The narrative of the Ukrainian adventure being framed by Russia as an effort to free Ukraine from “neo-Nazis” is a and contentious one. Despite lengthy examinations.

Making combat footage public is a difficult decision, especially considering the potential biases involved. However, it’s crucial for the readers to see the harsh realities of war.

The reports of the Russian forces pushing hard in the Kharkiv pocket, with a sizable troop presence, are deeply concerning. Understanding their perspective on what they aim to achieve is crucial, even if it’s rooted in instilling fear.

The blatant propaganda and hate spread by Russian propagandists, especially those who have a platform on evening TV shows, is now routine. Their clear articulation of Russia’s aggressive war strategy against not only Ukraine but also France and others who oppose their actions underscores the severity of the situation.

It’s alarming how Russian propaganda aims to create an “us versus them” mentality, pitting Russia against the West and anyone who opposes their aggressive agenda. This rhetoric only serves to further divide and polarize societies.

The tactics employed by Russia, including bombardments, assassinations, and military actions, are not only dangerous but also inhumane. They aim to spread fear and intimidate, rather than seek peaceful resolutions to conflicts.

In the face of such propaganda and aggression, it’s essential for the international community to stand united against these tactics and work towards de-escalating tensions through diplomacy and dialogue. 

But the reality looks different.

Russian suicide rate drastic, says observer

The concerning rise in suicide rates among troops in the trenches, along with increased levels of injuries and resentment among Russian soldiers, paints a grim picture of the toll of war. The fact that the suicide rate among Russian troops is higher underscores the severity of the situation and raises alarms about the mental health among Russian troops.

The expressions of concern from Russian commanders regarding troop morale highlight the significant impact that these conditions are having on military effectiveness. 

Russian injured in Ukrainian hospitals

The reports of Russian soldiers being severely injured and abandoned by their comrades paint a distressing picture of the lack of support. The absence of the traditional “battle buddy” system, where soldiers support each other in combat, only exacerbates the challenges faced by those on the front lines.

This abandonment not only affects the morale of the troops but also raises serious ethical concerns about the treatment of fellow soldiers in times of need. 

The fact that injured Russian soldiers are being cared for by Ukrainian medical teams, even amid conflict, speaks volumes about the humanity and compassion of those providing medical aid. 

Addressing the issues of support and care for injured soldiers is crucial not only for morale but also for maintaining the integrity of all involved in conflict. 

Fallen Russians

The extensive coverage of Russians killed in the line of battle on social media highlights the brutal reality of the conflict. While Russian media may dismiss these reports as Ukrainian propaganda, it’s clear that the brutality of the Russian war of aggression cannot be ignored.

Even if some of the social media coverage may be influenced by propaganda, the loss of life and suffering experienced by individuals caught in the crossfire are undeniable truths. 

The widespread dissemination of information through social media platforms underscores the power of citizen journalism in documenting and sharing the realities of conflict. 

Ultimately, it’s crucial for the international community to seek avenues for peace and dialogue to end the cycle of violence and suffering in regions affected by conflict. Ignoring or dismissing the evidence of brutality only perpetuates further harm and division.

The surrender of Russian soldiers to Ukrainian forces marks a significant development in the conflict. The fate of these prisoners is indeed uncertain, as it involves complex political, legal, and humanitarian considerations. 

The Ukrainian government and international organizations may need to work together to ensure their proper treatment according to international law.

Russians surrender

The contrast between how Ukrainian forces treat Russian prisoners compared to the treatment of prisoners by Russian forces highlights a significant divergence in approaches to warfare. 

While the conflict may seem distant to many Russians, the increasing number of Russian soldiers surrendering underscores its tangible impact. The humane treatment of Russian prisoners by Ukrainian forces stands in stark contrast to reports of poor treatment by Russian authorities. 

This discrepancy not only reflects different standards of conduct but also underscores broader humanitarian and moral considerations within the ongoing conflict.

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Moscow 22/5 (57.14)

According to NATO’s top military official, Russia does not have enough troops to make a significant advance in the north-east of Ukraine.

“The Russians don’t have the numbers necessary to do a strategic breakthrough,” NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe Christopher Cavoli told reporters last week. “They don’t have the skill and the capability to do it; to operate at the scale necessary to exploit any breakthrough to strategic advantage,” the general said. 

According to earlier statements by Putin, Russia’s intention is not to take the city of Kharkiv, but rather to create a security zone, a sanitary zone in the region. Russian forces continue their offensive in Ukraine, yet General Cavoli does not believe there will be a major breakthrough. 

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Government forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have successfully thwarted an attempted coup. The incident, which unfolded Saturday night has left the nation on edge as authorities work to restore order and investigate those involved.

“An attempted coup d’etat has been put down by the defense and security forces. The attempt involved foreigners and Congolese. These foreigners and Congolese have been put out of action, including their leader,” said Congolese army spokesperson Brigadier General Sylvain Ekenge.

“The armed forces of the DRC ask the population to go about their business freely and peacefully. The defense and security forces are in complete control of the situation” Sylvain Ekenge added with no further details.

Clashes were reported between men in military uniform and guards of a local politician at the politician’s house on Tshatshi Boulevard, about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the presidential palace and where some embassies are also located.

This came amid a crisis gripping President Felix Tshisekedi’s ruling party over an election for the parliament’s leadership which was supposed to be held Saturday but was postponed.

The armed men attacked the Kinshasa residence of Vital Kamerhe, a federal legislator and a candidate for speaker of the National Assembly of Congo, but were stopped by his guards, Michel Moto Muhima, his spokesperson said on the X social media platform.

“The Honorable Vital Kamerhe and his family are safe and sound. Their security has been reinforced,” he wrote.

Local media identified the men as Congolese soldiers. It wasn’t clear if the men in military uniform were trying to arrest the politician.

Two police officers and one of the attackers were killed in the shootout that started around 4:30 a.m. (0330GMT) at the house on Tshatshi Boulevard, according to Muhima.

Footage, seemingly from the area, showed military trucks and heavily armed men parading deserted streets in the neighborhood.

On Friday, President Felix Tshisekedi met with parliamentarians and leaders of the Sacred Union of the Nation ruling coalition in an attempt to resolve the crisis amid his party which dominates the national assembly.

He said he would not “hesitate to dissolve the National Assembly and send everyone to new elections if these bad practices persist.”

Source: Africa News

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Russian propagandists have published a recording of a “conversation between four senior German officers”. In it, they discuss the possible supply of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine. The recording is authentic, the Bundeswehr has since confirmed. “This is a very serious matter and that is why it is now the subject of a very meticulous, in-depth and rapid investigation,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

On Friday afternoon, a half-hour recording of the conversation, which reportedly dates to Monday, Feb. 19, circulated on Russian propaganda channels. Margarita Simonyan, the head of Russia’s state broadcaster RT, then published the recording. She did not say how she obtained it.

It concerns a meeting that was held between Lieutenant General Ingo Gerhartz and three officers using the platform Webex for videoconferencing (!), writes ‘Die Welt’. During the conversation in Singapore, the four senior officers could be heard discussing the theoretical possibilities of deploying German Taurus missiles, apparently in preparation for a briefing to the German government. They talk about the challenges that a delivery of such missiles to Ukraine entails.

Scholz

The four officers do not assume that German soldiers should necessarily be sent to Ukraine for this. However, this is exactly what Chancellor Olaf Scholz has repeatedly used as a reason for not supplying Taurus missiles to Ukraine. According to him, Germany would thus be dragged into the conflict.

The officers also talk about the training of Ukrainian pilots and share technical details about missile systems. They also discuss several targets that the Ukrainians could attack with the Taurus – including ammunition depots and the Kerch Bridge (or Crimean Bridge), a key supply route for Russia-occupied Crimea.

What would make the publication of the recording even more painful for Berlin is that the participants in the call also discuss details about deliveries of Scalp long-range missiles by France and the United Kingdom.

“If this story is true, then this would be a highly problematic incident,” Konstanin van Notz, chairman of the parliamentary committee that monitors the secret services, told the newspapers of the RND group.

Singapore

It’s unclear how the Russians got the shot. One of the officers taking part in the interview is staying in a hotel in Singapore at the time. It is conceivable that he was bugged there, that his phone was compromised or that he dialed in via an unsecured Wi-Fi network.

Given that it was Russian propagandists who sent the audio recording into the ether, it seems obvious that Russian secret services are behind it.

German Chancellor Scholz promises quick clarification on the Russian publication of a recording of a conversation among German air force officers about support for Ukraine. “This is a very serious matter and that is why it is now the subject of a very meticulous, in-depth and rapid investigation,” he said after an audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Damage Mitigation

The Bundeswehr tried to limit the damage on Friday by blocking accounts on X that distributed the recording in Germany.

The German Ministry of Defense is investigating whether the communications of the air force are being tapped by the Russians. “The German Military Counterintelligence Service (BAMAD) has initiated all necessary measures,” a ministry spokesman said.

The question of how secure the Bundeswehr’s internal communications are via unencrypted platforms such as Webex may be raised now that the audio recording has been found to be authentic. It is also possible that other communications were intercepted by the Russians.

The Russian Foreign Ministry had requested a statement from the German government, following the reports about the conversation. “Attempts to avoid answers will be interpreted as an admission of guilt,” said Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian ministry.

Source : DPG Media

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All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree setting out the routine spring conscription campaign, calling up 150,000 citizens for statutory military service, a document posted on the Kremlin’s website showed on Sunday (31 March).

All men in Russia are required to do a year-long military service, or equivalent training during higher education, from the age of 18.

In July Russia’s lower house of parliament voted to raise the maximum age at which men can be conscripted to 30 from 27. The new legislation came into effect on 1 January 2024.

Compulsory military service has long been a sensitive issue in Russia, where many men go to great lengths to avoid being handed conscription papers during the twice-yearly call-up periods.

Conscripts cannot legally be deployed to fight outside Russia and were exempted from a limited mobilisation in 2022 that gathered at least 300,000 men with previous military training to fight in Ukraine – although some conscripts were sent to the front in error.

In September Putin signed an order calling up 130,000 people for the autumn campaign and last spring Russia planned to conscript 147,000.

Russian attacks

Russian shelling killed at least three people in different regions of eastern Ukraine on the front of the more than two-year-old war against Russia, local officials said, and two more in Lviv region, far from the front lines.

In the centre of the northeastern city of Kharkiv, a frequent target of Russia’s intensifying assaults on energy and other infrastructure, regional governor Oleh Synehubov said a strike targeted civilian infrastructure in the evening.

Regional news outlets said aerial bombs had been dropped on different areas of the region. No injuries were reported.

Earlier on Sunday, heavy shelling killed a man in the town of Borova, southeast of Kharkiv, local prosecutors said.

Police in Donetsk region, in Ukraine’s southeast, said Russian shelling hit 14 towns and villages, with two dead reported in Krasnohorivka, west of the Russian-held regional centre of Donetsk.

Russian forces captured the city of Avdiivka in Donetsk region last month and have since made small gains, but the situation along the 1,000-km front has changed little for months.

Attacks on infrastructure have extended well beyond the front line and Lviv regional governor Maksym Kozitskyi said two bodies were pulled from rubble after on such strike by cruise missiles. Rescue work continued through the day at the site.

Over the border in Russia’s Belgorod Region, a frequent target of Ukrainian shelling, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said a woman was killed when a border village came umder attack.

Reuters could not independently confirm accounts of military action from either side.

Source

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The U.S. military should reassess its force posture in Europe and reduce its reliance on revolving door-style unit rotations, a major think tank’s analysts concluded in a Monday report.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies’ transnational threat team based their study on official documents, open-source materials and interviews with subject-matter experts.

The report’s authors recommend that the Army abandon the rotational armor brigade deployment model that “eats up … the Army’s force structure and long-term readiness.” Currently, two armor brigades are deployed to Europe. Instead, the report said, the service should permanently station an Armored Brigade Combat Team in Poland to replace one rotational unit and eliminate the remaining rotation altogether.

An Army Times investigation found that tank brigades and enlisted tank crew members were at higher risk of suicide than other soldiers in recent years, due in part to a decade of high operational tempo fueled by such non-combat deployments. The service once had armor brigades in Europe, but they were removed in the early 2010s.

Currently, the Army maintains a large presence of rotational forces in Europe. V Corps’ forward headquarters in Poznan, Poland oversees the three temporarily deployed brigade combat teams, which includes one light infantry brigade in addition to the two armor brigades. Other rotational forces include division headquarters, a combat aviation brigade, fires assets and sustainment units.

But the short-tour model has consequences, the report’s authors argued. They cost more money in the long-term compared to permanent bases, and they are less integrated into the continent’s culture and defense network. The deployment-based model negatively impacts soldiers, too — the authors said evidence suggests they “separate military personnel from their families,” causing “low morale” that can spawn “discipline issues and increased divorce rates.”

Army spokesperson Col. Roger Cabiness II told Army Times, however, that “forward basing of an ABCT is not a simple task.” Doing so would require diplomatic and legislative approvals both at home and abroad.

Despite efforts to reduce their operational tempo, the Army’s armor units continue to deploy at a high rate to fulfill the Europe requirements. The 4th Infantry Division’s 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team cased its colors Monday, signifying its departure for an eight- or nine-month Europe rotation. The Iron Brigade’s new mission is beginning roughly 16 months after returning to Fort Carson, Colorado from another Europe deployment that wrapped in December 2022.

The report’s authors also recommended that the Air Force station an additional F-16 squadron in Germany; increase anti-submarine warfare capability and air defense forces; bolster stockpiles of prepositioned equipment and ammunition; and continue modernization, cyber, space and security cooperation efforts.

Source: Army Times

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Most dismissed retired IDF general Yitzhak Brick’s warning earlier this year of a Hamas invasion. Now Netanyahu wants his advice on how to win.

Yitzhak Brick might be the only Israeli military official to see what was coming. And he’s been warning of it for some time. He also does not see a ground invasion of Gaza as the only option. And Israel must prepare for a multi-front war given the situation in the north. Brick cautioned, among other things, of problems with the competence of ground forces and made it clear that the ground invasion does not have to be a mandatory step. But according to Brick, Israel urgently needs to “change its hard disk,” i.e. make fundamental changes.

General Brick has been warning for years about the horror we saw in southern Israel on that accursed Shabbat morning a week ago. But his assessment was dismissed by the defense establishment and the political leadership. Brick was even called delusional by many.

“There could be a massacre, the State of Israel has not yet recognized the danger,” Brick warned. “We feel among the people that everything is fine and there is no threat, but the public is not told that powers (Hamas) are preparing. These are equipped, trained fighters who will cross the border on foot and attack and occupy our settlements in the south. The likelihood of this happening is very high. Hamas will conquer settlements, throw grenades into bunkers and shelters and cause a massacre. The local residents, you and me, must defend these communities because the army will not be there.” Brick said these words months ago, but no one wanted to listen to him. After the massacre in the south, everyone now has an ear for retired general, even Bibi.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Brick spoke this week about the continuation of the war against terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip, as well as developments on the Lebanese border. The general made it clear to Netanyahu that his position was to continue the surgical strikes, divide the armed forces and find a solution through a hermetic siege of the Gaza Strip. His view contrasts with the attitude of the military staff, which assumes that no success in the Gaza Strip is possible without an Israeli ground invasion.

Brick warned that the Israel Defense Forces have turned into a primarily air-based military, and criticized the army leadership for its sensitivity to human losses on the ground. “The current situation of the land forces is tragic, they are not ready for war. Emergency supplies are not available, exercises have stopped and the battalions have not trained in years. There is also no weapons training and education, and the army is not capable of carrying out an attack.” The former ombudsman added that technology alone is not enough to win wars. “The truth is that an imaginary reality has been created by the general staff and spread throughout the army. The soldiers have lost their motivation and fighting spirit in recent years, and many are not ready to go into battle.”

“To completely avoid losses on the battlefield is to hinder the army’s ability to win the war. This type of thinking will ultimately lead to heavier casualties in war,” Brick told Channel 12 back in May.

Brick added that Israel’s ground forces and reserve system have been constantly ignored: “We have lost the ability to field an effective army and have become a one-dimensional aerial power that cannot win a war on its own.” In his view, Israel’s ground forces are not ready for war. The warning follows a series of polls showing that a large portion of Israeli citizens have lost faith in their country’s future. This was particularly evident over the last year, when the people were divided over political and judicial issues.

“In my role as general, I have visited more than 1,400 units and spoken to tens of thousands of commanders and soldiers, three to four times a week, four hours in each unit. I know the army on the ground better than anyone in the Israel Defense Forces,” Brick said years ago. “I have seen soldiers who do not take care of their weapons before leaving the base. No army in the world behaves like this. The soldiers carry their smartphones with them everywhere. Commands are sent via WhatsApp groups. These phones are being tracked by the enemy.”

Not only that, but commands are said to have been sent via email and then deleted, meaning no follow-up action is possible. “Our system has lost all control. Have we gone crazy? I cannot sleep at night. Our ground forces and armored corps are not ready for war,” Brick continually warned.

“What I present to you here is something you will not hear from the top IDF officials. Not only do many of the commanders not know anything, but even those who do know are afraid to speak out lest they be punished,” he wrote, calling on members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to speak to the rank-and-file soldiers and address the issue. “Let them show you what is going on, share with them their problems and difficulties. It will not be the division, brigade and battalion commanders from whom you will learn about the reality that exists in the field. You should learn it from those for whom it is the routine of their life… Their statements are the truth.”

Israel’s entire security apparatus has failed and relied too heavily on technology, with an unhealthy dash of arrogance. But as is typically the case, those who don’t go with the flow and call out the glaring problems are dismissed as lunatics, like General Brick, who saw the danger before anyone else.

Source

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Hamas is sheltered in a sea of civilians. Ostensibly a Palestinian political and military organization established in 1987, Hamas “governs” on the basis of having won a majority in the 2006 Palestinian legislative elections – defeating Fatah, another Islamist terror combine – before forming a government in the Gaza Strip, described as “…the world’s largest open-air prison” for its Palestinian inhabitants.

So why don’t the Palestinians, having been robbed of their ancient lands, simply up and move somewhere else? It is telling that none of the Islamic nations surrounding Israel care to admit any more Palestinian settlers. Neither Egypt, Jordan or Syria will take them. Why is that? Because those nations are not fools: they understand that the bellicose, fractious Palestinians will bring them trouble, permanently.

A government is presumably supposed to “govern”. That presumably does not include torturing, maiming and killing those who voted for you. Acknowledged internationally as a terrorist organization, Hamas, cynically calling itself a “freedom fighter group” treats the average inhabitants of the west bank, Gaza and Lebanon as human meat shields.

It hides weapons among schoolchildren, deploys weapons from crowded areas, fires upon Israelis from trees and then melts back into crowds of noncombatants. Try and escape the war zone? Anyone now trying to flee the area is in danger of being murdered by Hamas and Hezbollah. Their “asymmetrical warfare” is not just wreaked on Israelis – they will torture and kill anyone not supporting their cause.

What cause is that? The Palestinians’ overt declaration, contained in the Hamas charter, is that Israel has no right to exist and must be destroyed. Its plainly-stated intention is to “wipe Israel off the map.” That is hardly a viable pre-condition for a serious negotiation to settle this ancient quarrel.

“From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.” How do you negotiate with such fanatics? Well, by now it becomes clear that you do not. The reality is they don’t care about average people, Muslim, Jew or Christian. They are hell-bent on the elimination of Israel at all costs, regardless of what happens to everyone else living there, including fellow Arabs and Muslims.

The provocation of 7 October, killing 1400 in attendance at a “Peace Festival” (the irony thickens) and kidnapping several hundred more, should have opened the eyes of the world to the fact that there is a larger, well-organized pogrom funded and carried out by Jew-hating fanatics who could care less about the plight of Palestinians and don’t want any compromise when it comes to eliminating every last Jew and Christian from the Middle East.

Once Israel goes, you can bet the Christian minority in Middle Eastern countries will be next.

Proof?

Just ask the millions of Christians who were “ethnically cleansed” from lands that they inhabited for centuries. It happened after World War Two, when Arab nations expelled their Christian and Jewish minorities in retaliation for the establishment of Israel.

In fact, this is a war is between Western Enlightenment, represented by Israel, and 14th Century theocratic despotism, represented by the Islamic nations surrounding it.

And the west is being held hostage: just as Europe is being deindustrialized, companies going bankrupt, since the Americans blew up the Russian gas pipeline, the “good life in suburbia” of America, Canada and Australia is not viable without affordable oil. Arab oil.

Israel, meanwhile, has already installed over 600,000 settlers in the West Bank, in violation of international agreements. How about the Palestinians who are being chased into the desert by Israeli ( = American) firepower? The US and Israel will find 3rd countries to take them. The US will pay a couple of billion in “aid” to bribe them. Just like the US bribed Egypt to make peace with Israel.

And Hamas? A legally-recognized government?

It is said that people truly get the government they deserve. God, let’s hope that’s not so in this case.

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Finland’s bid to join Nato has finally secured the backing of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey had blocked Finland’s application for months, complaining it had supported “terrorists”.

At a press conference in Ankara with his Finnish counterpart, Mr Erdogan praised Finland’s “authentic and concrete steps” on Turkish security.

Any Nato expansion needs the support of all its members – and Finland is now a step closer to joining.

A vote will go to Turkey’s parliament to approve its application.

Finland, which neighbours Russia, applied with Sweden to join the West’s defensive alliance last May.

Both were held up by Turkish objections – but Mr Erdogan is still refusing to support Sweden. Finland has decided to push ahead alone.

The blue carpet was rolled out for Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto as he arrived at the presidential palace in pouring rain.

But President Erdogan’s hostility to Sweden was clear as the two leaders addressed reporters. He said Sweden had embraced Kurdish militants, labelling them “terrorists”. He complained that Kurdish militant demonstrations had been allowed on the streets of Stockholm.

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom said afterwards it was “a development we did not want, but were prepared for”. It was still a matter of when, not if, Sweden joined Nato, he added.

Finland and Sweden abandoned their traditional military neutrality in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Almost overnight, support for Nato membership leapt from an underwhelming one-third of Finns to almost 80%.

Both countries still aim to be part of Nato in time for a July summit in Lithuania. But any new member has to secure the approval of all 30 Nato members.

Turkey is facing presidential and parliamentary elections on 14 May. Assuming the parliament ratifies Finland’s accession beforehand, the government in Helsinki still has to secure the support of Hungary.

However, Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party said on Friday that a vote would take place in parliament in Budapest on 27 March and that it would vote yes. A leading party figure said a decision on Sweden would take place “later”.

Mr Niinisto told reporters as he stood alongside the Turkish leader that the process of joining the alliance would “not be complete without Sweden” and he hoped to see both countries in Nato in time for the Vilnius summit.

Sweden’s talks with Turkey were put on hold for several weeks recently, after a Koran was burnt outside the Turkish embassy in Stockholm by a far-right Danish politician, who has denied links to Russian extremists.

President Erdogan said that Sweden’s prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, was a “nice person” but Ankara had asked his government to extradite some 120 figures who had yet to be sent to Turkey.

Since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022, Finland has sought to strengthen its eastern border.

Close to the border, in Lappeenranta, you can see for yourself why Finland feels so exposed. The dividing line stretches 1,340km (832 miles) from the Gulf of Finland in the south to the Arctic far north.

It is the longest border with Russia in the European Union. Wild pine forests sprawl on both sides, making it fiendishly hard to police and protect. Finland has begun building a 200km fence to beef up security.

Finland has a long and difficult history with its neighbour. It was swallowed whole by Russia in the early 19th Century, becoming independent after the Russian Revolution of 1917, only to be invaded by the Soviets during World War Two.

No-one has ever taken peace for granted. Finland has a labyrinth of underground war bunkers.

As an insurance policy, Helsinki tiptoed around Russia for decades in its foreign, and even domestic policies.

Since 1994 both Finland and Sweden have been official Nato partners and have taken part in Nato missions since the Cold War. But Finland decided it was best to keep out of Nato, until Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Finns see themselves as pragmatic and now believe their national security is better guaranteed inside, rather than outside the alliance.

Finland’s population of 5.5 million is smaller than Sweden’s, but it has a well-funded defence with a military force of 280,000 and another 870,000 reservists.

Sweden has in recent decades spent less on defence, but has aimed to reach Nato’s target of 2% of its economic output by 2026, with conscript numbers of 24,000 in 2025 and 50,000 in 2035.

Last month, Sweden’s military intelligence and security service (Must) said the security threat was the most serious since the start of the 1980s and there was a tangible military threat from Russia.

The head of Must, Lina Hallin, said Russia’s military currently had limited capabilities towards Sweden’s immediate area but it would be able to learn lessons from the Ukraine war and strengthen its military presence.

Source: BBC

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The Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) conducted joint military drills with the Azerbaijani and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Armies as part of the ongoing “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk-2023” joint military exercises, which began on Monday.

The second day of the three-day tactical drills, which is also marked as a “Distinguished Observer Day,” continued with the participation of Turkish and Azerbaijani commando units, as well as Turkish F-16s and Bayraktar TB2 drones, which conducted various maneuvers against simulated enemies.

The Distinguished Observer Day of the military exercises was attended by Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler and his Azerbaijani counterpart Zakir Hasanov, as well as Tajik Defense Minister Sherali Mirzo.

The drills, with the participation of 3,000 military personnel from both countries, are being conducted in various parts of Azerbaijan, including the capital Baku, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, and in the territories liberated after a 44-day war with Armenia in the fall of 2020.

Also on Tuesday, the TRNC started two days of joint military exercises in Northern Cyprus.

The land phase of the Martyr Ensign Caner Gönyeli-2023 Search and Rescue Invitation Exercise on Tuesday started with the participation of civilian and military elements.

The aim of the exercise is to protect the rights and interests of Türkiye and the TRNC in the Search and Rescue (SAR) area in the Eastern Mediterranean.

It also aims to assist in the official registration and strengthening of the sovereignty of the TRNC, to draw public attention to the value that is given to search and rescue activities, and to SAR region boundaries.

Seven countries – Azerbaijan, Djibouti, Philippines, Kosovo, Qatar, Libya and Pakistan – are attending the exercise as observers.

The naval part of the exercise will be held on Wednesday in the TRNC’s territorial waters.

Speaking at a press briefing, Maj. Gen. Osman Aytaç, the TRNC’s Security Forces commander, said search and rescue activities require professional personnel, good organization, close coordination and cooperation.

He added that Turkish Cyprus search and rescue teams have carried out 112 search and rescue missions since 2002.

“The TRNC is ready to carry out search and rescue operations in all environments, day and night, in territorial waters or international waters, at any time, in unity with elements of its (ancestral) homeland, the Republic of Türkiye,” Aytaç stressed.

The island of Cyprus has been mired in a decadeslong dispute between Turkish and Greek Cypriots despite a series of diplomatic efforts by the United Nations to achieve a comprehensive settlement.

Türkiye fully supports a two-state solution on the island based on sovereign equality and equal international status between its two states.

Source: Daily Sabah

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