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Use Technology to Manage Risk from Chinese Drones
Building a supply chain independent from China is impractical. For now, leverage data, connectivity, and automation to reduce risk. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine How can the US and other democracies safely use drones, including those made in China or using Chinese components? Commercial and civilian drone use has expanded in recent years and will undoubtedly continue to grow as tech evolves. Drones use the airspace in ways that challenge existing regula
34 minutes ago


No Drone Unturned: Ukraine’s Tech Scouts
Ukrainian and foreign fighters with experience of the front are scouring the globe to find the best technology to see off Moscow’s forces. Ukraine, with limited manpower, needs asymmetric advantages wherever they can be found. Innovation is decentralized across many Ukrainian units, and across the country, volunteers, engineers, and soldiers are working hand-in-hand to develop new technology. But there’s a limit to commanders’ capacity to withdraw soldiers from the front to t
3 days ago


Winter is coming: Ukraine warns of escalating Russian ballistic strikes
Source: Darnytsia District State Administration Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal has warned that Moscow is likely to expand attacks on the country’s civilian population and critical infrastructure in the coming months as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to finally break Ukraine’s resistance. “Russia’s goal now is to destroy our water supplies,” commented Shmyhal in an interview with Politico this week. “Last winter they targeted electricity and heating, but you c
6 days ago


Lessons Learned From Russia’s War Against Ukraine: The Case of Lithuania
Source: Lithuianian Armed Forces Lithuania’s security environment has fundamentally changed over the past decade. Public and institutional thinking, however, has not fully adapted. Lithuania is no longer operating in peacetime. Alongside sustained Russian rhetoric about a future conventional invasion, Lithuania is already facing an ongoing hostile campaign below the threshold of open conflict, eroding the distinction between peace and war. Those actions go beyond traditional
Aug 21


Russia’s Shadow War Surges Southward
The Kremlin’s on-again-off-again campaign to intimidate and disorientate European allies is picking up once more. Galati, Romania / Source: Digi24 Russia’s shadow war against NATO allies has moved southwards, with three drone breaches of Romanian airspace in as many days, and a surge of other incursions in recent weeks. Together with another attack on Poland, where a Russian cruise missile struck 100 km (62 miles) from the country’s eastern border on July 30, the incidents su
Aug 11


Ukraine cannot defeat Putin’s ballistic blitz by defensive measures alone
By Taine Noble / Unsplash Russia launched 126 ballistic missiles at Ukraine in July 2026, the New York Times reports. This figure represents a new monthly record since the start of the full-scale invasion as Moscow steps up the bombardment of Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. The recent surge in missile attacks comes as Ukraine runs short of air defense ammunition, leaving the country virtually defenseless against the Kremlin’s ballistic blitz. Russian President V
Aug 10


We Need More Than a Ceasefire in Ukraine
As news from the front makes Vladimir Putin’s demands for peace with Kyiv look more absurd, Ukraine and its allies must push for justice. Why would Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, or any outside mediator, want to talk with Putin? Even if a ceasefire was achieved, as Serhii Plokhy argues in David and Goliath (Harvard Ukrainian Studies, February 2026), it would not bring lasting peace. Illustrative photo. A children's toy in a destroyed house in Sumy / Stas Yurchenko
Aug 7


Putin’s pitiful naval parade highlights his inability to stop Ukrainian drones
Russian Navy Day celebrations. July 26, 2026. Freeze frame from the IZ.RU video Russian President Vladimir Putin has faced widespread ridicule this week following Sunday’s dramatically downgraded Russian Navy Day celebrations, with detractors claiming the sorry spectacle has underlined his failure to secure Russian airspace against Ukrainian drones. Russia’s annual Navy Day festivities have traditionally served as an opportunity to flex the country’s maritime muscles. In the
Aug 4


Russian Mass Mobilization? A Non-Denial Denial
When Putin’s mouthpieces talk about something, there’s always a reason. Russians have renewed cause to worry. It has been a long time coming, but ordinary Russians are now experiencing a fraction of the horrors inflicted by their regime upon their neighbor. Now too, they’re hearing their state-directed media hint about a darker future of mass mobilization for the despot’s war. Unlike Russia’s military, Ukraine’s armed forces are not targeting civilians, but everyday life is n
Aug 3


Spoofing and Spillover: Russia Targets NATO
Russia is using electronic warfare as another technique in its shadow war against NATO. Illustrative picture: Gabriel Vasiliu / Unsplash Russian shadow warfare is a many-headed hydra. Its efforts can rise and fall in intensity, can close airports or menace heads of state, target electricity grids in midwinter and sever undersea cables. The latest threat comes from Russia’s highly developed electronic warfare capabilities, which are being used to misdirect explosive-filled dro
Jul 29


A NATO ally holds the key to Europe’s drone wall, and it isn’t Washington
Source: 427th Separate Regiment of Unmanned Systems "RAROG" When NATO leaders gathered in Ankara on July 7–8, they made counterdrone defense the summit’s signature industrial commitment, pledging more than forty billion dollars over five years, a new NATO counterdrone marketplace, and a fivefold increase in drone-operator training by the end of 2027. The commitment is driven by a growing sense of urgency in a Europe that has discovered that the simplest and cheapest weapons c
Jul 28


Russia’s Spies: Smear Recycling
Intelligence agency obsessions can seem eccentric from a distance, but they map the mind and the game theory of the Kremlin’s security elite. Source dzen.ru It is a time of huge strain on the Russian despotism. Drones strike oil refineries with near-clockwork regularity, fuel queues stretch for miles from filling stations, and the leader’s aura of invincibility is under question. So it might seem a curious time for Russia’s guard dogs to be dredging up old conspiracy theories
Jul 27


Fighting a land war in the digital age: How armies must reinvent themselves - or be destroyed by those that do
Source: T.C. Millî Savunma Bakanlığı Digital-age warfare has already started In 2020, Azerbaijani forces completed the recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh in a war that lasted just forty-four days. Opposing positions, however well-fortified, operated with an industrial-age mindset, and thus were spotted, tracked, and obliterated before defenders could understand and react. The weapon responsible was not an F-35 or a cruise missile, but a drone, as analysts at Defense One were among
Jul 16


Russia’s attacks on Ukraine’s cultural heritage: a nail in the coffin of FIMI
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a sacred site that the Kremlin has for decades called its spiritual cradle and a main centre for Orthodoxy in Russia, is now in the crosshairs of Russian weapons. On the night of 15 June 2026, Russia launched a missile and drone strike on Kyiv that caused a massive fire in the Dormition Cathedral of the Lavra. Ukrainian authorities have estimated the damage to the ancient shrine, one of eight UNESCO World Heritage sites, at over 500 million hryvnias (
Jul 14


Kremlin Mouthpieces Raise the Specter of 1917
Putin’s propagandists are battling to bridge the gap between a supposedly victorious war against Ukraine and worsening fuel shortages. Vladimir Putin doesn’t like acknowledging the problems his policies create, especially those resulting from his war of aggression against Ukraine. So it was notable when he grudgingly admitted the success of Ukraine’s aerial barrage on July 8. “It’s completely obvious that the enemy is trying to damage the economy,” he said. “But the main thin
Jul 13


Russia Forces Sick Ukrainians Into Fratricide
Compelling Ukrainians from occupied territories to fight against their compatriots is illegal, but Russia has gone one step further. Source: Slidstvo.Info Oleksandr, a man in his early 40s, was travelling to work by bus in occupied eastern Ukraine when he was abducted by police officers and soldiers at the beginning of 2022. He was taken to “some kind of military detention center” where 30 others were already being held. Looking around and talking to the other inmates, Oleksa
Jul 8


Explosives and propaganda: Russia’s dual-use drones
Russian First Person View (FPV) drones have become a defining feature of the war in Ukraine. The same drones used to drop explosives on civilians and military targets are also being used to distribute propaganda leaflets in frontline communities, combining physical violence with psychological warfare. A video report from Kherson. The combination of violence and persuasion may seem contradictory, but studies of coercive control offer an explanation. The Russian tactics in Kher
Jul 7


New EEAS-CCD report exposes Russian FIMI targeting Ukraine’s EU future
European External Action Service (EEAS) and Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation (CCD) published a joint analytical report examining how Russian Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) targets Ukraine’s path towards European Union membership. The report documents a coordinated effort to undermine support for Ukraine’s accession among both Ukrainian and European audiences. While the narratives vary depending on the target audience, their strategic ob
Jul 3


How Moscow tries to cover up its failures on the Ukrainian battlefield
Since launching its illegal invasion against Ukraine, Russia has developed a category of narratives aimed at covering the war according to its preferences. However, Russia’s Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) campaign has recently abandoned even the slightest pretence of credibility. While the Ukrainian military is regaining a tactical military advantage and Russian successes on the battlefield are dwindling, Moscow’s disinformation machine is trying to
Jul 1


Ukraine: Founding Member No. 1 of Europe’s New Defense Alliance
Any new European defense system must have the continent’s most battle-hardened military at its heart. Step forward, Ukraine. Source: Facebook/GeneralStaff.ua There are many lessons from Europe’s biggest war in 80 years, but one stands out as absolutely essential. Ukraine has shown time and time again, and with growing frequency, that Russia can dish it out, but can’t take it. Ukraine’s resolve and innovation, its ability to fight and beat Russia, demonstrate its unique value
Jun 30
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