Tag: Russia

China and Russia are collaborating to develop an attack drone similar to Iran’s Shahed, European officials say

Posted on by Lone Candle

“Russian and Chinese companies are working together to develop an attack drone similar to Iran’s lethal Shahed, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed European officials.
According to the officials, the companies held talks last year and began designing and testing a version of the drone earlier this year, to prepare for shipping to Russia.

The drones have yet to be deployed in Ukraine, the officials told the outlet. They didn’t specify which companies were involved.

The move would be a worrying one for Ukraine and its allies.

Russia has relied heavily on Iran’s Shahed drone and its newer and customized variants to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defenses since it launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

In January, Russia was suspected of using an Iranian jet-powered Shahed-238 — a significant upgrade in speed and altitude over the Shahed-136 loitering munition.

Russia has developed its own version of the Shahed drones, known as Geran-2 drones, which are similar to Shahed-136s but made with different materials, researchers at Conflict Armament Research told The New York Times last year.

However, officials told Bloomberg that one concern about the reported Russia-China partnership is that China could develop the drones at a much higher rate than Iran or Russia.

It would also be another sign of Russia’s growing reliance on China as it grapples with crippling Western economic sanctions, and would be further evidence that China has become a key enabler of Russia’s war in Ukraine, despite claims of neutrality.

The European officials did not name the drone being developed, but media outlets and Chinese defense websites have reported China is working on the Sunflower 200, an exploding attack drone that is described as similar in appearance to the Shahed 136, according to Bloomberg.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-russia-collaborating-develop-attack-121502058.html

Russian Escalation Strategy in Ukraine – The North Korean Deal, Kharkiv & Putin’s “Ceasefire” demand

Posted on by Lone Candle

Russian Escalation Strategy in Ukraine – The North Korean Deal, Kharkiv & Putin’s “Ceasefire” demand

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTXwmcIfY0Y

RUSSIA Running Out of Reserves as Gold & Forex Levels Fall & Costs of Ukraine War Increase

Posted on by Lone Candle

RUSSIA Running Out of Reserves as Gold & Forex Levels Fall & Costs of Ukraine War Increase

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FfROmxP9wRg

The US tests Putin’s nuclear threats in Ukraine

Posted on by Lone Candle

“Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine more than two years ago, US and Western military assistance to the country has followed a pattern.
First, Kyiv asks for a particular weapons system or capability. Washington declines due to concerns about raising the risk of escalation with Russia. Vladimir Putin then makes vague threats involving his nuclear arsenal. Ukraine’s advocates respond by spending months making their case in the media. One or several European allies come around to giving the Ukrainians what they want, and then eventually the US does as well.

This is more or less what happened with the debate over providing Ukraine with battle tanks, Patriot air defense systems, F-16 fighter jets, and long-range ATACMS, among other systems.”

https://www.vox.com/world-politics/353796/us-weapons-ukraine-russia-putin-escalation-nuclear

Russia has seen two major terror attacks in just three months. Here’s what we know

Posted on by Lone Candle

“Gunmen opened fire at multiple places of worship and a police traffic stop in two cities in Muslim majority Dagestan, killing at least 15 police officers and four civilians including a priest on Sunday.
Two synagogues – one in the city of Derbent and one in the city of Makhachkala – were attacked, according to a statement from the Russian Jewish Congress (RJC).

Attackers “set the building on fire using Molotov cocktails” at the synagogue in Derbent while police and security guards were killed outside during the attack, the RJC.

In the provincial capital Makhachkala, Russian state-news agency TASS reported that a church security guard was killed in a shootout at Svyato-Uspenskiy Sobor, and 19 people had locked themselves inside the premises amid an attack. An attack was also reported at a police traffic post in Makhachkala.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attacks, but law enforcement agencies told TASS that the attackers were “adherents of an international terrorist organization.”

The Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia for the Republic of Dagestan said it had launched a terror investigation into the attacks under the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/russia-seen-two-major-terror-090953207.html