems Initiative, which was launched in October 2018 to promote the use of unmanned systems in the alliance's naval operations.

☆ Trump's yearslong crusade against Ukraine has finally come home to roost as Republicans call for abandoning Kyiv
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( John Haltiwanger | Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

US aid to Ukraine could be in jeopardy if Republicans win the House in the midterms. Several GOP lawmakers and candidates have signaled they would support reducing or cutting off Ukraine aid. In April, 10 House Republicans voted against a bill allowing the Biden administration to more easily lend military equipment to Ukraine. The following month, 57 House Republicans voted "no" on a nearly $40 billion aid package for Ukraine. Some GOP opposition to continuing aid to Ukraine is tied to Trump's "America First" policy vis-a-vis foreign affairs.

☆ NATO is pouring concrete to support new 'battlegroups' in 4 countries amid rising tensions with Russia
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

NATO now has some 40,000 troops under its direct command in Eastern Europe — 30,000 of them in those eight battlegroups. More than a tripwireUS soldiers at a base in Latvia to support NATO's battlegroup there on February 25. Hungary had refused to accept NATO troops, with its foreign minister saying before Russia attacked Ukraine that Hungary's military could defend the country. Following Russia's invasion, Hungary was persuaded to host a few hundred NATO troops in a battlegroup that it would lead. Accommodating and integrating an influx of NATO troops is not easy, even for countries that are eager to counter Russia.

☆ A quiet US move in the Mediterranean may help put more pressure on Russia, but not everyone in NATO is happy about it
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Constantine Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The US lifted its 35-year-old arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus in September. But the US decision has rankled Turkey, which is at odds with NATO ally Greece over the island. Increased cooperationThe Cypriot Underwater Demolition Team and US Naval Special Warfare Task Unit Europe train in Cyprus in September 2021. "This is a landmark decision, reflecting the burgeoning strategic relationship between the two countries, including in the area of security," Cypriot President Nikos Anastasiades said after the announcement. Cyprus is one of many points of contention between Greece and Turkey, whose worsening relations have worried other NATO members.

☆ Nord Stream gas 'sabotage': who's being blamed and why?
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-30 | by ( Joanna Plucinska | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Russia's foreign ministry said on Thursday it was "unthinkable" that an investigation into ruptures on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines would proceed without Moscow's participation. President Vladimir Putin said on Friday the United States and its allies blew up Nord Stream. U.S. President Joe Biden said on Friday damage to Nord Stream was a deliberate act of sabotage. Map of Nord Stream pipelines and locations of reported leaksWHY SABOTAGE A PIPELINE? "They already succeeded in stopping Nord Stream 2.

☆ The Nord Stream pipelines were likely attacked with remotely detonated explosives, says UK defense source: report
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-29 | by ( Cheryl Teh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A UK defense source says the Nord Stream pipelines were likely attacked with remote explosives. The source told Sky News the bombs could have been planted years before the leaks occurred. One of the intelligence officials told CNN that Russian submarines were also seen near the area last week. The Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline systems deliver natural gas from Russia to Europe. However, analysts said that the explosions at the Nord Stream pipelines could signal an escalation to hybrid warfare, with Russia weaponizing energy to choke off Europe and escalate the continent's energy crisis.

A gas leak from Nord stream 1 is seen in the Swedish economic zone in the Baltic Sea in this picture taken from the Swedish Coast Guard aircraft on September 28, 2022. The European Union is investigating the cause of the leaks in the Gazprom-led (GAZP.MM) Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines under the Baltic Sea and has said it suspects sabotage. "The attack on strategic infrastructure means that the strategic infrastructure in the entire EU has to be protected," the EU official in Brussels said. Russia had halted deliveries via Nord Stream 1, saying Western sanctions had hampered operations. Nord Stream 2 had not started commercial operations.

A senior Ukrainian official called the incident a Russian attack to destabilise Europe, without giving proof. Neither pipeline was pumping gas to Europe at the time the leaks were found, but the incidents will scupper any remaining expectations that Europe could receive fuel via Nord Stream 1 before winter. Operator Nord Stream said the damage was "unprecedented". CUTTING SUPPLIESRussia reduced gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations.

But it remained far from clear who might be behind any foul play, if proven, on the Nord Stream pipelines that Russia and European partners spent billions of dollars building. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterPoland's prime minister blamed sabotage for the leaks, without citing evidence. Russia, which slashed gas deliveries to Europe after the West imposed sanctions over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, also said sabotage was a possibility and that the leaks undermined the continent's energy security. CUTTING SUPPLIESRussia reduced gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. The Swedish Maritime Administration (SMA) said two leaks on Nord Stream 1, one in the Swedish economic zone and another in the Danish zone, were northeast of Denmark's Bornholm.

However, it remained far from clear who might be behind any foul play, if proven, on the Nord Stream pipelines that Russia and European partners spent billions of dollars building. Poland's prime minister blamed sabotage for the leaks, without citing evidence, while the Danish premier said it could not be ruled out. Operator Nord Stream said the damage was "unprecedented". CUTTING SUPPLIESRussia reduced gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations.

"The destruction that occurred on the same day simultaneously on three strings of the offshore gas pipelines of the Nord Stream system is unprecedented," said network operator Nord Stream AG. Gazprom (GAZP.MM), the Kremlin-controlled company with a monopoly on Russian gas exports by pipeline, declined to comment. Danish Defence Command/Handout via REUTERS Read MoreRussia slashed gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations. European gas prices rose on the news of the leaks, with the benchmark October Dutch price up almost 10% on Tuesday.

☆ Nord Stream: Mystery leaks hit Russian gas pipelines to Europe
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-27 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Sweden’s Maritime Authority issued a warning about two leaks in the Nord Stream 1 pipeline, shortly after a leak on the nearby Nord Stream 2 pipeline was discovered that had prompted Denmark to restrict shipping in a five nautical mile radius. “The destruction that occurred on the same day simultaneously on three strings of the offshore gas pipelines of the Nord Stream system is unprecedented,” said network operator Nord Stream AG. Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled company with a monopoly on Russian gas exports by pipeline, declined comment. Russia slashed gas supplies to Europe via Nord Stream 1 before suspending flows altogether in August, blaming Western sanctions for causing technical difficulties. The new Nord Stream 2 pipeline had yet to enter commercial operations.

☆ Moscow could be pushed toward 'nuclear escalation' if the US overreacts to Russia's disastrous invasion of Ukraine, new report warns
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-15 | by ( John Haltiwanger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The US should not overreact to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a new Costs of War Project report warns. The report underscores that the war has shown Russia's military is much weaker than previously thought. The report states that the "greatest threat of nuclear war could lie in the West's overreaction to Russia's aggression." "Rather, cognizant of Russia's conventional military weakness, the US military budget can instead be trimmed," it adds. He said the Russian military is "not nearly as powerful as we thought it was."

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