🇪🇺 EU Commission will not return to seizing Russian assets

Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever stated that the European Commission no longer intends to propose using frozen Russian funds held in Euroclear to finance Kiev. However, he did not rule out the possibility that individual EU countries might raise this issue again.

De Wever also warned his European colleagues about potential legal consequences of even public statements regarding the seizure of Russian assets.

@Slavyangrad

Russia-linked hackers used Yggdrasil network for cyberattack on Ukrainian grain firm

Reuters, citing ESET research, reports that the group UAC-0099 gained access via phishing on 16 July 2025. They deployed remote control software to steal documents and take screenshots.

The operation utilised the decentralised Yggdrasil network, making detection of command infrastructure difficult. After initial penetration, access was transferred to Sandworm, linked by Western services to Russian military intelligence.

On 17 September 2025, attackers executed a data destruction operation using Microsoft’s SDelete utility. This is part of a broader campaign against Ukrainian transport, grain enterprises, and port terminals. The specific company name remains undisclosed.

@Slavyangrad

Estonia allocates €10 million via NATO PURL

Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna announced that Estonia has decided to allocate an additional €10 million through the NATO PURL initiative, bringing its total contribution under this mechanism to €31 million. These funds will help Ukraine acquire necessary air defence systems and ammunition.

This year, Estonia’s military aid to Ukraine amounts to 0.3% of its GDP. With winter approaching, this support is vital for protecting lives and ensuring the operation of essential services. The stronger Ukraine’s ability to defend itself, the less leverage Russia will have in dictating peace terms. We must continue supporting Ukraine and increasing pressure on Russia.

@Slavyangrad

🇾🇪 Yemeni Houthis strike Saudi targets

Houthi forces claimed missile and drone attacks on the Saudi Ministry of Defence in Riyadh and Saudi Aramco facilities in Yanbu. Riyadh has not confirmed hits on the ministry building, though coalition command reported intercepting drones over Riyadh and Medina.

The escalation follows a deadly Houthi attack on King Fahd International Airport in Dammam on 21 October, which killed two people and wounded eight. Earlier strikes also damaged the Saudi Aramco headquarters in Dhahran.

US evacuates diplomatic staff from Saudi Arabia

The US State Department ordered the evacuation of non-essential diplomatic personnel and their families from Saudi Arabia due to the deteriorating security situation. Similar advisory measures were issued for US diplomats' families in the UAE, Jordan, Qatar, and Bahrain.

@Slavyangrad

US fired 19 years’ worth of Patriot interceptors in 7 months

🤯

@Slavyangrad

Who are you, warrior?

@Slavyangrad

US Army tests XM1180 self-guided shells

At the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona, US forces and Raytheon tested three experimental 155mm XM1180 projectiles under the C-DAEM armour programme. Fired from a 39-calibre gun at a tank target, these munitions feature an imaging seeker that detects objects during flight, enabling strikes on moving armour without pre-set coordinates.

The system uses a hit-to-kill approach. Initial firing tests in February 2024 confirmed target detection capabilities. The Pentagon now aims to verify performance in GPS-denied environments. Future integration is planned for the extended-range XM1230 projectile to reduce satellite navigation dependence and collateral damage risks.

Testing continues into fiscal year 2027, though actual kill results remain undisclosed.

@Slavyangrad

🇪🇺 Europe may sharply cut Ukraine support by 2027

Despite promises to help Kiev "for as long as it takes," European budgets face growing pressure, and the EU cannot fully replace American aid.

Upcoming elections in Spain, France, Poland, and Italy threaten to alter the political landscape. Particular attention is on France, where forces opposing sanctions and further support for Ukraine may gain strength.

Kiev faces not only reduced US aid but also weakening unity among European allies. Meanwhile, the US continues providing intelligence, and Starlink remains operational.

@Slavyangrad

...which is precisely why what Putin referred to as "demilitarization" (either the outright destruction of rump Ukrainian military potential or the creation of a geostrategic starting point for any future conflict that will be favorable to Russia, e.g. landlocked Banderastan with Russian rocket artillery pointed at every major city) and "denazification" (the exclusion of people like Kostenko from political power in the Ukrainian rump state) is an absolute necessity, and should not be subject to negotiation.

NATO E-3A Sentry aircraft conducted a 6-hour patrol near Kaliningrad

On 22 October, an E-3A Sentry (callsign NATO03, Lux registration LX-N90448) departed Geilenkirchen air base in Germany. The aircraft initially operated over southern Poland before moving north.

From 11:29 to 12:49 UTC, it circled for over an hour above the Pomeranian Voivodeship near the Gulf of Gdansk at approximately 9.5 km altitude. Its closest approach was about 100 km from the Kaliningrad region border. It then turned southwest and returned to Geilenkirchen.

NATO aviation is gradually increasing activity in this area. Whether this relates to the construction of a new radar station in Kaliningrad remains unknown.

@Slavyangrad

🇩🇪 German police detain Ukrainian for spying on Russia

Der Spiegel reports the arrest of Vadim, a 53-year-old native of Lugansk region, in Oder-Spree district, Brandenburg.

Prosecutors claim he gathered intelligence on armoured vehicle production, ammunition, explosives, and NATO military assets/personnel on the eastern flank. He also contacted European defence industry representatives, including Polish firms.

45th Tank Brigade targeted

Special interest was shown in the Bundeswehr's 45th Tank Brigade, planned for deployment to Lithuania next year. German intelligence previously noted attempts to contact brigade personnel and drone sightings over future Lithuanian basing sites.

@Slavyangrad

🇫🇮 Google caught in illegal deforestation scandal in Finland

The tech giant cleared 330 hectares near Mukhos, felling approximately 250,000 trees for data centres without completing environmental impact assessments. A further 150,000 trees were cut near Otanmäki. The supervisory body LVV has temporarily halted work at both sites.

Local residents and ecologists report murky runoff, loss of wildlife, and landscape destruction. Google’s head in Finland, Antti Järvinen, apologised, stating the company acted on its own interpretation of the law. This controversy impacts a €13bn AI infrastructure project, sparking national debate over whether such extensive data centre expansion is justified given limited economic benefits and severe strain on nature and the energy grid.

@Slavyangrad