Russias

As Europe fights Russia’s hybrid war, a Spanish invention simplifies how to take down its drones in seconds

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Europe attends a wave of drone raids that have violated its airspace, closed airports and exposed the fragility of its defenses. Faced with this hybrid and growing threat, the European Union study get up an “anti-drone wall”: a technological network of radars, sensors and neutralization systems designed to shield the continental sky against an invisible, cheap and increasingly closer enemy. In fact, Spain has several developments underway that it is about to test. The awakening of Spain. The advancement of drones in modern conflicts has completely transformed the nature of warand Spain is preparing to face it with an ambitious military modernization plan. The Armed Forces will celebrate from October 20 to 24 the Atlas 25 exercise in Huelva, the largest joint meeting of Land, Air and Navy for defense and attack with drones. There, Spanish observation, interception and electronic warfare systems will be tested, with the participation of the Defense Operations Command and INTA. It is not just a tactical maneuver: it is a awakening demonstration technology of the national industry, in which companies such as Indra, Arquimea, TRC and Escribano seek to position themselves at the core of European defense against an enemy that already dominates the sky with cheap and lethal swarms. Atlas 25: the great showcase. The exercise will serve as a testing ground for solutions ranging from offensive drones like the Q-Slam 40 of Archimeacapable of operating without GPS, to inhibition and defense systems developed by Indra and Escribano. But it will also be an industrial showcase in which Spain will show its capacity for technological integration and public-private cooperation. The war in Ukraine has shown that every platform is vulnerable to surveillance and air attack, and that survival depends on the speed with which new electronic warfare tools are developed. Following the recent incursions of Russian drones into European airspace, the need for this “anti-drone wall” has become a priority. The Atlas 25Therefore, it is not only a military exercise, but a political and strategic gesture that places Spain at the forefront of that continental response. Nexor Nexor full integration. The Army has chosen the Nexor systemdeveloped by TRC, as the cornerstone of its new electronic warfare strategy. We are talking about a new platform modular command and control which centralizes the information from all deployed sensors in a single interface. In recent maneuvers in Ciudad Real carried out by the 31st Electronic Warfare Regiment, Nexor (militarily named like Cerberus) has demonstrated its ability to detect, intercept and inhibit hostile drones or enemy communications, even in crowded electronic environments. He integrated system artificial intelligence and machine learning, and its open architecture allows the incorporation of new sensors or updates without redoing its structure. On a front where every second counts, Nexor promises to reduce the gap between detection and responseoffering the soldier a unified and simplified view of the environment to overthrow drones in fractions of a second. Nexor National product. In other words, with this system that is being tested, Spain takes a step towards technological sovereignty by processing and storing its own data, without depending on foreign codes or transferring sensitive information to allied or competing powers. The collaboration between TRC and the Army has led to a 100% national tool that reinforces the country’s strategic autonomy and anticipates the type of war in which so much waves like data They are as (or more) decisive than missiles. Strategic investment. The Ministry of Defense promotes a program of 646 million euros intended to reinforce the electronic warfare of the Army, awarded to Indra under the protection of article 346 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows certain contracts to be excluded from common regulations for reasons of national security. 60% of the investment will be allocated to light capabilities, with 16 mobile systems equipped with Vamtac vehicles and interoperable sensors. The forecast is that Indra will rely on specialized companies as CRTwhich has worked with the Army to adapt the solutions to their real needs. The objective seems clear: to create a Spanish, scalable and sovereign system, which combines industrial experience with the technological agility that the battlefield demands today. Spain and the new border. There is no doubt, the lessons from ukraine have exposed both the vulnerability of armies against drones and the urgency to adapt to a war where control of the spectrum is as important as that of the land or the air. Atlas 25 comes at a time when Europe is seeking shield your skies in the face of the Russian hybrid threat and in which Spain emerges as a unexpectedly prepared actor. If you also want, the national industry has gone from being a secondary supplier to becoming a tactical innovation laboratorywhere the integration between technology, intelligence and digital sovereignty set the course. If the future of warfare is a fight between algorithms, sensors and autonomous machines, the nation seems willing to not to be left behind. And Atlas 25 will ultimately be the litmus test of that commitment. Image | CRT In Xataka | Europe has found the antidote to Russian drones. So demand for a 100-year-old gun has skyrocketed In Xataka | Europe has decided to take action against Moscow’s hybrid war. So Germany has started hunting for Russian drones

Russia’s order has triggered anxiety in Europe. Germany and France are already preparing for the worst: 1,000 injured per day

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To the incursions of Russia in the European airspace that took place last week In Poland, Romania and Estoniaanother in Denmark has joined with chaotic consequences for airlines. NATO has raised the voice while Moscow seems to test the allied cohesion in the Baltic. In the background: a series of movements that indicate two things: anxiety has shot in Europe, and some begin to prepare for a war scenario. Denmark does not give credit. Denmark has described As an “unprecedented attack” the incursions of drones that have forced to close the airports of Copenhagen and Oslo for hours, leaving tens of thousands of stranded passengers, in an episode that encompasses the wave of aerial rapes and drones attacks in past days To Poland, Romania and Estonia. The aircraft appeared from multiple directions, alternating lights and then disappearing, and the Danish authorities attribute them to “a capable operator”, while the Kremlin denies it. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen He talked about The “more serious” aggression against a critical infrastructure of Denmark and did not rule out any hypotheses, opinion supported by leaders such as Ukrainian President Zelenski and by EU spokesmen, who see a pattern of reckless actions by Russia. NATO celebrated meetings Under article 4condemned the violations and stressed that Rwill effort capabilities and deterrenceand some officials already contemplate the possibility of more forceful responses (even demolition) if these provocations are repeated. France and preparations. In France, the controversy has exploded after a Publication of Le Canard Enchaînéwhich revealed a letter sent in July by the Minister of Health, Catherine Vautrin, in which she asked French health agencies to prepare for a possible “major commitment” In March 2026. The document urged hospitals to be ready to serve several thousand soldiers during periods that could extend 10 to 180 dayswhich included both French and foreign troops. The news, despite proceeding from a satirical environment, generated accusations that Emmanuel Macron would be secretly planning the country to the war against Russia. The extreme right, represented by the Eurodiputa Thierry Mariani, It went further suggesting that a conflict would allow to suspend the presidential elections of 2027. The official clarification. The Ministry of Health He did not deny authenticity of the letter, but he clarified his goal: it was a Preventive Planning Faced with possible risks and threats that could affect the hospital system, including the arrival of a large number of victims of an international conflict. The measure, according to the Ministerial Crisis Center, sought to guarantee the capacity of the civil health system to absorb a massive flow of military patients in case France, as a member of NATO and ally of Ukraine, was indirectly involved in a war set. It was not, therefore, a war plan per sebut an exercise in advance of contingencies. Germany and preparations. It happens that Germany It has begun To explicitly plan how to face an eventual large -scale conflict between NATO and Russia, the scene that many alliance analysts place Around 2029. Reuters explained That the calculation that marks this preparation is as sober as disturbing: up to 1,000 soldiers Germans wounded per day may require medical care in case of an open confrontation, a figure that the inspector general of Health, Ralf Hoffmann, qualifies as realistic based on the intensity of the fighting and the units involved. Ukraine lessons. The war in Ukraine has radically changed the nature of the injuries. If the bullet wounds predominated before, today the panorama is dominated by the devastating drones effectsMERODERE AND EXPLOSIVE MORMERS, which generate amputations, burns and multiple trauma. Hoffmann Underline That the “death corridor” of ten kilometers on each side of the Ukrainian front, plagued by hostile UAVs, shows how immediate medical evacuations have become almost impossible: injured should often be stabilized for hours under constant fire before being able to be transferred. How to evacuate. With this horizon, Berlin is studying Expand your abilities of flexible medical transport, inspired by the Ukrainian experience with hospital trains. It is considered to incorporate trains, buses and a greater number of sanitary aircraft, with the aim of guaranteeing staggered evacuations: initial attention in the front, intermediate stabilization and final transfer to hospitals within the German territory. This medical logistics chain demands a robust, decentralized and capable system under air and electronic threat. The plan contemplates that the injured receive definitive care especially in civil hospitals, with an estimated volume of 15,000 reserved beds within a national total capacity of 440,000. The coordination between the military medical service and the civil health system will be essential, and the medical body of the Armed Forces, currently 15,000 troops, must be extended significantly to face the magnitude of the challenge. The Kremlin and article 5. Explained the Financial Times That all this climate of extreme anxiety in Europe possibly responds to a Moscow tactic: to demonstrate that the NATO collective defense clause, Article 5it lacks real value. A hesitant response to a provocation could open the door to Russia trying to “break down” small European states without facing the block as a whole. Scenarios such as a land incursion under the pretext of protecting Russian minorities in Baltic countries are part of the recurring fears of military planners. To do this, Moscow has uncertainty that surrounds Washingtonwhose contribution represents about 40 % of the military capacities of the Alliance in Europe. The unknowns Trump. The American factor is decisive. With units of Himars Artillery And tanks already deployed in the Baltic, the military presence is significant, but the key question is what Donald Trump would do in case of open aggression. Distrust is mutual: in Washington some see the Baltic as excessively ideological and aggressive against Moscow, while in Tallin the vote of the United States is remembered with Russia in the UN as An alert signal. The president’s volatility adds an unpredictable element: as well as surprising authorizing Attacks to IranI could react unexpectedly in a crisis in Eastern Europe. Between fear and dependence. The great European powers … Read more

Russia’s ghost fleet

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Something does not fit. The useful life of a superpetrolero is usually about 20 years old. After that time, the fatigue of the helmet and maintenance costs make their most logical destiny a scrapping. The largest place in the world for this work is Alang Beach, in India. However, since 2022, the number of oil tankers sent to the scrapping is in historical minimums. Where are those ships. They have not evaporated. According to a Bloomberg reportThey continue to sail, many of them beyond their “expiration date”, turned into zombies of the seas. The question is why. And the answer, as in so many other recent geopolitical issues, is found in the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the creation of A gigantic ghost float to move the sanctioned oil of Russia. The Russian ghost fleet. After the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Western powers, with the G7 at the head, They imposed a cap of $ 60 per barrel to Russian oil transported by sea. The idea was simple: drowning the income with which the Kremlin financed the war without causing a collapse of the energy market. To work, western shipping companies and insurers (who dominate the market) could not serve cargoes that exceed that price. Moscow’s response was a pentadimensional chess play: to build from scratch a FLOOT Ghost Buying hundreds of old oil tankers, on the verge of retirement, through a network of owners impossible to track. According to analysts, this parallel army already has between 600 and 1,400 ships, a naval force dedicated to transporting Russian oil throughout the world, skipping the sanctions. How an oil tanker hides. With the same tricks that were already using other sanctioned states, such as Iran or Venezuela. Turning off the AIS system transpondor, which emits its identity and position. And transferring oil from one ship to another to bleach it, as exposed This satellite image. But also registering it in countries with lax regulations or little supervision capacity, such as Gabon, Liberia or the Marshall Islands and hiring unknown insurers or even operating the ship without reliable insurance. This is how Russia has managed to maintain its exports of crude at very high levels, mainly towards China and India . The problem of the scrapping. Faced with this situation, in Alang, the huge scarter shipyards entered into recession. The ships that should arrive to be converted into scrap metal have remained activeserving the cause of Kremlin. Now, the situation is beginning to change, but in a way that generates a new geopolitical problem. The oldest and most unsustainable ships of the ghost fleet They are also starting to arrive at Alang For dismantling. For local workers, it is an economic relief. For geopolitics, a mines field. On the one hand, withdrawing these ships is a victory for maritime security and the environment. On the other, it is rewarding the sanctioned entities. For Alang’s unscathers, the incentive is purely economic: they can buy an oil tanker sanctioned with a discount of up to 40% on its market value as scrap. In Xataka | Russia is using Ceuta to avoid sanctions: the problem for Spain is that it is totally legal

Now we know Russia’s trick to multiply his drones. It is called “cooling units” and comes direct from China

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If the question is how far Beijing’s help comes to Moscow with the Ukraine War in the background, the answer is very wide. We knew through documents obtained By Bloomberg that the production of Russian drones was being favored by the use of intermediary companies with China as main actor bound. Now we know something else. The engineering of deception to overcome sanctions. Clandestine flow. I told it in Exclusive Reuters. Apparently, Russia has managed to maintain and expand the production of its drones Kamikaze Garpiya-A1despite the sanctions imposed by the West, thanks to a sophisticated undercover import scheme that involves Chinese companies. Customs documents, internal contracts and invoices reviewed by the medium reveal that the L550E engines manufactured by the Chinese company Xiamen Limbach Aviation Engine Co. continue to arrive at the Russian state company IEMZ KUPOLnow through a Signature called Beijing Xichao International Technology and Trade. To avoid detection, engines are tagged as “Industrial cooling units” in transport documents, which has allowed Your shipment From Beijing to Moscow (and from there to Izhevsk, headquarters of the Kupol plant) without alerting Chinese customs authorities or formally infringing the country’s export legislation. Mass expansion. An internal Kupol document confirms that the company has signed a contract with the Russian Ministry of Defense to manufacture More than 6,000 Garpiya In 2025, tripling the production of the previous year. For April, more than 1,500 units had already been delivered. These drones, long -range and great precision, are regularly employed to Attack civil infrastructure and military deep in the Ukrainian territory. According to kyiv’s intelligence, Russia is using some 500 Garpiya per month. Based technologically on the Iranian Shahed, the Russian model has become a fundamental tool of Kremlin’s war effort, now enhanced by Chinese components that include not only the engine, but also Navigation and control systems. Ghost Companies Network. The path of engines to Russia is carefully disguised. After initial shipping from China, He had Reuters that engines are received by a Russian cover company called SMP-138owned by Abram Goldman, which in turn forwards them to another Russian company, Libss, final responsible for supplying Kupol. A contract between Libss and Kupol Reviewed by means Specifies specifically that the products should be identified as these “cooling equipment” to avoid suspicions. Chinese commercial companies Sichuan Airlines and China Southern Airlines have been used to transport these pieces Criticism of Russia since October 2023, despite the penalties in force. None of these airlines or the companies involved answered the Reuters questions. Ambiguous position. The Chinese Foreign Ministry, in response to the environment, He denied knowledge of these shipments and reiterated that the country strictly apply export controls of double -use goods, in addition to oppose sanctions Unilateral not endorsed by the UN. However, the reality of the continuous flow of military technology towards Russia calls into question that narrative. The Xiamen Limbach company was sanctioned in October of 2023, after an earlier Reuters report that already identified its role in the manufacture of the Garpiya, which caused new intermediaries such as Xichao They assumed the relief. In spite of these measures, or Xiamen or Xichao have given explanations, and the trail of responsibility is more than diffuse among layers of screen companies, documentary opacity and legally ambiguous trade routes. Diplomatic warnings. Plus: Revelation arrives at a time of Growing diplomatic tension Between the European Union and China. The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, will meet with Xi Jinping and Li Qiang at a summit marked by Chinese support suspicions to Russian military machinery. European diplomacy, headed by Kaja Kallas, He has warned Beijing that allowing this type of trade puts the security of the continent at risk. China, meanwhile, insists that He has not exported Lethal weapons and that, if Russia uses its civil products for war, the same could be said of Ukraine. However, according to three senior European security officials, the case of Garpiya demonstrates that the Chinese supply It is not accidental or marginalbut part of a functional network that actively supports Kremlin’s military effort. European deterrence and strategic game. Experts Like Meia Nouwensof the International Institute for Strategic Studies, point out that China’s priority interest is to keep the United States focused on Ukraine, thus avoiding a direct confrontation in the Indo-Pacific. The implicit strategy would be to prolong the European conflict to gain margin of maneuver in Asia. For Brussels, however, the immediate priority is Cut the flow of critical components. Although the EU does not require China to break economic relations with Russia, it does insist that it reinforces its customs and financial controls to avoid the transit of sensitive products. For now, the proliferation of undercover engines and fictional companies shows that, on the Ukrainian battlefield, the China’s technological shadow is increasingly difficult to ignore. Image | Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, State Border Guard Service of Ukraine In Xataka | Ukraine has opened Russia’s last drone and does not leave his astonishment: it is the first time that China does something like that In Xataka | Ukraine has found a solution to China’s veto in drones: it’s called Hell, it’s a “home” missile and bends the scope of the attack

There is a city that maintains much of Russia’s economy in times of war. And it is on the Chinese border

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On the Manzhouli map is a small point north of Mongolia inner, a city with a population similar to Las Palmas and one picturesque square full of replicas of Russian monuments and Matrioskas giants, including a 30 m high that works as a hotel. That is at least what is seen with the naked eye. In Manzhouli practice it is much more: an important Logistics node located right on the border between China and Russia that has gained weight as Moscow’s economy was distanced from the West and narrowed his links with Beijing. So much so that There are those who point since Manzhouli is playing a fundamental role to keep the Russian economy afloat in times of war. In a place in northern China … Manzhouli is far from being the most populous, dynamic or busy city in China, but over the last months has caught the attention of several analysts. He traveled recently Lisa Visentin, correspondent for The Sydney Morning Post. And there has moved now Keith Bradsher, head of the office of The New York Times In Beijing. What is special for this sub -prefecture of Mongola in the interior of just 382,000 inhabitants and a picturesque Russian -inspired theme park full of buildings topped in domes similar to those that can be seen in Moscow and Matrioskas Xl? The answer is simple: Manzhouli is on the border between China and Russia and has managed to carve a key role in the relationship between the two countries at a strategic moment, with the Russian economy marked by the severe sanctions With which the West responded to the War of Ukraine, more than three years ago. At the right time and place. In a wide analysis Posted this week in TnytBradsher points out that today much of the commercial flow between Beijing and Moscow is channeled through Manzhouli, something that is possible thanks in part to its roads and the railway line built at the beginning of the last century by Russia and that passes through the city towards northwest China. Today, trains and trucks traveling from Russia are carried out by the town loaded with wood, planks and other materials that help Beijing avoid imports from North America. From the Chinese town there are also a large number of vehicles destination Russia, where the market suffers the consequences of the sanctions and The withdrawal of European manufacturers. A fact: 65%. As a reference and to understand the economic weight of Manzhouli, in 2022 Global Times (GT)a medium linked to the Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, I calculated that the sight border land port moved up to 65% of all bilateral terrestrial trade between China and Russia. In fact, when many years ago Manzhouli suspended the customs office for weeks to meet the “anti covid-19” measures, a local businessman lamented in GT of losses that amounted to hundreds of thousands of daily yuan. How is it possible? For several factors, although there are two that stand out: their location and infrastructure. Manzhouli is The main one China shopping center with Russia just like Erenhot It is between China and Mongolia. In fact, the city is ceasing to be a “traffic station” of merchandise to become an industrial center. Over there It is processed For example, roller or wood. “Trains from all about China arrive in Manzhouli, one of the six railway ports through which Chinese-Europa trains pass before addressing Russia or other countries in Europe,” collected in 2023 Global Times. “The trains from Europe that go through Russia enter China through Manzhouli before addressing other cities in the country.” During the first quarter the flow of China’s load trains with the continent registered a 7.1% growth In the land port. It matters where … and when. The role of Manzhiuli is today more important because they are also the economic ties between Beijing and Moscow. In 2024 the combined imports and exports of China with Russia added nearby 240,000 million of euros, a historical maximum. The data is also 2% greater than that of 2023, although that increase is far from the 26.3% registered between 2022 and 2023, coinciding with the beginning of the Ukraine War. Bradsher points out that today almost 6% of the Russian economy is based on exports to China and that the flow of merchandise that comes out of China heading to the north It has triggered 71% Since the Kremlin troops advanced on Ukraine. Beijing has become the largest buyer of oil, wood and coal from Russia and in Manzhouli a relationship in which Moscow provides raw materials for the powerful Chinese manufacturing is evident. A perfect relationship? No. Despite this narrow link and that entrepreneurs in the region have managed to make fun of the use of dollars in transactions with Russia (Tnyt speaks With an Entrepreneur from the Manzhouli area that pays Russian wood in Chinese renminbi or rubles through the VTB bank), in the economic relationship between the two countries there are also friction. Moscow forces for example that the carved pines become tables in their own territory and months ago China applied Russian coal tariffs to boost their own production. After the success of Chinese cars in the Russian market, Moscow also chose a considerable rate to imported cars. Images | Wikipedia 1 and 2 Via | Tnyt In Xataka | Ukraine has opened Russia’s last drone and does not leave his astonishment: it is the first time that China does something like that

If the question is how far Russia’s help comes to North Korea, the answer has a war name in Ukraine: Shahed

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At the beginning of June more than what is behind that convergence between Moscow and Pyongyang was known. It was known by The protagonists themselves that North Korea had been sending armament for months and soldiers to Russia in his invasion to Ukraine. In return, Russia was giving him what Kim longed for: A functional army. Therefore, the question in the air seemed clear: how much “? The answer has name and origin … in Iran. The Moscow-pyongyang axis. Revealed it in an extensive interview The War Zone Medium General Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukrainian military intelligence. Apparently, Russia has begun to transfer critical technology to North Korea for the Drones production Long -range Kamikazes and high -precision ballistic missiles, transforming Pyongyang into a key node of Russian war machinery and altering military balance in Asia. Shahed. Among the ceded systems, the ability to manufacture the Shahed-136 drones (known in Russia as Geran), originally from Iranian design and responsible for much of the massive air attacks About Ukraine. Russia already manufactures about 2,000 drones Shahed a month and plan to raise that figure 5,000so the outsourcing towards North Korea responds to a need to maintain the offensive rhythm without saturating its own industry. Providing Pyongyang with this capacity also means giving the possibility of saturate the defenses South Korean antialeas or even re -export drones to Russia for use in Ukraine, feeding a cycle of arms collaboration that consolidates a new authoritarian axis in the global war setting. A Shahed 136 Iranian drone The KN-23 under Russian tutelage. The benefits for North Korea do not end in drones. Budanov details How Moscow has significantly improved North Korean ballistic capacity, especially the KN-23 missile (also known as Hwasong-11), that in its first lots sent to Russia It was useless for its low precision and structural failures. However, thanks to direct technical cooperation with Russian specialists, the missiles have been redesigned until reaching a level of lethal precision, with implications that greatly exceed the Ukrainian conflict. The technological transfer also extends to the system of Air-Aire missiles long range and, possibly more worrying, to submarine systems capable of launching nuclear ballistic missiles. KN-23 The nuclear unknown. Although Budanov does not reveal exact details in the interview, Yes, it makes clear that the development of the naval component of the North Korean nuclear deterrence It is being directly supported by Moscow, which clearly amplifies the destructive potential of Pyongyang and, what is doubtful, alters the strategic balance in the Asian northeast. Korean ammunition. Support is not just technician and we have gone counting. North Korea has provided Russia with an artillery arsenal that includes since Obuses D-74 122 mm to self -propelled cannons 170 mm Koksan and multiple launcher 240 mm mlrs. The latter, According to Budanovthey have proven precise and troops in the field Battle, which explains that Russia has already received 120 units and it is expected that the shipments continue. And much more. In addition, Korea has sent about 11,000 soldiers To the Russian Oblast of Kursk, evidencing that his commitment to Moscow goes far beyond logistics. He also recalled the agreement reached by the Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Serguéi Shoigú, during his visit to Pyongyang, whereby the Entrance of “Labor migrants” North Koreans to replace the exit of Central Asian workers, considered vulnerable to Western infiltration. Budanov warns That many of these “workers” could end up signing military contracts, becoming de facto in Russian soldiers of North Korean nationality, thus expanding the North Korean presence in the front without officially declaring it. Military survival. If you want also, strengthening North Russia – Corea It responds not only to immediate operational needs, but to long -term strategic interests. Moscow obtains armament, soldiers and time. On the other sidewalk, Pyongyang receives technology, implicit diplomatic support and A unique opportunity to position themselves as military power beyond the Korean peninsula. Collaboration is based on a logic of mutual survival: While Russia seeks Nuclear weapons Operational and advanced drones, raising their threat capacity, for example, South Korea and other actors in the region. Challenge to global balance. The alliance, therefore, is not just a regional problem as we indicate A few weeks ago: marks a change in the dynamics of global power, where authoritarian actors share sensitive military technology to avoid sanctions, accelerate their ambitions and challenge established balances. The battlefield in Ukraine, in this context, becomes, again, the laboratory of a new war architecture that now It transcends its borders. Image | National Police of UkrainePresidential Executive Office of Russia, MEHR News Agency, VITALY V. KUZMIN In Xataka | North Korea has been sending armament for months to Russia. In return, Russia is giving him what longs for her: a functional army In Xataka | Russia has confirmed one of the great unknowns of war in Ukraine: North Korea accompanies them and not only with troops

Ukraine soldiers are starting to carry scissors. It is the only way to face Russia’s most lethal weapon

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At the beginning of January the New York Times told which was no longer possible to hide in the Ukraine War. Before the brutality of the contest a technology had sneaked into Evade electronic war and enter the enemy field of both sides as I had not done before. The threat was destroying the lines, making attacks invisible and evading any attempt at interference. Now, that technology has become stronger and deadly in Russia: the optical fiber. The Russian offensive. I explained it a few hours ago BBC in a report. In the Ukrainian town of Rodynske, a few kilometers from Pokrovsk, the war has acquired an even more devastating dimension with the intensive use of 250 kg planning pumps and surveillance and attack drones. The recent impact of one of these projectiles devastated administrative and residential buildings, leaving behind a destruction landscape. Russian troops, unable to take Pokrovsk directly, have begun to surround it strategicallycutting supply routes through a siege that intensifies with every day. The immediate presence of Russian drones about Rodynske reveals that Moscow has advanced from the east, beyond the previously identified positions, displaying their weapons since recently captured areas. The unstoppable rise of fiber. Under that changing scenario, a technology has been perfected as the most feared weapon in the conflict: guided drones by fiber optic cable. Unlike traditional models, their physical connection with the controller makes them immune to electronic interference, one of the most important defensive pillars so far. Although slower and can be tangled (for example, in their passage through trees high), their ability to operate in closed environments, such as Inside buildingsand to stay hidden, each movement of Ukrainian soldiers converts into a possible death sentence. In that sense, Russia has taken the front in its implementation while Ukraine still tested themand although now tries to accelerate its production, the technological difference continues to incline the balance on the battlefield. Fiber cable anchored to a drone in Ukraine The front lines. This new type of threat has completely altered the dynamics of Ukrainian detachments. Soldiers as it is or came, from the 68th Jaeger battalion, They described the BBC How simple transfer to a position can be more lethal than direct combat. The pressure has forced the units to remain much longer in the trenches, without the possibility of rotation. Maksym, gunner of the 5th Assault Battalion, says that they could alternate every few days, but now there are those who take until 120 days in a row on the front. Fatigue, moisture, constant death and the impossibility of lowering the guard have redefined combat. Oses, chief of recognition, explained that Russian tactics have evolved towards small and mobile infiltrations: Motorcycles, quadrimotos, patrols of one or two men who penetrate enemy lines such as scattered pieces on a chess board. Pros and cons of fiber in war. Detailed it in a Interview for The War Zone Yas, a commander of the Ukrainian unmanned units (drones). Operate drones by fiber optic offers an essential tactical advantage: it allows silent control, without detectable emissions, and makes many electronic warfare systems obsolete. However, the system also presents limitations. Drone management It requires great expertisesince an inexperienced pilot can cause losses due to control failures or even unwanted explosions. In addition, the fiber cable can be easily broken or entangled, and technology itself is expensive and difficult to access (especially for Ukraine). Despite this, the success index of fiber drones to achieve and hit their goals Round 50%figure that clearly exceeds that of conventional radiofrequency drones. However, less than 5% of the Ukrainian drone park, According to Yascurrently uses this system, mainly due to the shortage of quality units and the saturation of local manufacturers, many of which, in the beginning, reversed Chinese components without fully understanding the operating requirements in combat. The asymmetric race. In that sense, Russian capacities are not only imposed by number, but by the speed with which Adapt solutions. Every time Ukraine changes frequency or introduces improvements, Moscow responds quickly, climbing his countermeasures in a coordinated way. He has done so with control channels and video transmission. In that context, fiber optic drones They represent a momentary tactical advantage window. Although in Ukraine ranges of 15 and up to 20 kilometers with drones of this type have already been reached, Russia operates models of up to 30 kilometers. Yas lamented to the environment that, except in the case of conventional drones, the Ukrainian State has not yet managed to establish A solid infrastructure of production and deployment for fiber optic drones. A gap that can determine the difference between maintaining defensive positions or losing strategic ground against the enemy. Endurance. In The BBCa Ukrainian soldier said that the fear of drones Invisible Because of the fiber he has led them to start carry scissors everywhere To cut the cables. Technology has already given enough episodes of authentic nightmare where drones have entered buildings chasing human objectives. Meanwhile, and although Russia has made important advances, the Total Take Donetsk It is still far from being an immediate reality. Ukraine continues to resist, but suffers the shortage of ammunition, the imperative need for weapons and a worrying lack of qualified personnel against a more numerous Russian army and with better institutionalized processes at the moment. Yas is clear: The future of the war of drones will depend not only on technology itself, but who is able to organize it and multiply it faster. Meanwhile, every drone that raises the flight with a fiber optic coil becomes a silent bet between life and death. Image | Ministry of Defense of Ukraine In Xataka | The Ukrainian invention that has allowed to repel the waves of Russian attacks: a 41 km fiber optic cable In Xataka | The problem of many to cross the border and flee from the war in Ukraine is not the passport. They are your phones

The war in Ukraine had a red line of 70 kilometers. West has just eliminated it after Russia’s last attack

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The last 48 hours in Ukraine have been plagued by actions and decisions that can change the course of the conflict. Russia has carried out The biggest attack to date on Ukraine with a swarm of drones and a number of missiles released as not remembered. kyiv, meanwhile, needs the help that does not arrive (Patriots) from the United States to deal with Moscow’s disposses, and in the meantime, the West has taken A decision that could change everything. The resurgence of TU-95. In the early hours of March 26, Russia executed the Most significant aerial offensive of the last months, by deploying ten strategic bombers TU-95msm To launch a wave of KH-101 cruise missiles About Ukraine. Six of these aircraft took off from the Olenya Air Base, to the north of the country next to the border with Finland, and the remaining four from Engels, east of Sarátov, in the heart of the European Russia. The trajectories of the missile substantial increase of Russian troops in the northeast of the front. The operation underlines the renewed Centrality of TU-95 In the Kremlin air strategy, despite being a design that sinks its roots in the Soviet era. We talk about a bomber that He was born In 1950. Intercontinental scope. But as important as this vestige of the past are the weapons it carries. Each Tu-95msm can load up to eight KH-101 missilesmounted externally and capable of traveling more than 5,000 kilometers, which allows them to attack objectives throughout the Ukrainian territory without abandoning Russian airspace. Empharged with pools, electronic countermeasures and 400 kilos, these missiles have become one of the pillars of the Russian offensive since the beginning of the war. Although its high cost and the existence of cheaper and smaller alternatives have generated debates about its efficiency, Russia plans to increase its production 600 units per year In 2025, a sign of its commitment to maintain strategic pressure through high precision attacks from long distances. Tu-95 Acorralado Ukraine. On the other sidewalk, Ukraine faces a new and alarming phase in its aerial defense in the face of the increase in Russian attacks With ballistic missilesthe most feared for their speed, destructive power and difficulty of interception. These projectiles, responsible for having destroyed almost half of the country’s energy capacity, have evidenced again the Patriot systems shortageunique capable of dealing effectively. Ukraine failed to intercept any of the nine Russian ballistic missiles launched, including two directed against kyiv, despite having deployed there Patriot units. Although the rest of the more than 900 drones and 65 cruise missiles were mostly neutralized, ballistic missiles represent an uncontrollable threat that has caused dozens of dead only so far from 2025, including lethal attacks against Sumy and Kryvyi Rih. Washington: Yes but no. The change of administration in the United States has meant a drastic turn in military assistance policy. While Trump has verbally condemned the last Russian attacks (he reached Call Putin “Crazy”), he did not offer new aid commitments, and his Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, was sharp by stating that “we don’t have” more patriots to send. Instead of direct donations, Washington is pressing its European allies To give Part of its own arsenals, something that does not progress, because no country wants to weaken its internal defense. Raytheon, American manufacturer of the Patriots, has not yet achieved increase your production to meet the post-2022 demand. Under this new paradigm, kyiv believes that the White House would be arranged to sell systemsbut not give them awaywhich forces Ukraine to adapt its strategy to a more transactional relationship: the defense is now negotiated, it is not granted. West breaks its limits. A few hours ago, and in a significant turn in Western military policy towards war in Ukraine, Germany, together with the United Kingdom, France and the United States, has first eliminated the first time the scope restrictions in the weapons that supplies Kyiv, allowing him to directly attack military objectives within the Russian territory (beyond the 70 km). The announcement was made by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz after The biggest attack With Russian drones that we commented, an offensive that stressed the need to allow Kyiv to respond forcefully. The news marks a Posture change Regarding previous fear To provoke an escalation with a nuclear power such as Russia, and according to Merz, it establishes an essential difference between the legitimate military purposes of Ukraine and the deliberate attacks against civilians by the Kremlin. With this, they open new strategic possibilities For Ukraine, which until now had acted with containment regarding the use of western armament beyond its borders. The open doors. Although Merz He did not confirm If Germany will send Taurus missiles long range, that during your political campaign He openly supportedavoided detailing any concrete step so as not to offer informative advantage to the Kremlin. Since his arrival to power just a few weeks ago, the new chancellor has adopted an approach more discreet and pragmaticstating that total transparency can play against national security. Despite this public reserve, in Berlin the expectation that Merz could soon announce the Armament delivery For greater scope, especially in the context of the imminent visit of the Ukrainian President Zelenski to the German capital. The moment suggests that Germany is preparing the land to take that step, but wants to coordinate it carefully with its allies. The red line evolves. No doubt, the elimination of scope restrictions represents a rupture with narrative maintained by Western leaders since the beginning of the conflict, when they warned that allowing Ukraine to attack within Russia could be interpreted by Moscow as a direct involvement of NATO In war. However, the wear and tear of the diplomatic front, the repeated negative of Kremlin to participate in significant conversations and the growing brutality of Russian attacks have weakened those old red lines. For Merz and his allies, deterrence is no longer to limit the Ukrainian response, but to give Kyiv the ability to dissuade … Read more

The United Kingdom tested its sophisticated defense simulating the day of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine. Did not go as expected

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Simulations are an essential part of the network of nations defense. We have a large number of examples, from the “game” that They used in the Cold War The United States and Russia to conclude that it was not worth test try your last destroyer against Washington, or those who He has activated Taiwan In recent times “for what can happen.” The United Kingdom also carried out a test that should confirm that its arsenal is ready for battle. The conclusions were not exactly those. A brutal lesson. The story took place a while ago. As we said, the United Kingdom carried out a Strategic simulation of very high importance: he replied in his own aerial territory the exact pattern of the first Russian attack on Ukraine, which occurred on February 24, 2022. He did it through the Gladiator Training Systemvalued at 24 million pounds, and with the aim of evaluating how their defenses would respond if the same type of onslaught would have had the British soil as white. The conclusion It was alarming. Although the results were not revealed in detail, the then commander of the Air Battlespace Training CenterThe Blythe Crawford Air Comodoro, was bluntly describing it as “a very beautiful panorama.” For a country that for decades felt protected by its location to the western edge of Europe (with the continental mass acting as mattress natural against threats), the exercise was a strategic shaking that threw old assumptions for land. A threat that is no longer distant. Then it was more known, mainly than the exercise revealed vulnerability from the United Kingdom before a massive and modern air attack like Russia used against Ukraine, with a devastating combination of missile, drones and autonomous technologies. Crawford also stressed that Ukraine made everything West will awaken. The conflict not only exposed the brutality of the first Russian blows, but also highlighted how modern war has transformed the rules of aerial domain, such as We have been counting. Crawford explained that it is no longer about achieving aerial superiority in broad and sustained terms throughout an operations theater, but to assume that supremacy can be Fragmentary, ephemeraleven located between two trenches or just a few meters from the ground. The war in Ukraine, he said, is an unprecedented battlefield between two countries with powerful air defense systems, but where none has achieved A full domain of the heavens, in contrast to the predominant aerial doctrine of the last decades. The swarm that comes. One of the most revealing points of Crawford’s intervention was his analysis of the massive drone use In Ukraine. For the high command, it is no longer simply individual devices: now they face hundreds of hundreds of units, many of them equipped With explosivesothers designed as lures, and others Simply kamikaze. These waves, combined with rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles, configure a type of multiple, simultaneous and heterogeneous threat for which traditional defensive systems were conceived in much more predictable scenarios. The tactical dilemma, In his opinionIt is clear: “Should all attack vectors neutralize or prioritize the most lethal?” A question without a definitive solution, but that affects all the Western air forces. Of strength to vulnerability. One of the most forceful messages of the United Kingdom simulation was the need to change the defensive mentality of the nation and its allies. For decades, modern wars were fought away from the national territory, which led to an erroneous perception of domestic security. Hence, Comodoro warned that it is time to abandon that trust and assume that even the British bases are now under direct threat. In other words: the United Kingdom cannot be considered as a simple safe starting point for foreign operations, but should be thought of as a potential objective and prepare as such. The risk, In his opinionIt is not hypothetical: if Russia decided to launch an attack against British soil, it could do it through its northern fleet from the Atlantic, thus avoiding European airspace. Redrawing doctrines. The last of the legs to deal with the simulation results. The Ukrainian case is rewriting military doctrines that during generations were considered unquestionable. The notion of total air control, cornerstone of NATO strategy from the Gulf War, seems to be eroding for a New generation of threats which combines speed, volume, unpredictability and autonomy. For Crawford and many other strategists, the key is to learn quickly, assume that the scenario (in this British case) is no longer immune, and rethinking defense systems as if the next attack did not happen in a distant country, but in “house.” Image | US Department of Defense In Xataka | The countries with more combat tanks, ordered in this graphic developer In Xataka | Satellite images have revealed what happened to one of Russia’s biggest arsenals. Now we understand Moscow’s silence

Satellite images have revealed what happened to one of Russia’s biggest arsenals. Now we understand Moscow’s silence

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On April 22 the satellites began to point out A point on the planeta change only perceptible through the images from space offered a first track of what was happening about 60 kilometers from Moscow. Despite the weather conditions of that day and the low resolution of the optical data captured by the Sentinel-2 satellite From the European Space Agency, the damages were clearly visible. An explosion had “burst” the 51st arsenal of the main missile and artillery direction of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Total devastation of Arsenal. Visual confirmation was reinforced by radar images Synthetic opening (SAR) capable of penetrating clouds and smoke, which showed significant structural alterations in the complex nucleus. The comparison between images Taken on April 14 and 23, it indicated that at least 30 buildings destined to storage of ammunition had been completely destroyed. Explosions, evacuations and blackouts. The day after the explosion, the secondary detonations They still continuedunderlining the magnitude of the stored material. The strength of the outbreak forced Evacuate eight nearby townswhile 37 settlements were left without gas supply. The most remote evacuated town was 4.5 kilometers from Arsenal. NASA fire monitoring system data also confirmed the existence of multiple igneous foci Within the perimeter, coinciding with the analysis of the intelligence expert (OSINT) MT Anderson, who used additional filters to detect heat points and Confirm destruction Massive infrastructure. A strategic arsenal. Then the magnitude of what happened began to be known. He 51st Arsenal Grau It was not simply a deposit of ammunition. As one of the Eight main arsenals that still operated in the European part of Russia, its function was key both in the distribution and in the logistics maintenance of the Moscow weapons. Three of those eight arsenals had already been destroyed for 2024, which turned this loss into a considerable strategic blow for the Kremlin military supply chain. Arsenal was designed to house Up to 264,000 tons of explosive material. Among the remains found after the explosion were identified 107 mm rockets for Multiple type 63 rocket Chinese manufacturing, many of which were recorded spread around local residents, suggesting that part of the material was stored outpatient and had recently been delivered. The catastrophe, or the attacknot only compromised Russian logistics operability in the Ukrainian conflict, but raised (once again) serious doubts about the security of its own arsenal in times of war. Images of the British report with the before and after the explosions A self -inflicted blow. Now, and after A study Of all the images and confidential information of the intelligence of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defense, it has been confirmed that the cause of the incident was not “external”, but a combination of bad practices in the management of armament and a negligent storage management by Russia. British research, in fact, is reinforced by the declaration of the Russian Defense Ministry itself, which, in silence from the incident without offering more data, there were attributed the disaster to the “violation of security requirements” in the manipulation of explosive materials. For the United Kingdom, the event is not an isolated case, but the reflection of a prolonged and documented trend of “Russian ineptitude in the treatment of its own ammunition”, although that yes, in this case it represents the greatest loss of self -inflicted arsenal since the beginning of the large -scale war in Ukraine. Strategic installation We already said it before. The affected deposit was a key installation for the war supply of the Kremlin on the Ukrainian front and, according to figures from the Ukrainian authorities cited by the United Kingdomhosted around hundreds of thousands of tons of ammunition, including ballistic missiles, projectiles thrown from air and anti -aircraft systems. Satellite images verified by the insider medium They also revealed that more than a square kilometer of the complex was affected by the detonations, which suggests that massive and prolonged destruction, with multiple fires and a chain of secondary explosions that, According to disseminated videos In social networks, they even reached nearby civil areas. Error pattern. In addition, it is not the first time that the arsenal of the 51st Grau suffers incidents of this type. Insider told That in June 2022, Russian state media reported a spontaneous explosion during loading and unloading operations that cost four people. The pattern is consistent with British complaint: A continuous chain of operational errors and insufficient security measures that make critical facilities into vulnerable points within the Russian military apparatus. The lack of technical discipline and effective prevention protocols has not only generated large material losses, but also has compromised the safety of populated areas in times of war. Consequences. If you want also, the incident gives wings to the rhetoric of the West. The impact of this catastrophe transcends the material. The destruction of one of the main deposits of Russian ammunition not only weakens the immediate logistics capabilities of Moscow in its offensive against Ukraine, but also reinforces an idea increasingly sustained Among the “alidos”: that of a corroded military power for structural failures, operational improvisation and a dangerous carefree for the most basic security standards. Seen thus, in full prolonged war and with its supply lines under pressure, losing tens of thousands of tons of armament due to internal negligence constitutes a defeat with several readings. Image | Maxar In Xataka | Russia launched its fearsome nuclear missile Satan II last week, the “Invincible Weapon” of Putin. It was regular In Xataka | The US has detected an object in space with strange behavior. The source that released it has also located: Russia

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