Russia

The Ukrainian army that is not afraid of Russia. They arrive as outdated machines and become robots for war

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The year 2025 has been a radical change in the Ukraine War. We had seen drones with shotguns of double cannonrobots Lanzaluelaunmanned vessels With missilesairplanes With shotguns or even devices with kilometer cables of optical fiber Looking for its goal through algorithms. However, in recent months a change in trend has been accelerated. Because soldiers are no longer recruited, they are recruited directly robots. Even if they are antiques. Improvising on the front line. It Forbes counted. In an abandoned Soviet warehouse in Donetsk, Ukrainian soldiers and engineers transform old vehicles into non -manned combat systems, the called UGV. Under the command of Oleksandr, head of the Robotic Unit of the Antares Battalion, the workshops work thanks to raffles, donations and volunteer networks that Finish pieces and spare parts. Robots arrive with analog communications vulnerable to Russian electronic war and are completely comforted: new chassis, digital systems, StarlinkLte or encrypted links. Each conversion costs Between 750 and 1,000 dollarswithout counting satellite equipment, and requires maintenance after each mission. Once ready, the UGV are mostly destined for tasks logistics and evacuationtransporting ammunition, food or injured under enemy fire, although some are equipped with turretsmortars or electronic war modules. The speed remains limited and unstable connectivity, which forces them to use them mainly at night or in discretion conditions to avoid Russian kamikaze drones. Robots against the death zone. The proliferation of drones in Ukraine has extended The Russian “Kill” More than 15 kilometers behind the front line, causing entering or leaving positions to be one of the most lethal maneuvers. In fact, up to a 80% of the casualties Russians are already attributed to unmanned systems, and losses of Ukrainian logistics vehicles have forced multiply the use of UGVS for supplies and evacuations. The need is so high that in December 2024 the first compound Ukrainian assault was documented entirely by robotsand in July 2025 the 3rd Assault Brigade achieved an operation with Russian surrender Without own casualties. However, the UGV follow being vulnerable: day they are easy prey of FPV drones, and any signal failure can leave a wounded in the open field. Given this, some units are used as suicidal vehicles, launched against trenches, bridges or mined fields to detonate loads and open path. Another UGV development An accelerated race. Both kyiv and Moscow They experience With fleets of terrestrial robots, aware that the future of combat will depend on the mass integration of autonomous systems. Ukraine aspires to deploy 15,000 UGV By the end of 2025, supported by The Brave1 programwhile Russia shows prototypes With thermobáric launchers in their state media. The analysts They point That kyiv maintains advantage thanks to a decentralized network of start-ups and creative brigades, while Russia still depends on fragmented and volunteer efforts. At the same time, other global actors Like China They observe carefully the Ukrainian innovations to incorporate them into their own war doctrines. The test terrain in Donbás is accelerating a cycle of military innovation that in peace times would have been. Of logistics to direct fire. Ukrainian brigades already work for prototypes that They go further of the simple delivery of supplies: anti -aircraft turrets, UGVs kamikaze with Starlink to attack tanks, and modular platforms that can be adapted according to the mission. The main challenge is to reduce costs and simplify the operation to massify its deployment. The 28th mechanized brigade even presented a UGV equipped with A manpads Iglacapable of folding drones or low -level helicopters keeping operators covered. The vision is clear: an army in which the machines do the most dangerous work and the soldiers are preserved for control and supervision missions. The role of civil innovation. The rapid evolution of this robotic war It would not be possible without the direct intervention of Civil engineers and entrepreneurswhich have created a unique ecosystem of warlike innovation. Organizations as dignitas Ukraine They drive the Victory Robots programThey train soldiers in the management of UGVs and spread best practices among brigades. These initiatives They seek to build a “technological shield” that reduces human casualties and accelerates the adoption of autonomous systems. The next phase, they anticipate, will be the integration of artificial intelligence into terrestrial robots, multiplying their autonomy and efficiency in the battlefield. A robotic army. The Ukrainian bet for the UGV is not conjunctural, but part of a long -term strategy to compensate for demographic inferiority against Russia. If they manage to industrialize their production and stabilize the supply chain, these robots could become In spine From a hybrid army in which humans and machines fight side by side. Thus, the perspective of a future where entire brigades are accompanied by swarms of aerial drones and autonomous land vehicles no longer belong to science fiction, but to everyday reality of the Ukrainian front. For kyiv, robotics is more than a tool: it is the key to resist for years in a wear war and, perhaps, to define what the wars of the 21st century will be. Image | TV Zvezda, Gopua In Xataka | Something unprecedented in Ukraine is happening: combat drones do not need humans to coordinate and attack In Xataka | We had seen the drones of Ukraine do everything, but this is new: they are arriving lost to countries outside the war

that Russia is getting closer

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1,300 kilometers from the north pole is the town more northern inhabited of the world. We refer to the Norwegian people of Svalbard, an extreme region, a gigantic ice cream, much above the Arctic Circle where 2,500 people officially have Forbidden to die. And yet, what worries them most has nothing to do with their climate or geographical place. What worries them most is that Russia is getting closer. Forbidden to die. It We have counted. In Svalbard one of the most peculiar rules on the planet governs: it is Forbidden to die In Longyearbyen, its capital, because the permafrost prevents the decomposition of the corpses and preserves viruses and bacteria for decades, which was already checked when bodies buried in 1918 still contained traces of the Spanish flu virus. Since 1950the cemeteries stopped accepting deceased and any seriously ill or elderly person must move to the continent to spend their last days there, while the few still visible burials are vestiges of previous times. The rule reflects both the hardness of living in the Arctic Like fragility of a settlement where life, and even death, is conditioned by ice eternal. The new Arctic border. I told the weekend Bloomberg. On the top of the island of Spitsbergen, in the Svalbard archipelago, Raise Svalsatthe largest earthly satellite station in the world, with 170 domes that connect every few seconds with satellites in polar orbit and provide critical data for weather, navigation, climate research and maritime security. Its location, 78 degrees north and with access to airports and ice -free ports, it gives this Norwegian enclave a unique strategic relevance in an Arctic every time More disputed. Norway sees it as a Sovereignty symbol And it has expanded with energy and communications projects, collaborating with agencies such as NASA, ESA or Oneweb. However, the dependence of this technological node and its potential dual use reinforce the Russia tensionwhich accuses Oslo of rape Svalbard’s treaty When there are submarine cables and demonstrate too much emphasis on territorial control. Svalbard Satellite Station Russia and symbolic persistence. Just a few kilometers from Longyearbyenthe Norwegian capital of the archipelago, resists BARENTSBURGa Russian mining settlement that, with just 400 inhabitants, on Soviet flags and maintains a bust of Lenin as a reminder of its history. Managed by the state company Trust Arktikugolthe people have renewed facilities, open a gym, promoted tourism and signed agreements with Russian universities, although their mine lacks real economic viability. In practice, it represents A strategic symbol For Moscow in the Arctic. After the invasion of Ukraine, the relations between the Norwegian and Russian communities cool: They canceled visits Tourist to Barentsburg, joint sports activities were suspended and many Ukrainian miners returned home. What previously survived the Cold War today has broken under the pressure of war and sanctions. BARENTSBURG Svalbard and uncertainty. The Norwegian government insists in that “Svalbard is as Norwegian as Oslo”, reinforcing his control through visits from authorities, indirect military presence and international projection. However, everyday reality is that of a community of 2,500 people of more than 50 nationalities, Tourism dependent And of expensive imports in a hostile environment where permafrost melts, basic services are limited and the last Norwegian coal mine is about to close. The transition from an industrial past to a post -mimine economy leaves open questions: What will replace mining, how much tourism can be allowed and how to sustain a diverse population without causing internal tensions. The Life in Svalbardmarked by polar bears, mortal avalanches and the lack of maternity or geriatric centers, remember that there everyone lives in time borrowed. “ A global rivalry. The War in UkraineTrump’s gestures claiming Greenland and the Russian militarization of the Kola Peninsula have turned the north into an epicenter of Geopolitical rivalry. With the accelerated thaw opening routes such as the passage of the northeast and multiplying the strategic value of resources and communications, Svalbard emerges as a microcosm of the worldwide struggle: A place where science, defense and trade are intertwined with political symbols and sovereignty shocks. For Longyearbyen residents, the transition has been palpable: from a mining people cohesive to a community exposed to global currents that generate diffuse identity and tensions with their Russian neighbors. As expressed A veteran resident, even in the coldest times of the cold war, local cooperation persisted. Now, that coexistence also seems lost, leaving Svalbard in the awkward first line of a new era of Arctic Competition. Between tourism, science and climate. Plus: the mines It raises an economic vacuum that only partly They fill tourismincreasingly massive with the arrival of cruises, and scientific projects such as World Seed Bankwhich barely offer employment. Meanwhile, Arctic heating, four times faster That the global average melts permafrost and compromises infrastructure, makes energy more expensive and multiplies natural risks. The dilemma of how much tourism growth accept, how to attract permanent families and what role in global research defines the next Svalbard stage. And in the midst of these tensions, the inhabitants try to maintain their identity and resilience, aware that they live in a territory where nature and Geopolitics They weigh as much as the will of their own residents. Image | Sprok, Bernt Rostad In Xataka | Eight Rompehielos have turned Russia into the power of the Arctic. Your secret: Nuclear force to operate all year In Xataka | We already know why Greenland is so important: the key is called Giuk and gives access to China and Russia east of the US

Russia is trying to conquer the Chinese pig market. Beijing has just provided it with rates of up to 62% to the EU

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Beijing has decided to strengthen its pressure on the European pig sector in an evening retaliation to The rates applied By Brussels to the electric cars ‘Made in China’. And plan to do it big, adding tariffs of up to 62.4% to EU meat exports. In Spain the employer already He has nuanced That their companies will pay only 20% (some less), but if there is a country that can look with satisfaction, China’s decision is not Spain, but Russia. After all, Moscow has been wanting to win Market share in Asia. What happened? That the European pig has started September with turbulence. Turbulence that also affect one of its large markets: China. On Friday the Ministry of Commerce of the Asian Giant advertisement that since Wednesday will impose provisional tariffs of up to 62.4% To a series of pig products and by -products, a whole malazo for the community sector, which every year sells in China thousands and thousands of tons of pork. According to the Pig333 specialized platform, only during the first quarter of 2025 the EU exported more than 1.1 million tons to countries located outside the community club. Among the nations that contributed the most to that figure are Spain, with 35% of exports, followed by Netherlands, Denmark and Poland. At the other end of the chain, the fate of the meat is China, which was made with 296,500 tons, almost 27% of the total. It is followed by the United Kingdom and the Philippines. What does that rate of 62.4%mean? The figure is overwhelming, but Beijing’s tariff policy will not affect all EU countries equally. In an interporp fact, the agri -food interprofessional organization of the white -layer Portio, stands out that the Spanish industry will be the best standing in Europe. Although the rate will effectively reach 62.4% for the company of other countries in the region, the employer clarifies that for local firms that penalty will be quite lower: 20%or even lower in some specific case. And what is the reason? EFE Precise That the largest tariffs, up to 62.4%, will apply to companies that do not collaborate with Chinese authorities. Those who do will see how that low rate at 20%, the percentage that the well, Noel, Campofrío, Cárnicas Five Villas, Fiselva or Sánchez Romero Cavajal must face. The general photo is however more complex: China plans to do certain exceptions with the companies that his delegation has taken by way of sample for his investigation. Among them are the Dutch Vion, which will face a tariff of 32.7%; Danish Danish Crown, who will assume a rate of 31.3%; and the Spanish Litera Meat, based in Huesca, the most favored with 15.6%. Why those rates? Largely for the automotive. Perhaps the meat and automobile industry do not have much to do, but if we talk about economic policy, commercial flow and tariffs things change. When Brussels decided Upload your rates To the electric cars ‘Made in China’, Beijing reacted pointing to one of the European sectors that depends most on the Asian giant, the pig. As? The Xi Jinping government began an investigation ‘Antidumping’ Focused on EU’s pig imports, a process with which, China alleges wants to avoid the alleged unfair competition that affects its own companies. These investigations began in 2024, but In June Beijing decided to expand the investigation until at least mid -December. Once the process ends, the government will announce the permanent tariffs, but until then it has opted for temporary rates. As remember The Ministry of Commerce, its preliminary study identified a case of dumping Related to pork from the EU, which would have caused “important damage” to Chinese companies. Is it so serious? It is no accident that Beijing has set just in that sector. China is a Important producer of pigs, but also a enormous gigantic market that matters every year hundreds of thousands of tons of meat, a flow that generates in turn thousands of millions of dollars. And that market the EU (and especially countries with broad livestock cabins, such as Spain) plays a key role. Despite having slightly reduced its purchases, in 2024 the Asian giant remained the main destination of community pork, with a flow of 1.12 million of tons. In 2020, when the sector of the country was affected by the African swine plague, that data came to 3.34 million. In the specific case of Spain, which together with Germany and France plays A fundamental role In the European pig industry, the figures are equally eloquent. “China is the main destination market for the meat and by -products of the Spanish pig. In 2024 exports to this country reached 540,000 t, with a value greater than 1,097 million euros, which represents almost 20% of the total exported volume and 12.5% ​​of the value of sales,” remember Interporc. Is it bad for everyone? No. There is a country that probably see with expectation commercial tensions between China and Europe, especially if we talk about the pig sector: Russia. Moscow was set out from the appetizing (and millionaire) Chinese market for about A decade and a half Due to the health restrictions applied by Beijing in 2008 to protect from the African pig plague. That veto was broken in March 2024, when Russia managed to send a first game of 27 tons of pig to the Asian giant. It was a modest amount, true, but a success for Russia, which had been trying to open a hole in the Chinese market for years. Last July, Russian pork exports to China already reached 12.4 million dollars, According to Echemiwhich ensures that this figure represents a 22% increase compared to June. It is not the only sign that Moscow is managing to recover land in the Asian market. Just a few days ago the Intefax agency revealed That Kremlin expects Beijing to increase the number of Russian companies authorized to export meat to China, a possibility that looks with optimism. “We are communicating … Read more

Russia has recovered a Soviet festival as a cultural and political counterweight of Eurovision. It will not be easy

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You may like more or less, but there is an indisputable truth about Eurovision: it is not just a music festival. Beyond choreographies, lights, Brillibrilli And the catchy melodies, the appointment organized by the UUr is loaded with geopolitics. Russia knows. Hence, you have decided to start Your own alternative to the European Festival, which was expelled by the invasion of Ukraine: Interview. Your name may find you strange, but connect with an appointment of the Soviet era. The big question, now that the festival has started Your countdownit is whether Interview will become a real alternative to Eurovision. It will not be easy. What happened? That Russia is promoting its own Eurovision. Or rather, he wants to recover an old festival that hurts its roots in the time of the USSR, back in the 60s and 70s, when it served as showcase and agglutinator of the nations of the socialist block. The appointment is called Interview And it has been cooking over the last months: In February Vladimir Putin gave order to start it, In June The first participants were announced and (except for unforeseen changes) the appointment will be held in two weeks, Saturday 20in Moscow. Do we know what it will be like? More or less. The web Interview is grim Live Arena From the Russian capital, it will be issued through the official channel Piervy Kanal and will include about twenty artists. In June, at the beginning The countdown From the appointment, the organization talked about the participation of 20 countries, especially members of the geopolitical block BRICS and CEIalthough the list includes some surprise. Specifically those responsible for the festival They announced As participants to Azerbaijan, Belarus, Venezuela, Vietnam, Egypt, India, Kazakstán, Qatar, China, Colombia, Cuba, Kyrgyzstan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, United States, Tayikistan, Uzbekistan, South Africa and Russia itself. Only only the representatives of 17 candidates are announced on the interview website, including the great surprise: the US flag bearer artist, Brandon Howard. Why is it interesting? Input because it shows the determination of Vladimir Putin to recover interview, An old appointment Soviet whose history can go back to the 60s and 70s and that had Two great stages: between 1965 and 1968, when it was developed in Czechoslovakia; and between 1977 and 1980, when Sopot, Poland, replacing the City International Festival. In the early 80s the authorities decided to cancel it after the emergence of the movement Solidarność and his destiny was definitely marked with the fall of the USSR. In 2008 He had a fleeting resurgence and in 2014 Putin He showed his interest In recovering the cut, but the authentic support seems to have now received it, in 2025, Three years later that the Uuer decided to expel Russia from the Eurovision Festival for the invasion of Ukraine. What does Putin intend? Interview resurgence is not a simple matter of nostalgia or historical curiosity. In the festival there is a clear component of geopolitics and culture, just like there is in Eurovision. Good test is the list of countries with confirmed representatives or Howard’s presence. The context is not accidental either: the relaunch of interview comes three years after the Uuer showed the exit door to Russia, after Putin Try to recover Friendship games as an alternative to the Olympic Games (of which It was also excluded for his role in Ukraine) and in a moment of international claim in which the Russian leader has been shown with such relevant leaders Like Xi Jingping, Narendra Modi or even Donald Trump. Is it only geopolitics? No. There is also a cultural factor that Kremlin wanted to make clear from the beginning. Months ago, after the return of Interview, the Russian senator Liliya Gamerova was announced He claimed that the festival “will promote real music” and turn its back on “false values ​​outside any normal person” in an evening reference to Eurovision. In 2014, Putin’s vindication of Interview coincided with the victory at the European Festival of Conchita Wurst And last year the winner was the non -binary artist Nemo Mettler. In a Interesting analysis Posted today in The Guardian Elise Morton recalls that throughout the last decades Eurovision has been associated with the causes LGBTQ+, a link that can be traced at least 1997, with the participation of PALL ÓSKARthe first openly gay contestant of the festival. 11 years ago the victory of the Drag Queen Wurst coincided with Putin’s attempt to promote “traditional values” in Russia, which included limiting LGBTQ+contents. What will it be for? With interview, The expert reflects In Visual Cultura Bárbara Barreiro, the objective of the Kremlin is clear: to create a “cultural counterweight” to Eurovision, “to challenge Western cultural dominance” at a time when the UER Festival has become a “representative of liberal values.” Not just that. As Morton remembers, it has also served as a showcase so that countries that were under Soviet domain exhibit their cultural independence. Will it have it easy? It does not seem. Eurovision’s popularity lies in its effectiveness as an audiovisual show, something to which interview should aspire. And no matter how much the Russian festival presumably an artist poster, the truth is that it starts with some disadvantages. To begin its ignorance and the low impact that seems to be having on social networks. On Instagram the event has just over 4,000 followers. It is a figure understandable by the difficulties in accessing the platform from Russia, but its mark on the Russian network Vkontakte And Telegram is not much better, with just dozens of followers. Is it the only handicap? Another logistics challenge is the time spindle. Although in Eurovision Australia participatesmost participating countries (whether or not in Europe) share a more or less similar schedule. To hit with an hour of maximum audience does not represent a great challenge for its organizers. Nor manage a vote system that makes the audience feel participate. Musicians from countries such as the US, Russia, China or Saudi Arabia … Read more

We sensed that China and Russia leaders wanted to transcend in history. What we did not imagine was how much

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Possibly, the moment that has most talk in the media during The military parade In China it has not been the Power shown By Beijing, but a conversation that lasted less than a minute among the leaders of China and Russia. “Before, it was rare to reach 70, but today, at 70, one is still a child,” Xi commented. “Reach immortality,” Putin replied. Because eternal “youth” has been a purpose of the president for years. An open micro. What happened was that An open microphone He captured an unexpected conversation between Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin who showed not only his personal concerns, but also how biotechnology crosses the geopolitics. XI commented that in this century it could be possible for humans to live Until 150 years (“It is forecast that, in this century, you can also live up to 150“He said), while Putin, through a translator, spoke of organ transplants as a way towards perpetual youth and even” immortality. “ The scene, broadcast live on Chinese state television, offered an unusual intimate vision of two septuagenarian leaders who have eliminated mandate and maneuverado limits to prolong their permanence in power. An obsession. The Russian president He confirmed later The content of the talk, underlining that medical and surgical advances open the possibility of a much longer life. For years he has converted longevity in political priorityordering your Ministry of Health work in this field and encouraging state projects such as those of Rosatomwhich claims to develop techniques for “Print “human organs In laboratory. Your personal interest in health It is notorious: During the pandemic he imposed strict quarantine who had to meet with him and has promoted constitutional changes that would allow him to continue in power until 2036, when he would be 83 years old. In search of immortality. I counted in a The Times report That, in a context marked by the war in Ukraine and the demographic crisis that hits Russia, an official commission highlighted the priorities of the Kremlin elite: scientists from different institutions had received urgent orders from focus your research In anti -aging therapies, cell regeneration, immune reinforcement and advanced biomedicine, including 3D organ bioimpression. The initiative was Linked to Mikhail Kovalchuk77, nuclear physicist, president of the Kurchátov Institute and intimate friend of Putin, known both for his political influence and his personal obsessions. Kovalchuk also supervises a State Genetics Program in which the president’s eldest daughter, María Vorontsova, endocrinologist of training participates. Personal and political objective. Kovalchuk was described in the report as “crazy” For the idea of ​​eternal life, and it would have been the one who took the project directly to Putin, triggering a waterfall of ministerial orders that demanded immediate results. For some scientists, the mandate touched the absurd, by allocating resources to prolong the life of a septuagenarian elite while hundreds of thousands of young Russians die or are mutilated in the front. A source of the National Medical Center itself He defined it as “pure cynicism”, by prioritizing the rejuvenation of aged leaders on the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers. Conspiracy beliefs and esotericism. The background of these initiatives was mixed with the conspiracy vision that Putin and Kovalchuk share. The latter He has affirmed that the West develops biological weapons specifically directed against ethnic Russians and that the United States would have created a “subspecies of servants” with limited self -consciousness. Such ideas are intertwined with practices of Doubtful scientific base: Putin, despite having access to the best health, Supremely submit To bathrooms with bloods of siberian deer horns, a folkloric treatment that in Russia is attributed to rejuvenating and aphrodisiac properties. Pioneers of longevity. Death last year of Vladimir KhavinsonRussian longevity researcher marked the end of an influential figure in the development of rejuvenating drugs allegedly used by Soviet leaders such as Brézhnev. Although there are no solid evidence of its effective They would have appealed to your treatments. Its scientific legacy, halfway between biomedical research and pseudoscience, reflects the ambiguity of Russian policy in this field. The transhumanist dream. Beyond the Kremlin efforts, private figures also drive radical projects: Dmitri ITSKOVRussian billionaire, for years a initiative to transfer Human consciousness to artificial supports in 2035, with the promise of an indefinite life. In neighboring Kazakhstan, former president Nursultán Nazarbáyev claimed in 2010 that his scientists They will decipher the secret of immortality, although at 84 he still awaits the fruits of that effort. Examples that illustrate how the aspiration to prolong life has become a recurring obsession between Postsoviet elites. Chinese ambition. Returning to the meeting that took place yesterday with that audio between both leaders, by XI, remembered the New York Times that until now he had avoided public speaking about longevity in such ambitious terms as Putin, but showed that he shares at least the fascination with an extended life. At 72, he has suppressed the limits of mandate and seeks a fourth period in 2027 without having indicated a successor, which makes his physical and political stability intertwined. His reference at 150 years of life would fit his speech of “Take care of the elderly” and guarantee well -being in old age, although in their public image, visible age signals such as gray hair are already made, in contrast to the tradition of leaders that hide their aging. Historical context. Be that as it may, the moment occurred while both leaders, accompanied by Kim Jong-un, ascended to the Tiananmén Gate Tribune to witness a parade that showed The most advanced arsenal from China (Although not everything). That exhibition of military power, together with the conversation captured Random, it reflects the contrast between the ambition to perpetuate itself in power and the ability to project strength globally. The longevity, both personal and political, thus becomes a shared obsession: prolonging life not only of the leaders, but of the power system they represent. Between the sciencesymbolism and geopolitics, the conversation suggests that both Moscow and Beijing see in the “extension” of life a … Read more

Ukraine has just opened the tanks used by Russia. The surprise is capital: West has manufactured them

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In the war there are also “unboxing”, but of combat drones. In fact, this is how they have been revealed from hidden messages of the troops of Moscow, until The origin of the vast majority of technology components (with big surprises). It was also revealed to what extent China is part of the war machinery, or even that the power of these unmanned combat planes has Nvidia as an engine major. What we did not know so far is what was inside the Russian tanks. Foreign dependence. Yeah, Revelation of Ukrainian intelligence on the massive use of Western and Asian teams in the production of Russian tanks has revealed to what extent Kremlin’s industrial self -sufficiency It is compromised. He Updated report Del Gur details more than 260 high precision machines employed by uralvagonzavodthe only great manufacturer of combat cars in Russia and responsible for the entire range of T-seriesfrom the V-72 veterans to him T-14 Armata. Made in the West. The majority of these teams, which include American vertical lathes, Italian folding German machining centers and presses, were acquired in the fifteen years prior to 2022during military modernization prior to the invasion of Ukraine. In other words, although they do not constitute violations of the most recent sanctions, their presence in Russian factories raises a continuity problem: Without spare parts or software updates, armored production runs the risk of degrading quickly. The central role of Uralvagonzavod. Based in the urales, Uralvagonzavod It concentrates the heart of the Russian capacity of armor, holding a production that is estimated at 20 to 30 new tanks per month, despite the pressure of the war. In 2024 he opened a equipped engines plant with European CNC machinesevidence of how even in the middle of the war campaign Russia continued to benefit from foreign technology through indirect routes and third countries. The gur warns That these deliveries, although more complicated and expensive due to the sanctions, have not stopped, which keeps alive the assembly line of the Russian armored ones. The paradox is that the Soviet industrial prestige, once a symbol of self -sufficiency, now rests largely on the legacy of foreign machinery. The strategic dimension. The Published list By Ukraine, which also collects 42 types of equipment from Austria, Japan, South Korea and China, points to a broader pattern: Russia uses a total of 1,396 foreign machines in 169 factories linked to the invasion. Each of these teams It is documented through contracts, recordings and files of state acquisitions, which gives the probative weight to the complaint. The Ukrainian message seems clear: when cutting access to spare parts, technical fluids and software licenses, the Russian military industrial base can be strangled. kyiv has proposed Reinforced diligence measures, such as adding GPS trackers to exported machines and demanding in situ inspections, in order to prevent their products from ending up holding the enemy war industry. Vulnerability mirrors. We have counted before. The finding of Western components and Chinese in drones long -range manufactured by Moscow, local versions of the Iranian Shahed, reinforces the thesis that the Russian military industry depends critically on foreign pieces. Kremlin can hide this weakness With propaganda On its technological autonomy, but in practice its war machine is based on gears manufactured in countries that are today part of the Block that sanctions it. Putin himself, aware of the limits of production, He publicly admitted In April that “there are not enough weapons”, reflecting the tensions between the self -sufficiency discourse and the reality of an industry that, without access to the West, runs the risk of being paralyzed. The industrial Achilles heel. If you want, the Ukrainian complaint converts the Russian dependence on a strategic Achilles heel: while its army spends armored in the front at a higher pace, the ability to manufacture new depends on Machines that do not control. If the sanctions manage to isolate Moscow with spare parts and services, the ability to sustain their war effort could deteriorate irreversibly. When exposing these vulnerabilities, kyiv not only seeks to weaken the enemy, but also directly involve To Western manufacturers and governments in the supervision of their export chains, remembering that another battle is fought in the Ural workshops: that of the industrial pulse that can decide war. Image | Вталий кзьин In Xataka | Ukraine has opened the most advanced Drone Kamikaze in Russia. Now they know what the key to their power is: nvidia In Xataka | Ukraine has hunted an “invisible” drone of Russia. The surprise has been capitalized when opening it: it is “made in USA”

The Maginot line defended Europe from the Nazi invasion. History is being repeated by Russia, but now it is not just concrete

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The Maginot line It was a monumental but rigid wall initiated by France, so much, which was dodged in 1940 by the Wehrmacht through the Ardenas. Perhaps for this reason, today’s Europe assumes that no defense line can totally shield its borders, but it can channel and delay an invasion, while determining Moscow to undertake it. The crucial difference is that this time it is not just concrete. The return of an iron curtain. Eighty years after Churchill will proclaim That a “steel curtain” had fallen over Europe, the metaphor It is reversed: Now it is the western countries that raise walls, ditches and defense systems on their eastern borders. The erosion of the Security Framework after the Cold War, the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the perception that Moscow could redirect strength towards the Baltic or Finland countries They have triggered a vast fortification program reminiscent of the great defensive projects of the twentieth century, although with XXI technologies. The beginning. We have coming counting. From the Finnish Lapia to the Polish province of Lublin, Europe prepares to build a new “iron curtain”, but this time not ideology, but of steel and explosives. Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, guardians of more than 3,400 kilometers of border with Russia and Belarus, have decided abandon The Ottawa Convention of 1997, which will allow them since the late 2025 to manufacture, store and deploy millions of antipersone and anti -tank mines. The measure, considered unthinkable just two decades ago, responds to the conviction that only one lethal and deterrence obstacle It can stop an eventual Russian offensive in a moment of maximum tension in the NATO eastern flank. Remains of the Maginot Line The end of a consensus. The decision is a drastic turn against international efforts that, from the 1990s, with figures ranging from Princess Diana to Tony Blair as driversThey sought to eradicate land mines due to their indiscriminate character and their devastating effect on civilians long after conflicts. That humanitarian ideal, translated into a treaty signed by 164 countries, now fades before the Russian threat, which never joined the agreement and today accumulates More than 26 million minesmassively used in Ukraine. The perception in Eastern Europe is clear: prohibiting them was a luxury of safe times; Today, national survival It demands to recover them. The epicenter: Lithuania. The most dramatic case is that of Lithuania, which must Defend 720 kilometers of border with Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, including the strategic Suwalki runneronly land step for NATO reinforcements towards Baltic countries. There, in villages as Šadžiūnaibarely inhabited by the elderly who remember the devastation of World War II, the inhabitants fear that their pine and birch forests, already surrounded by fences and border stalls, soon become mined fields. The contrast between rural life and imminence of a war scenario summarizes the Decision rawness. Europe divided by the original “curtain” of Churchill. NATO countries in Azul, the members of the Warsaw Pact in red, those not aligned in green and neutral gray countries (1988) Total defense and strategic urgency. Vilna plans to spend the 5.5% of your GDP In defense (more than double the United Kingdom) and has already reserved 800 million euros to produce hundreds of thousands of mines of all kinds. These will be integrated into a “counter -river” strategy that also includes dragon teeth, ditches, armed drones and long -range artillery. Lithuanian leaders, such as Defense Minister Dovile Šakalienė and her predecessor Laurynas Kasčiūnas, They argue That history shows that Russia only respects strength, and that the experience of Ukraine, which destroyed its arsenals by the treaty and today suffers millions of Russian mines in its territory, is an impossible warning to ignore. The closure of the most extensive border. With 1,340 kilometers of shared border, Finland approved the construction in 2023 of a fence that will cover 15% of its border territory, with a cost of more than 400 million dollars and completed completion for 2026. There is a nuance here: not only seeks to stop hypothetical Russian incursions, but also control the flow of citizens fleeing the conscription. The new walls and positions, even in Remote Arctic AreasThey replace the old wooden fences that only served to contain cattle, and mark a symbolic turn on a relatively permeable border. The Balkan effort. Already We tell it. Estonia was a pioneer In 2015 After the Russian annexation of Crimea, and since 2024, the three Baltic states with Poland advance in a joint fortification plan of 700 kilometers, budgeted in more than 2,000 million pounds. The measures include Anti -tanks, concrete dragon teeth, pyramids and blocks of several tons, blocked roads, mines, bridges prepared to fly and trees destined to collapse in case of invasion. In addition, more than 1,000 bunkers and deposits for ammunition and supplies are built, small but capable of resisting artillery fire and hosting squads of up to ten soldiers. In parallel, Poland builds a permanent fence Against Belarusconsidered the main ally of Moscow. Human impact and contradictions. The paradox is evident: it seeks to protect populations from a Russian aggression at the price of introduce weapons They have historically caused most of their victims among civilians, including children. In 2023, more than 2,000 people died in the world due to explosives of this type, often in countries where wars ended decades ago. Baltic governments promise that the mines will remain in deposits and will be activated only in case of emergency, with modern systems that allow to assemble them and disassemble them at a distance. However, families such as Jurate Penkovskiene, who already cava bunkers in his garden while listening to the rumble of NATO exercises, fear for security of their children if their forests become prohibited areas. The new European border. Thus, what is at stake is not only a military change, but a landscape transformation and collective psychology in Eastern Europe. Forests, lakes and border villages aim to be part of a defensive system … Read more

Russia wants to end WhatsApp and Telegram. To do so, he will force his own messaging app accused of spying

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Russia has just moved a key piece on its digital control board. The government has ordered that all mobile phones and tablets that are marketed in the country They must come with a new pre -installed application: ‘Max’, a messaging service promoted by the State that, according to critics, is designed as a Powerful government surveillance tool. It coincides with other restrictions. This new measure occurs just a week after the Russian regulator, Roskomnadzor, will begin to restrict voice calls in services as popular as WhatsApp and Telegram, punishing them for Your refusal to deliver data of its users to the authorities. ‘Max’, the forced replacement that is integrated with the government. This new application does not start from zero. It will replace another messaging application developed by the Russian technological giant VK, which was already mandatory since 2023. However, ‘Max’ goes one step further, since it will be integrated directly with government services, further centralizing the communication of citizens through a platform controlled by the Kremlin. And now has achieved 18 million downloads According to official sources. This measure is part of a law in force since 2021 that forces Smartphone, tablets and computers to include Software of Russian origin. Although the official justification is the protection of citizens’ data, digital rights organizations have been denouncing that the real objective is limit digital freedoms and monitor population activity. An increased control from the war with Ukraine. The campaign against foreign messaging services have been drastically intensified since 2022. The Russian government repeatedly accuses platforms such as Telegram of being used by Ukraine for Ukraine recruit agents and organize terrorist actors in its territory. In this way, as part of its strategy, the Kremlin has already ordered officials and legislators to leave their telegram channels and migrate to ‘Max’. All for your own safety. Or they sell it. The first blow affected WhatsApp and Telegram. Before imposing his new app, Russia had already begun to degrade the experience of competition. Roskomnadzor announced “measures to counteract criminals”, which translated into a Selective restriction of voice calls In WhatsApp and Telegram. Currently, calls on these platforms barely work, since users in Russia are reporting a dumb -plagued service and distorted audio. It is a subtle, but effective way to make applications less useful and frustrating for its combined base of almost 200 million users in the country. The regulator has affirmed that functionality will be restored when applications “begin to comply with Russian legislation”, something that is considered extremely unlikely. Therefore, the degradation of the service could only be the prelude to a total blockade. The ecosystem closes: Rustore mandatory in Apple. The Kremlin plan is not limited to messaging software. The same date that ‘Max’ becomes mandatory, on September 1, another key imposition also enters into force: Rustore, the Russian National Applications Store, It must be pre -installed on all Apple devices. Until now, it was already mandatory on all Android devices sold in the country. With this movement, Russia ensures not only that your applications are on the devices, but also to control the main software distribution channel, closing the circle of its sovereign digital ecosystem. While the authorities insist that these measures are necessary to prevent terrorism and protect minors, for opponents the reality is another: the construction of a great digital firewall to isolate and monitor their citizens. It is not the only country that applies limitations. China with the Impossibility of accessing Google services From its territory, it is a clear example of how countries try to Apply controls to your citizens. North Korea is also another example where A unique operating system is imposed and access to technology is extremely controlled. Images | Igorn In Xataka | Change WhatsApp and Telegram for a European alternative: how to do it and what you should take into account

Russia is building a nuclear weapon capable of destroying all satellites in orbit

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In 1962, the world looked on the edge of the nuclear abyss when the United States discovered the installation of Soviet missiles in Cubaa few kilometers from its coasts. The tension derived from that geopolitical pulse symbolized the fragility of the strategic balance and the ease with which a technological advance or risky play could precipitate the planet towards a total confrontation. Today, more than sixty years later, United States evokes That historical episode when warning about a similar threat, although transferred to space. A new crisis. The announcement that Russia would be developing a Orbital nuclear weapon Able to disable the totality of the satellites in land low orbit has turned on alarms in Washington, with direct comparisons to That crisis of the missiles of Cuba that we commented. According to the declassified data For the US Congress, this system would combine an initial physical attack that would generate a reaction in orbital destruction chain with a nuclear pulse destined to fry the electronics of all affected satellites. The result. It would be, in his opinion, devastating: With the collapse of GPS, communications, intelligence and early missile alert systems, all critical elements for global safety and economy. The United States argues that the weapon, not yet operational, could be unusable for orbit for a whole yeargenerating an unprecedented strategic vacuum in which both Washington and its allies would be exposed to conventional or even nuclear threats without the coverage of their space constellations. The role of satellites. Today orbit More than 12,000 satellites that fulfill vital functions for modern life: from television and navigation services to international military and economic architecture. In fact, the war in Ukraine has already demonstrated its vulnerability when the Russian attack against Viasat In 2022 he left tens of thousands of users without service in much of Europe. More recently, the kidnapping of a satellite signal to issue the Victory Day Parade In Ukraine he showed how cyberspace and outer space are intertwined as new battlefields. The experts They warn that it is enough to exploit outdated software or insecure communication links to disable key satellites, which makes space a Achilles heel of Western democracies. The new space race. We have gone counting. The announcement of the possible Russian weapon coincides with the resurgence of the Spatial competition for the domain of the extraterrestrial resources. The moon has become The centerpiece Of this rivalry: its wealth In Helio-3fuel potential for future nuclear fusion reactors, has triggered plans to establish permanent bases. NASA advertisement the installation of a small nuclear reactor as an initial step to consolidate presence before they do so Russia or Chinathat they already project their own lunar plants. The control of strategic areas of the lunar surface is perceived as a determinant to define the next global hegemony in energy and technology, in a context where the growing demand for energy for artificial intelligence accelerates competition. China between half. While Russia is silent about the alleged antisatellite weapon, China has reacted denouncing Washington for “militarizing space” and accusing it to expand military alliances that convert spatial domain into a war zone. Beijing insists that he opposes an arms race outside the earth, although in parallel promotes projects of space mining and Bases on the Moon that place it on the same competitive board as the United States and Russia. Chinese rhetoric is presented as a guarantor of the international order against a United States accused of exacerbating tension, although the simultaneous development of Technological capabilities of Great reach It reveals a broader power game. Washington’s response. Created In 2019the US space force has assumed the task of protecting national interests in orbit, from communications constellations to military intelligence and navigation satellites. Its fleet includes The X-37ban unmanned ferry that executes prolonged secret missions In orbit and symbolizes Washington’s will to dominate this area. Although small compared to branches such as the army or the navy, the space force It expands and the pentagon Plan to consolidate Soon its headquarters. For US military controls, safe access to space is already a vital interest in national security. The perspective of Russia deploying a space nuclear weapon raises the challenge to a Unpublished scale: The possible paralysis of world satellite infrastructure, with military, economic and psychological consequences comparable to a strategic nuclear attack. A turning point. Be that as it may, the ghost of a “missile crisis in space” reflects that the competition is no longer limited to land, sea and air, not even to cyberspace, but reaches the orbital and lunar domain as new power scenarios. If the United States is right and Russia is allowed to advance with An antisatellite weaponthe global strategic balance could be altered radically, inaugurating an era in which the great powers dispute not only territories, but also access to the infrastructure that sustains modern life. The urgency, both for some and for others, seems clear: or firm limits are established in the military use of space, or the risk that the next great international crisis explodes hundreds of kilometers above our heads will be increasingly real. Image | Steve Jurvetson In Xataka | Bombard the poles with nuclear weapons or build a giant magnet: the most reposted ideas to terraft Mars In Xataka | China has just taken another step in the technological and spatial conquest: an orbital computing network designed for AI

Russia wants to know how trips will affect us to Mars, so you will throw a thousand flies and 75 mice in a rocket

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He Baikonur Cosmodrome, in Kazakhstanhe has witnessed the launch of the Soyuz-2.1b rocket that has put the mission into orbit Bion-M No. 2. This Russian space agency project, Roscosmos, is a crucial step in the investigation of the effects of the microgravityand above all, the Cosmic radiationabout living organisms. But on board they are not human, but travel flies or mice, among other organisms. A varied crew on the ship. As if it were Noah’s ark, 75 mice are found in this ship, more than 1,000 fruit fliescellular crops, microorganisms and plant seeds. For a month, these ‘bionautas’ will orbit the earth in a polo pole trajectory, at an altitude that will expose them to the levels of cosmic radiation significantly higher than those experienced in the International Space Station. A “high -tech mice hotel”. The true protagonists of this mission are the 75 mice, who will travel in a specially designed passenger cabin: a “mini hotel”. Each unit is equipped with food, lighting, ventilation and waste systems to guarantee their well -being during the trip. In addition, chips have been implemented in some of the rodents to be able to monitor the constants in real time. Scientists have divided mice into three groups to compare the results. The first will remain on earth in normal conditions, which is what we call in science ‘control group’. The second will live in a land laboratory in flight equipment identical to those of the satellite. The third group, of course, will be the one who travels to space. In this way, the effects of the space flight of other variables can be isolated. Why are they chosen to mice. It has already become an iconic image to see how in biomedical research Mouse is used as the ideal test ‘subject’. And it is not a coincidence. The mouse has a genetic very similar to human, they have a short life cycle to see changes throughout several generations and are very economical to maintain and feed. On the other hand, for this specific investigation the mice They are very radiation sensitiveso they make it the ideal subjects to give us more information on the effect of this physical phenomenon. It has important implications for our health. The objective of this mission is clear: knowing how this radiation will affect astronauts traveling to the moon or Mars. Cosmic radiation In the long term you can damage cell DNAdrastically increasing the risks of long -term cancer, and what you want is to quantify the real damage and prove countermedons as armor for ships and drugs that avoid these undesirable effects. But it also has medical applications here on Earth. Its results can give us more weapons to fight aging, since the rapid loss of bone and muscle mass suffered by astronauts is a perfect model to study osteoporosis and sarcopenia to find new treatments. There are more research apart from mice. In collaboration with the Vernadsky Institute of Geochemistry and Analytical Chemistry, the mission transports 16 test tubes with dust simulations and lunar rocks. The objective is to study how radiation and space emptiness affect these materials, information of great value for the future development of lunar bases. Other experiments on board will investigate the susceptibility of organisms to radiation, the development of new life support systems and possible medical benefits in the earth derived from spatial biological research. Continuing the legacy of the bion-m No. 1. This mission It was launched in 2013 And he also spent 30 days in the orbit. However, the new mission will orbitate a 97 degree inclination, which will increase exposure to cosmic radiation compared to its predecessor. It is not the first time that it is investigated in space. There are many precedents that exist of space missions that have aimed at investigation. For example, I know analyzed the potential risks of fertility in space in mice or even the Japanese wanted to see If you can procreate in space through mouse embryos. Images | Spacex Joshua J. Cotten In Xataka | Spacex is on its way to having more money than NASA. He has succeeded, in part, because he does not pay taxes

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