European Security Journal

19/06/2024

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20/01/2022

On 17 January, The UK Ministry of Defence🇬🇧 announced it was supplying Ukraine🇺🇦 with light anti-tank defence weapons, as well as a small number of UK personnel to provide early-stage training for a short period of time within the framework of Operation Orbital.

Between 17.01.2022 and 19.01.2022, we recorded 8 flights between RAF Brize Norton (United Kingdom) and Kyiv (Ukraine). While the cargo of the Royal Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft initially drew much speculation, Ukrainian officials eventually confirmed that aircraft were carrying Next Generation Light anti-tank Weapons (NLAWs) from British stockpiles.

The exact number of NLAWs sent to Ukraine cannot be determined, but footage of the cargo and the number of aircraft landing in Kyiv suggest that several hundred missiles have been delivered to Ukraine.

Further contributing to Ukraine’s defence capabilities, news emerged on 19.01 that the U.S. Department of State authorized NATO allies Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and the UK to deliver US-made weapons to Ukraine over the threat of a multi-front invasion by Russian forces.🛡



Source Footage - Армія FM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mMAB0ZvRgfI

18/01/2022

Following the failure of high-profile talks between and the West and the continued buildup of Russian forces near Ukraine’s borders (including from Russia’s Far East), Defence Secretary Ben Wallace announced on Monday (https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-says-supplying-ukraine-with-weapons-system-defend-against-russia-2022-01-17/) that the UK was supplying with light anti-armour defensive weapon systems as well as sending a small number of British personnel to provide training for a short period of time within the framework of .

Interestingly enough, two Kiyv-bound RAF C-17 Globemaster III aircraft avoided German airspace yesterday using instead an unusual flight path. This comes as the new German government continues to rule out weapon deliveries to Ukraine and after German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock reiterated during a visit to Kyiv on January 17 that diplomacy was “the only way”.

17/01/2022

🇪🇺EU media and discourses, for the past few months, were dominated with mischief orchestrated by 🇧🇾 at the 🇵🇱 borders. However, a threat of sanctions forced to renege on his strategy. Sanctions are thus proving a viable tool for influencing aggressive neighbours.

EU media and discourses, for the past few months, were dominated with mischief orchestrated by Belarus at the Poland borders. However, a threat of sanctions forced Lukashenko to renege on his strategy. Sanctions are thus proving a viable tool for influencing aggressive EU neighbours. Orchestrated Mi...

10/01/2022

🇷🇺 🇲🇱
Last month, a French government official noted that there had been “repeated air rotations with military transport planes belonging to the Russian army and installations at Bamako airport to allow the arrival of a significant number of mercenaries”.

Analysts from France 24’s Les Observateurs identified small changes next to Malian Air Base 101 south of Bamako’s airport. We can now observe military-type installations including at least 15 tents and several structures, as well as vehicles on that piece of land.

Source - https://lnkd.in/es2cCfrK

Edit: The presence of Russian mercenaries (Wagner Group?) has reportedly been confirmed after France 24 received photographic evidence of their presence in Ségou, Mali.

Source - https://youtu.be/ZMK5bz2j1Lk

09/01/2022

🇲🇱🇷🇺
On 19 December, several analysts incl. and spotted a Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-154M (reg. RA-85042) of the 223rd Flight Unit leaving Libya and heading Southwest. The plane eventually landed at approx. 22:08 UTC at the Président Modibo Keïta International Airport in Bamako, Mali.

A possible passenger of that flight - Maxim Shugaley, head of the Foundation for the Protection of National Values with links to Kremlin ally Yevgeniy Prigozhin. Shugaley’s arrival in Mali (from Libya) coincides with Flight RFF413 to Bamako.

From Madagascar to Afghanistan and now Mali, a political consultant for some and a facilitator of Putin’s strategic foreign policy objectives for others, the shadowy figure travelled to Mali as an enabler of Russia’s soft power strategy.

twitter thread - https://lnkd.in/eun8FJbj
twitter thread - https://lnkd.in/efSVD_Fs

29/12/2021

As 2021 comes to an end, hundreds of Middle Eastern migrants remain stuck in a warehouse near the Belarusian-Polish border in freezing temperatures. Thousands were lured by Lukashenko’s administration with the promise of reaching Europe - used as pawns in a “hybrid attack” to destabilise the European Union in retaliation for sanctions on Belarus.

While better than sleeping in the freezing forests, conditions at the Bremino-Bruzgi transport and logistic centre – now a makeshift camp - continue to deteriorate. Migrants remain stranded and face an uncertain fate but still cling to the hope of a better future in Western Europe and Germany.

Videos shared on social media incl. SnapMap serve as a daily reminder of the hardship being experienced by migrants on the Belarusian-Polish border.

25/12/2021

🇫🇷🛡🇺🇦
Amid heightened tensions around Ukraine's border, the French navy's multipurpose frigate FS Auvergne (D654) arrived in the port of Odesa on 24 December and will remain until 28 December.

As NATO and Kyiv have accused Russia🇷🇺 of planning a possible winter invasion, the arrival of a French warship in Ukraine further signals the alliance's unwavering commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

08/12/2021

🇷🇺 🇺🇦
With tensions brewing in the East, Western nations - faced with the prospect of Moscow further undermining Ukrainian Statehood - should collectively reaffirm their support for Kyiv and provide further military help to deter and demonstrate their commitment to the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.🛡

A conflict in Ukraine would bring death and destruction to a country which has already endured eight years of war. It would destabilise the European Union and lead some Eastern European NATO members to question the alliance’s ability to credibly deter Russian aggression. Even if an invasion seems ...

08/11/2021

-up is a new cycle that revolves around young IR specialists that decided to enter the fields of politics to better understand their surroundings.

The first article of the Close-up cycle offers inside into Italian political reality from the point of view of a 22-year-old student of International Studies and European Institutions in Milan, Silvio Lulaj.



http://ow.ly/tmfP50GHUlx

The news we read in a minute during our morning journey to school or work is someone else’s daily reality. Charters and graphics thoroughly designed to attract our attention are real people captured in a picture. The cycle called Close-up builds around these real people experiencing news in their ...

06/11/2021

🇺🇸 🇧🇬 🇷🇺
A Russian warship, possibly Guided Missile Frigate Admiral Essen or Admiral Makarov, was shadowing US Navy ships USS MOUNT WHITNEY LCC 20 and USS PORTER (DDG-78) and Bulgarian frigate on November 5.

As warships sail in the to take part in drills with NATO allies and partners, the Russian Black Sea Fleet is actively monitoring their activities in the region. has previously warned NATO members against sending warships to the Black Sea calling such manoeuvres provocative despite the region being home to three NATO member States.

The arrival of US warships also coincided with President Vladimir Putin’s visit to to celebrate Russia’s National Unity Day where he claimed that the illegally annexed territory is now “Forever with Russia”.

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet

06/11/2021

🇺🇸 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 🇷🇺
The US 6th Fleet command and control ship USS MOUNT WHITNEY LCC 20 entered the Black Sea on 04.11 to take part in manœuvres with NATO allies and partners, and to demonstrate the US’s commitment to the alliance and its partners, and to European security.

This latest transit and the prior arrival of US Navy ships USS PORTER (DDG-78) and (T-AO-189) on 30.10 and 03.11 respectively has drawn scrutiny from Moscow - which regards the region as its post-soviet sphere of influence - only weeks after Russia broke diplomatic ties with NATO and amid increased Russian military activity near the border with Ukraine, sparking renewed concerns about Moscow’s intentions.

U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa/U.S. Sixth Fleet

05/11/2021

hold legislative elections last September and the amount of irregularities and frauds suggests that the is desperate - and that the tides are changing in the country.

https://europeansecurity.org/russian-2021-legislative-elections-clear-signs-of-legitimacy-deficit/

Russians have once again cast their vote to redistribute political parties’ seats in the parliament. And once again the elections have been marred with fraudulent votes, an illegal “e-voting” scheme and political and physical pressure against the unfavourable for the Kremlin candidates. Nevert...

01/11/2021

of recent drone footage shared online by Polish Border Guards showing people attempting to cross the - border. According to a recent Frontex report (https://lnkd.in/dDzwHzQg), Poland saw 1,380 illegal crossings from January to September, with most migrants coming from Iraq, Afghanistan and Russia.

Footage: https://lnkd.in/dHb87efu & https://lnkd.in/d_cWYynR

14/10/2021

Once wary of allowing more Russian troops on its soil, Europe’s last dictator Alexander now seems eager to beef up military relations with the Kremlin as the country faces increasing international isolation.


https://europeansecurity.org/militarising-belarus/

Plunged into turmoil since August 2020 following what was perceived as rigged elections and now alienated more than ever by the West, Belarus has turned to its Russian ally seemingly open to concessions to survive. Deeper military integration with Russia could have major implications for the region;...

11/10/2021

🇧🇾 🇵🇱
According to the Polish Border Guard, 739 people tried to cross the border between and on 09.10.2021, the highest number of attempts so far for a single day.

Polish authorities continue to release footage showing Belarus security forces escorting migrants to the border.

According to a recent CNN report, there have been approximately 16,000 attempts to illegally cross the Polish-Belarusian border since August 2021, including 5,000 in October alone.

Amid growing tensions between Minsk and its neighbours which accuse ’s regime of weaponizing migrants, there are increasing fears that such crossings could turn increasingly dangerous, potentially deadly, as the seasons change.

07/10/2021

🇺🇦🛳
After 30 years of service with the British Antarctic Survey, the new Ukrainian polar research ship, James Clark Ross, has arrived in after a 2.5-long week journey from the Danish port of Frederikshavn.

This is the first time in 20 years that possesses a vessel for research. According to the National Antarctic Scientific Center (Національний антарктичний науковий центр), the icebreaker will allow Ukraine to “get back to large-scale research in the World Ocean; solve logistical problems at the Antarctic Akademik Vernadsky station and expand the possibilities of seasonal expeditions; create research and logistics consortia with other countries; conduct research not only in Antarctica, but also in the Arctic, and, if necessary, in other regions of the ocean.”

10/09/2021

🇧🇾 🇷🇺
On 8 September, Russian Su-30SM multirole fighter jets landed at the Baranovichi airfield to form a joint training centre for the air force and air defense forces of Belarus and Russia. These aircraft are also expected to fly joint missions and patrol the two countries borders.

The arrival of the jets coincided with a crucial meeting between Russian president Vladimir and his Belarusian counterpart Alexander on integration processes within the Union State, and ahead of major military exercises which will involve thousands of troops from both countries.