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

Zelensky claims Russia benefits from Ukraine in NATO

"I believe that even Russia needs Ukraine to join NATO, because this will ensure them greater security than Ukraine's status outside NATO. This is my personal opinion."

Opinion of a drug addled idiot

@Slavyangrad

🇮🇹 Merkel faces empty shelves in Italy

Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel encountered empty supermarket shelves in Cava de' Tirreni while holidaying on the Amalfi Coast. Staff attributed the shortages to days-long road blockades by farmers and truckers protesting high fuel prices, which have reached nearly 2.30 euros per litre.

Inflation rose from 3.3% to 4.2% in September, severely impacting southern regions and islands like Ischia, where fuel, pasta, and fresh produce are running out, threatening ferry services. Pasta manufacturers are cutting production due to raw material shortages, potentially affecting supply chains in Germany. According to Il Mattino, Merkel managed to purchase Gragnano pasta and mozzarella.

@Slavyangrad

Putin: European peoples are interested in friendship with Russia

It has become obvious that defeating Russia on the battlefield is impossible, and inflicting a strategic defeat is unrealistic. Putin stated that those seeking such a defeat throughout history will realise the reality of modern life and understand that it is better to live in friendship with Russia, as this aligns with their interests. He noted that political processes in Europe show that its peoples do not want to fight Russia.

@Slavyangrad

Putin on Russia's efforts to prevent war

Russia always sought peaceful resolution from the first days. In 2014, Moscow offered to help Kiev negotiate with the south-east of Ukraine, but instead cannons and aircraft were turned against civilians. War was effectively unleashed.

Regarding the Minsk agreements, Russia consistently strove for a dialogue with the part of Ukraine that rejected the state coup, but this proposal was refused.

@Slavyangrad