war

A Ukrainian stork has managed to outwit a Russian drone in flight. The video is the best clue about who will win the war

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Exactly a decade ago, the Dutch police presented a plan that seemed straight out of a medieval movie: training eagles to shoot down drones in full flight. That project lasted less than a year, because the birds They were too unpredictable and the propellers too dangerous even for them, but 10 years later it seems that they were not so wrong. The stork that left a Russian drone behind. In the middle of a war where Ukraine and Russia compete to automate battlefield, a seemingly trivial video has become an unexpectedly powerful metaphor. what we see: A Russian interceptor drone chases a Ukrainian white stork in mid-flight until the bird suddenly makes a sharp turn, leaving the device chasing shadows. The scene lasts just a few secondsbut it summarizes something much deeper: modern warfare is obsessed with creating machines that imitate capabilities that nature perfected millions of years ago, although we are still far from achieving it. The image is especially symbolic because the white stork is one of the national animals of Ukraine and because the video inadvertently exposes the enormous limitations that many drones continue to have when faced with an enemy as seemingly simple as a bird. The great military obsession. For years, military engineers they try to replicate the capabilities of birds flight. Modern drones can travel hundreds of kilometers, transmit video in real time or attack targets with enormous precision, but they remain much less agile than animals capable of instantly changing the shape of their wings, taking advantage of thermal currents or performing extreme maneuvers without losing stability. The video stork It does exactly that: detect danger, alter its trajectory and escape from a device specifically designed to intercept moving targets. The difference reveals a key problem with today’s autonomous war. Drones still rely heavily on relatively predictable trajectoriesimperfect sensors and reaction capacities much lower than those of biological organisms evolved to survive in the air. Drone warfare as an ecosystem. The conflict in Ukraine has accelerated the evolution of drones to unprecedented levels. Let us remember that at the beginning of the war they were relatively simple reconnaissance tools… and now there are coordinated swarmsinterceptors aerial FPVplatforms long range suicide bombers and autonomous systems capable of searching for targets by themselves. In parallel, the sky begins to fill with absurd situations and almost surreal where birds and machines share the same airspace. In the early years there were trained eagles to shoot down police drones. Today, just the opposite is happening: drones that chase birds because their radar signatures are too similar to those of enemy devices. Some species, such as storks or pelicans, are comparable in size to certain military drones and create enough confusion to cause real errors in combat. Nature is several steps ahead. The episode also leaves an uncomfortable conclusion for the military industry: the capabilities that militaries desperately seek already exist in nature. Birds master something that drones still cannot combine well: agility, energy autonomy, collective coordination and instant adaptation to the environment. An albatross, for example, can travel entire oceans taking advantage of wind currents Without spending much energy, Harris hawks or eagles coordinate extremely complex cooperative attacks. no centralized communicationand storks use thermals to gain altitude practically free. Meanwhile, defense engineers still experience with deformable wings, biomimetic systems and algorithms that allow drones to react with the same fluidity. The result is paradoxical: the more autonomous military technologies advance, the more evident it is that they continue to try to achieve abilities that a bird naturally possesses. A video that says much more. The Ukraine War will probably be remembered as the drone laboratory most important in modern history. Both sides are learning in real time how to automate attacks, saturate defenses and dominate airspace at low cost. But he stork video points towards something even more important: the winner will not necessarily be the one who has the most drones, but rather the one who manages to build capable systems to adapt to the environment with the flexibility of a living organism. Therein lies the great technological race that is beginning to take shape. Armies no longer just want fast or cheap machines, they also want platforms that learn, react, collaborate and survive like animals. And while Russia and Ukraine transform the sky into a permanent surreal experiment, a simple stork has just remembered that nature, for now, continues playing in another league. Image | Jean-Raphaël Guillaumin In Xataka | Ukraine has been terrorizing Russian soldiers with its heavy drones for years. Now they are literally giving it back. In Xataka | The war has entered the phase of mathematics: cheap Russian missiles are destroying the scarce Ukrainian interceptors

The greatest Japanese military taboo after the Second World War has just been blown up. China and North Korea are to blame

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In 1945, Japan emerged from World War II with a new Constitution that, in practice, prevented him have again offensive aircraft carrier. Eight decades later, one of its largest ships is once again preparing to operate fighter jets from the deck alongside the US Marines. Japan leaves its historical limits behind. Japan is entering a military phase that for decades avoided describing openly. He “Kaga”officially classified as a helicopter destroyer, will operate in June F-35B stealth fighters of the US Marine Corps in joint exercises that definitively bring the country closer to a light aircraft carrier capability. The gesture is much more important than it seems because it breaks a deeply rooted political and historical barrier since World War II: the idea that Japan should strictly limit its offensive capabilities. Tokyo continues to avoid the term “aircraft carrier,” but operational reality is beginning to look more and more like classic shipborne aviation. The Kaga and a return. The transformation of the “Kaga” and its twin “Izumo” It has been underway for years, but now it is entering the truly decisive phase: operate fighter aircraft fifth generation from deck in real conditions. The planned exercises with the US F-35B will include “cross-deck” maneuvers, where Marine aircraft take off and land from a Japanese ship. all this requires modifications depth in the deck, thermal resistance to withstand vertical landings and new coordinated procedures between pilots, sailors and technical personnel. Although Japan has placed the F-35Bs under the control of its Air Force and not the Navy, the practice brings the country enormously closer to having fully functional small aircraft carriers. A US Marine Corps F-35B lands aboard Kaga during training exercises in 2024 China and North Korea behind. The great driver of this transformation is the deterioration of the strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific. China multiply your pressure naval around Taiwan and the East China Sea as North Korea maintains a constant capacity of military destabilization. In this context, Tokyo needs to disperse its air capacity and reduce dependence on vulnerable ground bases. There the F-35B enters: a fighter capable of taking off over very short distances or landing vertically from relatively small decks. For Japan, this offers enormous flexibility in an archipelago full of islands and long sea distances. Each converted ship expands the number of platforms from which the country can project air power. USA as accelerator. The direct involvement of the US Marine Corps makes clear the extent to which Washington is acting as an accelerator of Japanese military transformation. The Marines already made the first historic landings on the “Izumo” in 2021 and since then they have accompanied practically all phases of the program. The “Kaga” even traveled to the United States for specific tests with F-35B and has already operated alongside British and American aircraft linked to the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales. More than simple maneuvers, these exercises serve to integrate allied doctrines, logistics and procedures in a possible regional crisis scenario. The Indo-Pacific is filling up. The change also reflects a broader trend: the proliferation light aircraft carrier and ships capable of operating F-35Bs throughout the US allied network. United Kingdom, Italy, South Korea and potentially Spain sfollow similar paths to maintain embarked aviation without the need for gigantic nuclear supercarriers. He F-35B It has thus become the centerpiece of a new generation of medium navies capable of projecting air power from relatively compact platforms. Japan fits that model perfectly, especially in a scenario where war in the Pacific could force aircraft, ammunition and fuel to be dispersed across multiple moving points. The real test begins now. Until now, much of the Japanese program had still been experimental or symbolic. The real test begins with regular operations, long deployments and the ability to sustain stealth fighters on deck for weeks. That is where it will be measured if the “Kaga” It definitively ceases to be a “helicopter destroyer” to become, in practice, a a light aircraft carrier fully operational. And there, too, the most profound change is perceived: Japan is gradually leaving behind the defensive military culture to adapt to an increasingly Indo-Pacific more militarizedcompetitive and unpredictable. Image | hunini In Xataka | Japan has just crossed a line unprecedented since World War II: China has responded with supersonic missiles In Xataka | Japan has made a historic decision in the face of US uncertainty: deploy missiles that reach North Korea and China

From Cold War bunkers to bunkers wherever

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In 1961, Switzerland required by law that practically every new building incorporate access to nuclear shelters. Decades later, the country still has more places in bunkers than inhabitantsa European rarity that for years seemed like a paranoid exaggeration and that today many governments are beginning to look at with different eyes. Europe looks underground again. For decades, European bunkers were treated like uncomfortable relics of the Cold War, spaces buried under modern cities that survived converted into warehouses, parking lots, swimming pools or simple historical curiosities. The Russian invasion of Ukraine has changed radically that perception. Governments, architects, urban planners and citizens have returned to thinking in terms that seemed to have disappeared from the continent: shelter, civil protection, urban survival and the ability to resist prolonged bombings. The most striking thing is that Europe is not only rebuilding former military shelters; is starting to convert any space underground available in potential emergency infrastructure. Garages, subway stations, tunnels, basements or sports centers become part of a new defensive geography where the priority is no longer winning a war, but ensuring that cities can continue functioning under attack. Finland never stopped preparing. I remembered the new york times that while much of Europe dismantled its civil protection systems after the end of the Cold War, Finland decided to keep intact a culture of refuge deeply linked to its history with Russia. In Helsinki, thousands of underground spaces spread under the city can become operational shelters in just 72 hours. The most surprising thing is that many operate daily such as playgrounds, parking lots, swimming pools, concert halls or sports facilities. Finnish logic has always been clear: if another war comes, civil protection cannot be improvised. The Russian invasion of Ukraine made that mentality, for years seen as a kind of Nordic obsession inherited from the 20th century, come to light. seem almost prophetic. Suddenly, families who had never thought about shelters began asking where the nearest one was, architects began debating underground protection again, and European governments began to study the finnish model as if it were a practical manual on how to survive near Russia. Germany and discovery. Latest German turn reflects the extent to which the perception of war has changed in Europe. Berlin once had about 2,000 shelters public during the cold warbut today it only preserves a few hundred partially usable for a population of more than 80 million people. Reuters counted last week that the important thing about the new German plan is not only the investment of billions in civil protection, special vehicles or warning systems, but the implicit acceptance of an uncomfortable reality: the State no longer believes it is possible to guarantee universal refuge for the entire population. Instead of rebuilding huge networks of bunkers like those of the 20th century, Germany is opting for a much more more flexible and pragmatic based on mobile alerts, improvised shelters and rapid reaction capacity. The symbol of this new strategy is not an armored concrete door, but a notification on the mobile phone indicating to the citizen which is the nearest basement or station. The war in Ukraine changes the idea of ​​security. The Ukrainian experience has destroyed many Western certainties about modern warfare. For years, many European experts assumed that future conflicts would be technological, precise and limited, making large civil refuge infrastructures unnecessary. Ukraine showed exactly the opposite: massive attacks on cities, drones over residential areas, bombings of civil infrastructure and millions of people taking refuge in metro stations once again became part of the European landscape. That finding appears constantly in the German and Finnish debate. Architects who previously considered shelters obsolete recognize now that Russia has returned to Europe a form of war much closer to the classic bombings of the 20th century than to the surgical conflicts imagined after the end of the Cold War. The uncomfortable question. Behind the return of the bunkers there appears a politically explosive issue: that of who can protect themselves really if a war breaks out. Germany is beginning to publicly assume something that it avoided verbalizing for decades: there will never be enough places for everyone. Seen this way, the debate no longer revolves solely around building shelters, but about priorities, access and real response capacity. Who receives the alert first? Who manages to arrive on time? What happens to the elderly, sick or people without mobility? Even during the Cold War, European shelters could only cover a limited part of the population, but then they worked too as a political symbol: They represented the idea that the State remained capable of protecting its citizens even under nuclear threat. Today that illusion is weakening and civil protection is beginning to be understood more as social resilience than as an absolute guarantee of survival. The underground returns to the board. Ultimately, the Berlin case sums up this transformation perfectly. Under the German capital there is still a gigantic network of tunnels, bomb shelters, adapted stations and military structures built between the Third Reich and the Cold War. For years they were archaeological or tourist spaces managed by historical associations as Berliner Unterwelten. Now some are beginning to be partially reconditioned for real civil protection uses. The significant thing is that no one is talking about resisting a total nuclear exchange, but rather about surviving to drone attacksconventional missiles or localized bombings similar to those seen in Ukraine. Europe is thus entering a scene unprecedented since the end of the 20th century: the return of shelter mentalitynot as an ideological symbol of opposing blocs, but as a practical response to the feeling that war has once again become a tangible possibility within the continent. Image | GetArchive In Xataka | There is a 50-ton “nuclear reactor” in a bunker in Fuenlabrada: it has been donated by Amancio Ortega In Xataka | A secret Nazi bunker in Germany hides the most sought-after treasure on the entire planet: hundreds of tons of rare earths

the largest ballistic attack of the entire war

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In 1983, during a soviet drill of nuclear attack, thousands of people spent hours sheltering in the depths of the kyiv metro while authorities rehearsed how to survive to a rain of missiles on the city. Four decades later, the same underground stations have once again been filled with families, improvised mattresses and air raid sirens in the middle of a new war over Europe. The night everyone feared. Over the past weekend, Russia launched the major ballistic attack of the entire war in an offensive that for hours turned the Ukrainian capital into a continuous succession of explosions, fires and anti-aircraft alarms. The magnitude of the bombing was not only in the number of drones and missiles used, but also in the type of weapons used: Moscow once again resorted to Oreshnik missilean intermediate-range ballistic system originally designed to carry nuclear warheads and whose mere presence has a strong psychological effect on the Ukrainian population and defenses. For months, kyiv had warned of the possibility of a combined attack designed specifically to overwhelm the Patriot batteries and hit the city with an intensity not seen since the end of 2024. The feeling in Ukraine was that Russia was preparing something differenta show of force intended both to destroy infrastructure and to convey the idea that it still retains the capacity to escalate despite recent setbacks on the front. Oreshnik and the return of nuclear fear. The appearance of the Oreshnik has partially changed the nature of the air war over Ukraine because it functions not only as a conventional weapon, but also as a political tool of strategic intimidation. The missile releases multiple warheads during flight that fall at high speed in trajectories difficult to intercept even for the American Patriot systems, one of the few shields capable of stopping Russian ballistic missiles. Although Oreshnik’s previous releases had caused damage relatively limited and it is believed that they used simulated charges, in Ukraine the problem is not only physical destruction but the normalization of a weapon associated with the Russian nuclear arsenal. The Ukrainian and Western authorities had been alerting of preparations for use and the population of kyiv responded by filling subway stations and underground shelters even before the first detonations began. Wear phase. The attack also exposed a problem that worries kyiv greatly: Ukraine depends almost entirely of Patriot missiles to stop ballistic projectiles and the reserves are increasingly limited after the enormous consumption of interceptors during the war between the United States and Iran. Russia appears to have detected this vulnerability and is using large combined drone salvoscruise missiles and ballistic missiles to force Ukraine to quickly expend extremely expensive and difficult to replace defenses. On this occasion, Moscow launched dozens of ballistic missiles and Ukraine only managed to intercept a relatively small part, a figure that reveals the extent to which the Russian strategy simply seeks to saturate the enemy defensive system through volume and simultaneity. The worrying thing for kyiv is that the math works in the Kremlin’s favor: manufacturing drones and missiles is much cheaper and faster than producing Patriot interceptors. The Russian response. The offensive came just hours after Ukraine will hit facilities Russian forces and attack a base of the Rubicon drone unit in Lugansk, one of the most important unmanned warfare formations of the Russian army. Moscow presented the bombing of kyiv as direct retaliation and Vladimir Putin publicly ordered the preparation of a response after denouncing Ukrainian attacks against supposed civilian targets. However, the strategic context goes far beyond simple revenge. Russia goes through an awkward moment on the front: its ground advances have slowed considerably, Ukraine has managed to attack energy infrastructures deep within Russian territory, and waves of Ukrainian drones have even forced reduce symbolic acts like the Victory Day parade in Moscow. I remembered the new york times that the massive attack on kyiv also seems to respond to the Kremlin’s need to regain psychological initiative and convey that it can still impose enormous costs on Ukraine despite the accumulated wear and tear. kyiv as an eternal laboratory of war. If you like, the Ukrainian capital has become an extreme example of how contemporary wars are evolving: entire cities operate permanently under aerial threat while the population learns to live with attacks capable of paralyzing civilian infrastructure for hours. He bombing damaged subway entrances used as shelter, destroyed buildings, burned markets and left symbolic scenes such as the melted arches of a McDonald’s among the still smoldering ruins. At the same time, the attack showed how the border between conventional warfare, psychological warfare and technological competition is increasingly diffuse. Ukraine is trying to compensate for its industrial inferiority by hitting Russian refineries, logistics centers and drone bases with long-range strikes, while Moscow responds by resorting to a mix of volume, aerial terror and weapons designed to send strategic messages as well as destroy targets. The precedent that worries the West. Finally, the Financial Times reported that there is a growing feeling in kyiv that Russia is using Ukraine as a scenario to test how Western defenses react to massive and prolonged attacks with advanced ballistic missiles. Zelensky insisted before and after the attack in which the repeated use of the Oreshnik and the continuity of this escalation create a global precedent for future conflicts, especially at a time when the United States and Europe observe with concern the arsenal expansion similar in countries like China, Iran or North Korea. From that perspective, what happened in kyiv would not only affect Ukraine: it also serves as a warning about how they could future wars develop between powers with great missile capabilities and limited anti-aircraft defenses. The most uncomfortable conclusion for the West is that Russia seems convinced that it has found a relatively effective formula for wearing down modern defensive systems through massive, repetitive attacks that are increasingly difficult to contain. Image | Russian Defense Ministry In Xataka | Russia has found something more important than … Read more

The next Mercedes-Benz model aims like a missile to fully enter the war

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In the middle of World War II, while Allied bombing destroyed German factories and consumed resources at an impossible rate, many plants that until then manufactured cars, engines or civil machinery began to transform hurriedly to produce military vehicles, aviation parts and weapons. Some of the most recognizable brands in the European automotive industry they then discovered something that decades later resonates strongly again: in times of geopolitical tension, an assembly line can change purpose much faster than it seems. The unexpected twist, or almost. For decades, the future of the European automobile seemed to come down to a single discussion: electric, hybrid or gasoline. However, the German industrial crisis and the accelerated rearmament of Europe are opening a possibility completely different. Mercedes-Benz, like before Volkswagenhas just made it clear that it is willing to enter the defense industry if the business makes economic sense. This has been confirmed through an interview in the Wall Street Journal of its CEO, Ola Källenius, and it is much more important than it seems because it reflects a profound change within the German automobile industry: the big brands are no longer only looking at the car of the future, they are also beginning to look at war as a new industrial opportunity. In a Europe increasingly obsessed with drones, missiles, air defense and military production, car factories are beginning to be seen not only as car plants, but as possible centers strategic manufacturing. The perfect storm. The context explains why this idea is beginning to seem reasonable even for companies historically far from the military business. The German automobile industry is going through one of its most delicate moments in decades: falling profits, pressure from Chinese manufacturers, high energy costs, lower European demand and tariff threats from the United States. Mercedes-Benz, for example, suffered a strong profit drop in 2025, while practically all major German manufacturers have announced cuts or adjustments labor. At the same time, the defense industry is experiencing exactly the opposite situation. European rearmament after the war in Ukraine has fired orders, investments and military contracts to historic levels. For many German industrial companies, the military sector is beginning to represent something very different from a marginal business: stability, growth and guaranteed public financing for years. From cars to artillery. The case of Mercedes is not isolated and we have been counting. Volkswagen is also exploring possible military collaborations as defense companies such as Rheinmetall study reuse factories of automobiles or absorb part of its industrial infrastructure. The message is clear: Europe is beginning to discover that many capabilities necessary to produce modern cars (advanced metallurgy, electronics, robotics, complex logistics chains or highly skilled workers) are also extremely useful to manufacture systems military. The border between both industries begins to fade little by little. It is no longer just about producing tanks or ammunition, we are talking about radars, drones, autonomous vehicles, electronic systems and air defense platforms that require technologies very similar to those of the modern automobile. The new European war economy. As we said, the ukrainian war It has caused an enormous psychological change within Europe. For years, much of continental industry assumed that globalization and stability made a large military capacity of its own unnecessary. Now the opposite happens: European governments are increasing defense budgets at speeds not seen since the Cold War. This transformation is pushing traditionally civil companies to reconsider their role within the new geopolitical context. The CEO of Mercedes himself insist that any military activity would remain dwarfed by its core business, but at the same time recognizes something revealing: can become a growing and profitable niche. That is to say, the German automobile industry is beginning to assume that part of future European growth could come directly from rearmament. The car of the future may not be a car. If you like, the most striking thing of all is the symbolism of change. For a long time, the automotive debate revolved around batteries, autonomous driving and sustainability. Now, some of Europe’s most iconic companies are beginning to speak openly on anti-drone defensemilitary production or collaboration with weapons manufacturers. The idea that the next big European industrial business could be closer to war than sustainable mobility would have seemed absurd just a few years ago. However, the combination of economic crisis, Chinese competition and continental rearmament is slowly pushing giants like Mercedes-Benz itself into completely new and unexpected terrain. And that reveals the extent to which Europe is entering a stage where the economy, industry and security are beginning to mix more and more. Image | Nara, RawPixel, Julian Herzog In Xataka | Europe wants to make more weapons and faster. Your biggest obstacle is not money: it is finding qualified welders and technicians In Xataka | In the midst of rearmament, Spain has just surprised Europe: 5,000 million for 34 warships and four submarines

secret training for war in Ukraine

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The scene took place a few months ago. Ukrainian soldiers surprised British instructors when they discovered that many NATO armies still They did not use anti-drone networks on a regular basis. After several years of war, Ukraine was beginning to teach the West how to survive on a front dominated by drones. Much more than drones. For much of the Ukraine war, the relationship between China and Russia has been interpreted primarily in terms economic and technological. Beijing bought Russian oil and gas while Chinese companies appeared linked to the supply of electronic components, drones and machinery useful for the Russian military industry. However, the revelations he has had access Reuters on the secret training of Russian military in Chinese facilities point to something much deeper: China would not be limiting itself to indirectly supporting the Russian war economy, but rather participating in the tactical and doctrinal training of soldiers who then return directly to the Ukrainian front. This enormously changes the dimension of the relationship between both countries. War as a military classroom. According to the documents and sources European intelligence agencies, some 200 Russian soldiers were trained discreetly in China at the end of 2025 under an agreement signed between senior commanders of both countries. He program included training in FPV drones, electronic warfare, army aviation, mechanized infantry and demining. Some sessions took place in military centers in Beijing, Nanjing, Zhengzhou or Shijiazhuang. What is important is not only the relatively small number of soldiers, but the profile of many of them: instructors and commanders capable of relaying that knowledge to whole units once back in Ukraine. In other words, China would not simply be sending technology, but helping to perfect the way Russia fights modern war. China learns while Russia fights. It just so happens that the relationship also greatly benefits Beijing. The People’s Liberation Army has not fought a major war in decades and the Russian invasion of Ukraine has become the largest military laboratory real of the planet. Russia brings direct combat experience in drones, trenches, electronic warfare and mass attrition. China provides industrial capacity, advanced simulators, technological production and training methods increasingly sophisticated. The exchange is extremely valuable for both. Moscow gains access to technology and training difficult to obtain under Western sanctions, while Beijing can observe how modern weapons, tactics and doctrines really work without being officially involved in the conflict. Silent revolution. The heart of all this cooperation revolves around drones. Ukraine has completely transformed the way it fights using cheap FPV capable of destroying armored vehicles, fortified positions and even helicopters. Russia had to quickly adapt to that reality and now appears to be turning to China to further professionalize part of that ecosystem. The documents describe simulator training flight, coordinated use of drones with mortars, electronic warfare against enemy drones and physical interception systems through networks. All of this reflects the extent to which modern warfare is ceasing to depend exclusively on large traditional platforms to increasingly focus on cheap, massive and very difficult to neutralize systems. Europe’s concern. For the European agencies, what is truly disturbing is that part of those soldiers trained in China already they would have participated later in combat operations in occupied Crimea and Zaporizhzhia. This means that the knowledge acquired in Chinese facilities ends up being applied directly on the European battlefield. Beijing, for its part, continues to publicly defend a neutral position and continues to present itself as a possible peace mediator, but this type of cooperation seriously erodes that image. In the eyes of many Western governments, China would be entering a much more sensitive gray area: not officially sending its own troops or weapons, but contributing to improving Russian operational capacity in an active war against Ukraine. Increasingly military alliance. The revelation It also confirms the extent to which the “limitless” partnership announced by Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin before the 2022 invasion has evolved far beyond simple joint exercises or diplomatic statements. China and Russia no longer seem to limit themselves to coordinating political positions vis-à-vis the West, they are beginning to share knowledge combat practices, training and doctrine. The most significant detail may be precisely the secrecy of the agreements: prohibition of media coverage, restrictions on information to third parties and programs developed discreetly away from the international spotlight. All this suggests that both countries perfectly understand the political sensitivity of a cooperation that, although still indirect, gets closer and closer to China to the real workings of the war in Ukraine. Image | Vitaly V. Kuzmin In Xataka | The closure of the Strait of Hormuz chokes the Chinese economy. Its only energy solution is a historic pact with Putin In Xataka | While everyone was looking at Hormuz, Russia has found a much more important route to supply drones to Iran

In the era of drones and smart missiles, the US has recovered a relic of the First World War: the bayonet

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In the middle of the Iraq war, a group of British soldiers launched a bayonet charge against Iraqi militiamen near Al Amara. The scene seemed like something out of another century, but the British Army considered it a tactical success in the middle of a modern combat already marked by night vision, digital communications and advanced weaponry. The unexpected return of the bayonet. More than 20 years have passed since the scene described, but they counted in a report in Insider that, in an era dominated by FPV drones, electronic warfare, artificial intelligence and guided missiles, the United States Army has decided to bring back something that seems straight out of the trenches of World War I: indeed, the bayonet. The US Army Ranger School, one of the toughest training programs on the planet, has incorporated new hand-to-hand assaults with this war tool within its extreme combat circuits. As? Apparently, soldiers must advance through smoke, tunnels, trenches and physical obstacles while attacking humanoid targets with knives mounted on the end of the rifle. At first glance it seems like an absurd military anachronism in the digital age. However, for the Pentagon the decision responds precisely to the type of war What do you think can happen? in the future. The Pentagon obsession. The war in Ukraine and other recent conflicts have shown something which is of great concern to Western military strategists: modern battlefields depend on extremely vulnerable networks, communications, GPS, drones and electronic sensors. Jamming, electronic warfare attacks, and combat chaos can isolate entire units in a matter of minutes. In this scenario, the US Army fears that soldiers accustomed to operating surrounded by technology lose capacity to continue fighting when screens, communications or air support disappear. That’s why Ranger School now insists on training something a lot. most basic and brutal: move forward, endure fear, maintain physical cohesion with teammates and continue attacking even in extreme situations of exhaustion and disorientation. A relic that never disappeared. The truth is that, although the bayonet is associated above all to suicidal charges of the First World War, never completely disappeared of modern armies. American troops still used it in Korea and Vietnamand British soldiers and US Marines set it again during particularly violent urban combat in Iraq in 2004. Its current value is not so much in the weapon itself as in what it represents psychologically. Military historians have been pointing out for years that the bayonet works especially like a tool to train aggression, discipline and the ability to continue fighting under extreme fear. It forces the soldier to accept something that modern technological warfare sometimes hides: that many combats still end at very short distances and in deeply chaotic conditions. Recovering very old ideas. The movement is especially striking because it arrives just when the war seems more futuristic than ever. Ukraine and Russia have filled the front autonomous droneselectronic interference and constant surveillance from the air. But precisely that same technological saturation is producing an unexpected effect: combat once again becomes extremely disorderly when communications fail or units become isolated. In many sectors of the Ukrainian front, soldiers survive entire days under drones and artillery hardly any contact of course with higher commands. The Pentagon appears to have drawn an uncomfortable conclusion from that experience: The more technological war becomes, the more important it becomes for a soldier to be able to keep fighting even when all that technology disappears. The fear of blackout. Plus: America’s new military obsession is not just about developing better drones or missiles, but about preparing troops capable of operating when the entire digital ecosystem collapsesif it does. The bayonet symbolizes precisely that idea. Not because the Army expects massive loads like those of 1916but because it represents the ultimate survival level military: keep moving forward when there is nothing else left. Ultimately, the decision reflects a very current paradox. The more sophisticated modern wars become, the more armies fear the moment when they will once again resemble something much more ancient, physical and primitive. Image | Joey Rhodes/US Army In Xataka | The United States has 54 billion euros for its army and a very precise place to invest it: in drones In Xataka | A soldier can and should disobey an illegal order. The problem that Anthropic faces is that an AI does not

turning smart glasses into instruments of war

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Anduril and Meta join forces. What began as a race to conquer the “metaverse” with devices like the Quest has transformed into something very different. Specifically, in a contract of 159 million dollars that Anduril and Meta have jointly signed to develop smart glasses that enhance the operational capacity of soldiers on the battlefield. This joint project is being developed in parallel with the Anduril helmet with assisted vision system, called EagleEye. War made video game. These augmented reality glasses provide the soldier with an integrated system that theoretically displays a map, identifies enemy vehicle profiles, calculates shooting distance, processes threats in real time and overlays tactical data on the wearer’s physical environment. The future vision of these companies is to add special functions, such as being able to order a drone attack thanks to eye tracking and voice commands. War made video game. From consumers to soldiers. It is ironic that a technology that was originally used for entertainment applications ends up having a military purpose. Anduril provides its software platform, called Lattice, which acts as the “brain” of the system, fusing the data captured by the glasses with that received from the rest of the battlefield network. The ethical challenge. If an AI decides what a target is and displays it prominently on the soldier’s glasses, is the room for human error reduced or are we simply automating violence? This gamification of war is increasing and the danger is evident: treating a combat environment almost as if it were a video game can make it difficult to distinguish between civilians and combatants, for example. If the metaverse doesn’t work… Meta has an opportunity here to recover part of the gigantic investment it has made in the field of virtual and augmented reality. After losing tens of billions of dollars with the metaverse, Mark Zuckerberg has decided leave these solutions in the background in the end-user market. And he has also seen clearly that his advances could have a very juicy military application. The geopolitical factor. There is no doubt that both in Silicon Valley and in the rest of the world there is one huge demand of new technological solutions applied to the battlefield. The conflicts that have occurred in recent years have caused skyrocket defense budgetsand here both Anduril and Meta wanted to take advantage of their opportunity. Microsoft missed its chance. In Redmond they had a fantastic product with Hololensbut its role in the end-user segment was never clear, and the company refocused it on first- and then to the military sector. Here the failure was enormous despite the investment of 22 billion dollars that the US Army carried out in this area. Meta and Anduril have wanted to take the baton, but they will not be alone: ​​companies like Rivet either Elbit They have projects that compete to become the new “weapons” of the soldier of the future. In Xataka | In its obsession with bringing technology to every corner of the country, China has equipped its army with augmented reality

How the Panama Canal is being lined thanks to the war in Iran

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When an international conflict breaks out, there is always someone who manages to take advantage. As the world watches with concern the Third Gulf War, thousands of kilometers from missiles and drones, the Panama Canal has been crowned the unexpected winner of this global chaos. What began as an energy crisis in the Persian Gulf has become, for the small Central American nation, a gold mine of historic dimensions. Since the attacks triggered the virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz – the world’s main artery for fuel transportation, through which approximately one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas trade transits – maritime trade has entered a phase of genuine desperation. The urgency to move goods has reached such a point that, as confirmed by Ricaurte Vásquez Moralesadministrator of the Panama Canal, a shipping company paid 4 million dollars in an auction just to skip the line and cross the interoceanic waterway as soon as possible. The mechanism of urgency After the Hormuz blockade, traffic through the Panamanian canal has experienced a general increase of close to 11%, registering peaks of up to an additional 20% on the days of greatest demand, as reported by the Panama Canal Authority itself BBC. During the first half of fiscal year 2026 – from October 2025 to March 2026 – the channel registered 6,288 transits, 224 more than in the same period of the previous year, according to data presented by the channel authority to Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In order to absorb this flow, nature has also been complicit. The deputy administrator of the channel, Ilya Espino de Marotta, explained to cnn that unusually intense rains during the dry season have kept Gatún and Alhajuela lakes at maximum levels, which has made it possible to manage between 40 and 41 daily transits compared to the usual average of 36. A notable recovery if one remembers that during the El Niño drought between 2023 and 2024, daily transits fell to 24. “The Panama Canal is open and fully operational,” assured Vásquez Morales. “Amid all the geopolitical complexities of today’s world, the Panama Canal remains open and reliable.” But the true profitability is not only in the volume, but in the price of urgency. The companies they pay a fixed rate between 300,000 and 400,000 dollars to transit with prior reservation. Those who do not have it must compete in a relentless auction system where the highest bidder takes the coveted spot. Víctor Vial, vice president of finance of the channel, detailed in the same presentation to investors that the average auction price before the crisis ranged between 135,000 and 140,000 additional dollars. After the start of the conflict, “that average increased to approximately $385,000 between March and April.” Desperation has pushed some oil companies to pay more than 3 million additional dollars to avoid waits, according to Bloomberg. The absolute record of 4 million is explained by Vásquez himself: “It was a ship that transported fuel to Europe, but they diverted it to Singapore, and it had to get there because Singapore is running out of fuel,” declared. With this extraordinary injection, Vial estimated that the growth of the channel’s income will be between 10% and 15% this year, although he warned that “we are still not doing the math or modifying our projections.” A logistical lifesaver, not a replacement The profitability of the channel is explained by the geography of the panic. More than 80% of the oil that usually transited through Hormuz was destined for the Asian continent, according to Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). When that route was blocked, buyers from Japan, South Korea, India and China turned to the United States Gulf Coast. According to data from the maritime intelligence company Kpler cited by BloombergUS crude oil exports through the Panama Canal have exceeded 200,000 barrels per day, approaching their maximum since July 2022. The logic is implacable. A trip from the US Gulf Coast to Japan via the canal takes almost a month, while going around Africa around the Cape of Good Hope would take almost twice as long. “With all the bombings, missiles, drones, companies say it is safer and less expensive to cross through the Panama Canal,” explained Rodrigo Noriegalawyer and analyst in Panama City. “All of this is affecting global supply chains.” Despite the boom, experts are categorical when comparing both routes. The EIA data, updated as of March 2026illustrate it crudely: in the first half of 2025, 20.9 million barrels of oil per day transited the Strait of Hormuz, compared to the 2.3 million that crossed the Panama Canal in its entire fiscal year 2025. A ratio of almost one to nine. Furthermore, VLCC-type supertankers—capable of transporting up to two million barrels in a single trip—are simply too big for the Panamanian locks, as both France 24 and OilPrice point out. Panama is a golden shortcut, but it does not have the muscles to replace the massive flow of the Persian Gulf. Marc Gilbert, global leader of the Geopolitics Center at Boston Consulting Group, summed it up: “What is really happening is that energy from the United States is replacing the volumes that cargoes from the Gulf previously sent to Asia.” And he added that what this crisis shows is that “when a sea lane fails, the entire system must adapt.” From economic bonanza to diplomatic minefield Panama’s sudden strategic prominence has not gone unnoticed by the great powers. As reported by Al JazeeraWashington and its allies accused China at the end of April of applying “selective economic pressure”, retaining dozens of Panamanian-flagged ships in Chinese ports in retaliation for the annulment, by the Panamanian Supreme Court, of a port concession that a company linked to Hong Kong maintained over the ports of Balboa and Cristóbal. Beijing categorically denied the accusations. The spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lin Jian, described them as statements that “lack foundation and distort reality”, and in turn accused the United … Read more

The war in Ukraine has entered such a crazy phase that soldiers are shooting at their own drones

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In 1943, during a night mission over Europe, several British pilots returned convinced that they had been pursued by strange luminous objects that appeared and disappeared around their planes. Some thought it was a secret German weapon, others thought it was nervous breakdowns caused by the stress of combat. Decades later, that aerial confusion He continues to remember a disturbing idea: there are moments in wars where the problem is no longer just the enemy. A schizophrenic heaven. They counted on Insider that the war in Ukraine has entered such a phaseDrone Aturation that, in many sectors of the front, soldiers no longer know what aircraft flies over their heads or who controls it. The consequence is an almost absurd situation even by military standards: Ukrainian troops shooting against their own drones for pure survival, operators cutting with scissors fiber optic cables without knowing if they belong to the enemy or a friendly unit and electronic warfare systems blocking any signal that appears in the air even if that means disabling their own equipment. The battlefield has become so crowded with small flying devices, jammers and data links that distinguishing between ally and enemy takes mere seconds. If something approaches too quickly, the automatic reaction is to destroy it first and ask later. Disposable drones due to excess. Part of the problem stems from how both sides have transformed the drone into a mass consumption weapon. These are no longer expensive and scarce platforms like those used by Western powers a decade ago, but rather relatively cheap systems manufactured at enormous speed and designed to be constantly lost. Russia and Ukraine consume drones in such gigantic amounts that losses due to friendly fire have been integrated almost as another operational cost. Units expect to lose devices due to interference, coordination errors, enemy jamming or simply because a nervous soldier open fire against any object that buzzes near your position. The result is a combat environment where technological saturation has begun to generate chaos even within one’s own side. The new logic: destroy them before they exist. This uncontrolled explosion in the use of drones is also pushing the war towards a new strategic stage: attack the factories before the devices in flight. Russia and Ukraine have understood that intercepting drones one by one is no longer enough when both produce thousands of systems continuously. That’s why the long range attacks attacks against industrial plants, logistics centers and component manufacturers have multiplied in recent months. Ukraine is hitting Russian facilities linked to Shahed drones, sensors, navigation modules and jam-resistant electronic systems, as Russia seeks destroy Ukrainian workshops where FPV drones or long-range attack devices capable of penetrating hundreds of kilometers into Russian territory are assembled. The logic begins to look less like a conventional war and more like a permanent industrial hunt. Electronics don’t keep up. The problem for both sides is that technological adaptation it moves too fast. Each defensive upgrade generates an immediate modification to enemy drones. Interference systems stop working when faced with fiber optic links. GPS locks lose effectiveness against new navigation modules. Drones incorporate more autonomy, greater processing capacity and increasing resistance to electronic countermeasures. In parallel, Ukraine and Russia they use satellite intelligencepattern analysis and constant recognition to locate production centers, antennas, warehouses and logistics chains. The front already It doesn’t end in the trenches.: continues hundreds or thousands of kilometers behind, inside factories, industrial parks and supply networks that have become priority military targets. A machine out of control. The most disturbing thing is that this dynamic gives the sensation of having partially independent of the soldiers themselves. There is drones attacking dronesautomatic systems jamming any available signal, operators trying coordinate safe corridors so that their own devices are not demolished and entire factories turned into objectives daily to sustain a rate of losses that seems impossible to absorb. If you like, the war in Ukraine is still a war of artillery and attrition, but it is also transforming into something much stranger: an aerial ecosystem saturated with cheap and disposable machines where survival depends on react before identifying. And when an army ends up shooting at its own drones because there are too many devices in the sky to distinguish them, it means that the conflict has crossed a whole new frontier. And crazy. Image | mod-gov-ua In Xataka | Ukraine has found a new way to assault buildings occupied by Russia: sending a robot with a 300-kilogram surprise In Xataka | The war in Ukraine is being filled with “Mad Max” ships: metal screens and nets against FPV drones in the Black Sea

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