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Germany looks to give spy services more cloak-and-dagger powers
Germany looks to give spy services more cloak-and-dagger powers
Germany looks to give spy services more cloak-and-dagger powers
The reforms, under discussion for several months, would loosen strict rules that have largely limited Germany's secret services to gathering intelligence and passing on reports. Chancellor Friedrich Merz's coalition has argued that more powerful intelligence agencies are needed to counter the threats posed by hostile foreign powers as well as terrorist groups and cybercriminals. German officials accuse Moscow of waging a "hybrid" campaign of sabotage, espionage and disinformation against the country, which is among Ukraine's biggest military supporters in the war with Russia. "We are in the thick of a hybrid conflict not only with Russia but also with other actors," Marc Henrichmann, chairman of the parliament's intelligence oversight committee, told AFP. "And so our intelligence services must also keep pace with the times and stay one step ahead of the curve." He argued Germany's cautious approach has left it "behind the curve" and unable to properly contribute to European security. Henrichmann pointed to a string of recent incidents, including an explosive-laden drone discovered at Leipzig airport last week, to underscore the importance of the changes. READ ALSO: Hanover Airport disrupted by drone week after Leipzig explosives find "We face adversaries who play without any rules at all," he said. "They have no regard for law and order. Their goal is not merely to put the West, the EU and Germany under pressure, but ideally to bring them to their knees." No lethal operations For decades, Germany has placed its BND foreign intelligence agency and the BfV domestic spy service under tight restrictions that largely rule out cloak-and-dagger operations as practised by the CIA or Mossad. Those rules were imposed in part because of the gruesome abuses carried out by the Nazi dictatorship and communist East Germany, as well as a strong German sense of privacy rights. "The German intelligence services were essentially, until recently, information collection services," Peter Neumann, a professor of security studies at King's College London, told AFP. "They have some powers to collect information and give policymakers a better picture, but they are very restricted in what they were allowed to do with that information." READ ALSO: German spy chief warns of Russian threat to local polls Germany has invested record sums in rebuilding its military in the wake of Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and Henrichmann and others argue that an expansion of the spy services is likewise needed. The proposal would potentially allow the spy agencies to carry out cyberattacks of their own, such as disabling foreign IT systems being used by hostile actors or blocking flows of payments. Powers to collect and analyse data are also being expanded for both the BND and the BfV, including permission to use artificial intelligence to scan vast datasets and retain certain data for longer periods. The legislative package, spanning over 700 pages, also regulates powers for controversial measures such as online surveillance and tracking. In rare situations, the BND spy agency could also receive permission to carry out foreign sabotage missions, though assassinations and other lethal operations would remain strictly forbidden under German law. 'Genuine secret services' "We are turning our intelligence agencies into genuine secret services," Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told the Bild daily. "We are providing a new response to the hybrid threat landscape and attempts at destabilisation through sabotage, espionage, cyberattacks, and covert actions by foreign powers," Dobrindt told the newspaper, adding that the reform would put Germany "on an equal footing with our partner agencies around the world". Neumann said that the spy services in many of Germany's European allies, such as Britain, France or the Netherlands, already have "significantly more powers". Germany's tight limits on covert action have sometimes made cooperation with allied intelligence agencies difficult and joint operations rare, Neumann said. "It is about time for German intelligence services to have similar powers to other European democracies," he told AFP. Greens MP Konstantin von Notz, vice-chairman of the intelligence oversight committee, said that "new and robust powers are fundamentally appropriate given the challenging current security climate". But von Notz argued the current draft legislation goes "too far" in failing to strengthen independent oversight of the agencies, and risks violating a ban in Germany's constitution on a secret service holding any kind of police power. The Society for Civil Rights has also argued that the new digital surveillance powers would "deeply infringe upon fundamental rights". Henrichmann, however, defended the expanded powers in light of current threats, and contended that Germany's legal protections and oversight mean that "we have the most heavily scrutinised intelligence agencies in the world". READ ALSO: What is Palantir's Gotham software and why do German police want it?
How a German Bus Driver May Have Averted a War
How a German Bus Driver May Have Averted a War An object lesson in hybrid attacks, escalation, deterrence, and miscalculation. LAST WEEK, A BUS DRIVER AT Leipzig/Halle Airport in Germany briefly became a ninja warrior. He saw a drone buzzing around a Ukrainian An-124 cargo plane, and in a feat of inadvisable athleticism, kicked it out of the air. Whether or not he knew it at the time, that man’s quick thinking and fast feet may have changed the fate of the world. Leipzig/Halle is one of Europe’s largest cargo hubs and an important node in the logistics network connecting European industry, transportation, and military operations. It has also become an operating base for Antonov, the Ukrainian firm that designs, builds, and operates heavy transport aircraft, since Russia’s full-scale invasion forced much of the company’s operations out of Ukraine. The aircraft at the center of the story is an Antonov An-124 Ruslan, one of the largest cargo airplanes anywhere in the world; it carries roughly 120 tons of cargo and can accommodate outsized equipment too big for most military transports. There are only fifty-seven of the type anywhere in the world, and NATO relies on the An-124 for its Strategic Airlift International Solution, or SALIS, a program that provides allies access to strategic transportation. Leipzig/Halle sits at the center of that arrangement. When authorities examined the downed drone in Leipzig and found it was carrying explosives, German federal prosecutors took over the investigation, and officials began examining whether the incident represented something far more consequential than an aviation security violation. Support independent journalism that provides original reporting, sharp analysis, and honest commentary without tribalism or spin. Join Bulwark+. The bus driver who kicked the drone might easily have been killed, or he might have accidentally detonated the explosives near the aircraft. In either of those cases, the incident might have precipitated an international crisis. German authorities have not publicly established that Russia was responsible for the incident, though reports suggest the American intelligence community is more certain it was. But whoever sent the drone selected a location containing Ukrainian aircraft involved in the strategic transportation network supporting European security. That should get our attention, particularly since several European governments have openly warned that Russia may test NATO resolve in the coming years—an assessment reportedly echoed by the American intelligence community. Leaders in the Baltic states and Poland have voiced increasing concerns about threats to energy systems, transportation networks, and other critical infrastructure. Latvian officials have warned specifically about the possibility of Russia indirectly testing NATO’s mutual defense commitment. A conventional invasion would provide NATO with clarity: If Russian tanks cross the Polish border or troops enter Estonia, it would remove most of the questions about what had occurred and who was responsible. But hybrid attacks create the opposite effect. A warehouse burns, a railway switching station is sabotaged, or an undersea telecommunications cable is severed, or an explosive drone appears under the wing of a Ukrainian transport aircraft at a German airport—these types of events force political leaders to answer tough questions: What happened? Who did it? Can responsibility be proved? Was it criminal activity, terrorism, or state-directed sabotage? Or, perhaps most importantly, does it constitute an attack requiring a NATO response? The ambiguity is the objective. JUST IMAGINE WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED if that bus driver had called in sick that day. The drone detonates beside the An-124, igniting the aircraft and destroying it. Several German airport employees are killed and a dozen or more are seriously wounded. Leipzig/Halle suspends cargo operations while security forces search the airport for additional devices. (In actuality, the airport did shut down its runways for a few hours, and a “second flying object” struck another airplane, causing light damage.) German authorities treat the incident as a counterterrorism investigation. Within forty-eight hours, German intelligence concludes with high confidence that the operation was planned or directed by Russian military intelligence. The German chancellor announces publicly that a Russian state organization deliberately attacked German territory, destroying an aircraft connected to NATO strategic transportation and killing German citizens. Germany would suddenly face a question far larger than the destruction of one airplane: Should Germany take the investigation and its political demands to Brussels for review by the other thirty-one members of NATO? Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty is often discussed as though it were an automatic mechanism under which an attack on one NATO member instantly sends the alliance to war. It doesn’t work that way. The treaty considers an armed attack against one member an attack against all, but individual allies take whatever action they deem necessary, which may include the use of military force. NATO has acknowledged that significant cyber or hybrid attacks could reach the threshold of collective defense, but the difficult part is determining where that threshold lies. Some allies might argue that a Russian intelligence operation killing German citizens and destroying an aircraft at a strategic logistics hub clearly qualifies. Others might urge restraint, fearful that invoking Article V over a covert drone operation could begin an escalatory process no one could control. Some would no doubt want to see conclusive intelligence linking Russia to the attack, but the allies in possession of that intelligence might not be willing to share all the details of how they know what they know. Germany might instead request Article IV consultations, a process that allows countries to share intelligence, evaluate future risks, and plan joint strategies to address the situation in anticipation of future escalation. Washington could seek additional intelligence before supporting a more forceful response. Each of these positions would have a reasonable argument behind it, and that is exactly what makes conducting such operations attractive to Moscow, Beijing, Tehran, and others. The An-124 might be the physical target, but NATO cohesion could be the real objective. Suppose German attribution is convincing, several Germans are dead, and the aircraft is destroyed, but NATO decides not to treat Leipzig as an Article V attack. The alliance would not suddenly disappear. NATO headquarters would remain in Brussels, American forces would still be stationed across Europe, and alliance exercises would continue. But something fundamental would have changed. Governments in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland would immediately ask what kind of Russian attack would trigger collective defense. If a state-directed attack killing NATO citizens at a strategically important facility did not qualify, where was the line? Ten deaths? Twenty? A sabotaged ammunition depot? An electrical grid disabled during a Baltic winter? Deterrence depends not merely on capability but on an adversary’s perception of political will. Once Moscow concluded that a gap existed between NATO’s treaty commitments and what the various members’ governments were prepared to enforce, the Kremlin would have every reason to probe that gap again. Each subsequent attack could be slightly more damaging, calibrated to remain just below whatever threshold NATO had demonstrated it was reluctant to cross. There is another possible response, however, and it might represent a serious Russian miscalculation. Europe might not become more cautious. It could become much more aggressive in supporting Ukraine. Poland and the Baltic countries could conclude that the best way to defend themselves was to help Ukraine destroy more Russian military capability before it ever reached NATO territory. Governments could increase deliveries of long-range missiles, drones, air defenses, and ammunition, while accelerating their own defense production and expanding intelligence cooperation with Kyiv. They might even consider supplying their own armed forces to contribute to the Ukrainians’ fight. Russia might then increase sabotage and cyber operations against the European logistics architecture supporting Ukraine—the ports, railroads, warehouses, airports, and maintenance facilities by which weapons travel from around the world to Ukraine. The danger is that escalation would not necessarily remain confined to Europe. With the United States and Europe distracted, Tehran might see an opportunity to intensify its own pressure against American forces and interests. Iranian-backed groups increase operations elsewhere, and the Houthis step up attacks in the Red Sea. A Houthi attack strikes a French frigate and kills sailors while Germany is still wrestling with the aftermath of Leipzig. France has casualties at sea while Germany has casualties at home. Poland and the Baltic states are demanding a stronger response against Russia, and Washington is trying simultaneously to contain escalation in Europe and sustain a costly military operation in the Middle East. The situation becomes even more complicated because Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan have just entered a new mutual-defense arrangement. Turkey is already a NATO member, while Saudi Arabia faces continuing threats from the Houthis and Iran, and nuclear-armed Pakistan is now in theory responsible for the defense of both countries. If attacks spread to Saudi territory, Ankara could find itself navigating overlapping commitments at precisely the moment NATO is debating how to respond to Moscow. At the same time, China could announce new air and naval exercises that completely surround Taiwan, raising the prospect of a blockade without actually announcing one. With Washington distracted, America’s Pacific allies struggle to coordinate, and no one challenges the Chinese until it’s too late. WE TEND TO IMAGINE MAJOR WARS beginning when a leader consciously decides to launch one. History is often messier. Wars expand because one state attempts a supposedly limited action, another responds proportionately, a third sees an opportunity, proxy forces pursue their own interests, and alliance commitments gradually pull additional countries into the confrontation. Each individual decision appears rational while the cumulative result becomes catastrophic. Ever since Herman Kahn illustrated multi-tiered paths to nuclear war in 1965, military professionals have often described escalation as a ladder, but it actually can look more like a web. Pull one strand at Leipzig and something moves in Tallinn. Increase support to Ukraine and calculations shift in Moscow. Tehran sees Washington distracted and presses its advantage. An attack in the Red Sea changes decisions in Paris. Those decisions affect Brussels, and Brussels affects what Moscow believes it can risk next. None of this is a prediction about what will follow the Leipzig incident. But military planners conduct war games using precisely these kinds of scenarios because waiting until every hypothetical becomes reality is a poor way to prepare for a crisis. The significance of Leipzig is therefore not simply that an airport bus driver became an unlikely ninja warrior for a few seconds on a German runway. It is that those few seconds reveal the strange environment in which NATO deterrence now operates and in which global security is threatened or preserved. European leaders warning about a potential Russian attack may be describing something subtler than Russian armies crossing borders. The attack they fear could come as a series of limited actions deliberately designed to prevent anyone from ever identifying a single clear moment when peace became war. Last week, perhaps through luck, technical failure, or one extraordinarily brave airport employee, NATO did not have to answer that question. We should not assume the next bizarre operation by a malign actor fomenting a crisis will give us the same luxury. If you read all the way to the end of this article, you’re probably one of us. Sign up for a free or paid Bulwark subscription:
How a German Bus Driver May Have Averted a War
How a German Bus Driver May Have Averted a War
Russia picks ex-CJI DY Chandrachud for legal battle with Ukrainian bank
Russia picks ex-CJI DY Chandrachud for legal battle with Ukrainian bank Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud has been appointed Russia's arbitrator in a treaty dispute with Ukrainian state-owned bank Oschadbank. This comes months after the ex-CJI reportedly declined offers to represent Moscow in arbitration proceedings involving Wintershall Dea and Ukrenergo. Former Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud will represent Russia in an international arbitration tribunal hearing a dispute brought by Ukrainian state-owned bank Oschadbank, according to a report by the Global Arbitration Review cited by Bar and Bench. The case pertains to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the claimed impact of military operations on the bank's operations. The case stems from Oschadbank's claim over assets and business operations in Ukraine's Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. The bank says it lost these following Russia's military actions in Ukraine after Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. The dispute is being heard under the 1998 bilateral investment treaty between Russia and Ukraine, reported Bar and Bench. Oschadbank's claim is understood to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The tribunal will have three members. Costa Rican arbitrator and former trade minister Dyala Jimenez will serve as its president after being selected jointly by Russia and Oschadbank. The Bar and Bench report also said Greek arbitrator and National University of Singapore (NUS) professor Stavros Brekoulakis was chosen by Oschadbank as the third member. Former CJI Chandrachud has been appointed by Russia. Oschadbank initiated the arbitration after Russia allegedly failed to respond to a notice of dispute served by the bank in July 2025. Chandrachud's appointment comes after he had reportedly turned down approaches from Russia previously to serve as its arbitrator in treaty disputes involving Wintershall Dea, a gas and oil production company, and Ukrenergo, a state-owned power transmission firm. Those approaches were reportedly made on the same day that the Permanent Court of Arbitration had designated Chandrachud as the appointing authority in the Wintershall proceedings. He later relinquished that role after disclosing the communications.
North Korea missile launch hints at upgraded weapons exports to Russia
North Korea missile launch hints at upgraded weapons exports to Russia for Ukraine war North Korea usually reports launches but its silence in the recent launches raises the possibility they involved a top-secret new missile At about 6am on Wednesday, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) detected a missile launched from the North’s southeastern port city of Wonsan. It flew roughly 700km (435 miles) eastward before falling into the Sea of Japan. The JCS conspicuously did not specify the missile’s launch angle or whether it should be classified as short- or long-range. Instead, it said South Korean, US and Japanese authorities had been tracking the launch from its early stages. A South Korean military official said further analysis was needed to determine its type. The JCS said the military was “closely monitoring various developments in North Korea under a robust South Korea-US combined defence posture”. It stressed that South Korea was maintaining the capabilities and readiness to respond overwhelmingly to any provocation. The latest launch came six days after North Korea fired what the South Korean military identified as a short-range ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan.
North Korea missile launch hints at upgraded weapons exports to Russia
North Korea missile launch hints at upgraded weapons exports to Russia
Trump told Ukraine it had no cards. Then Kyiv took the war to Russia
Trump told Ukraine it had no cards. Then Kyiv took the war to Russia
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has sent proposals to US to end war with Russia
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has sent proposals to US to end war with Russia
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has sent proposals to US to end war with Russia
Zelenskyy says Ukraine has sent proposals to US to end war with Russia Ukrainian president also says Russia will use its parliamentary election next month as a pretext to declare a new mobilisation. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Kyiv has handed the United States new proposals aimed at ending the four-and-a-half-year war with Russia. The announcement on Tuesday came amid suggestions by both Ukraine and Russia that US negotiators would soon pay a visit to their two countries. Recommended Storieslist of 4 items - list 1 of 4Russia bars only party opposing war in Ukraine from parliamentary vote - list 2 of 4Russian attacks kill 12, Zelenskyy claims use of North Korean missiles - list 3 of 4Ukraine’s 40-day campaign has not brought the war closer to an end - list 4 of 4‘New level of danger’: Drone incidents scare Europe amid Russia-Ukraine war “We have conveyed our proposals to the American side,” Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address. He said the US could help strengthen Ukraine’s defences, particularly its air defences, while increasing pressure on Moscow so that Russia prepares “for an end to the war rather than prolonging it”. The Ukrainian leader offered no details on the proposals. Talks to end Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which began in 2022, have largely stalled since the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were last in Moscow in January and have not yet visited Kyiv. Ukraine has repeatedly called for a ceasefire after years of fighting. Russia says it wants a settlement, but any solution must involve Ukraine fully ceding four regions Moscow claims as well as resolving the conflict’s “root causes”. In his address, Zelenskyy also accused Russia of preparing to use its parliamentary elections next month as a pretext for another large-scale military mobilisation. “They are preparing for mobilisation in the autumn, immediately after the imitation of parliamentary elections,” Zelenskyy said, as part of a plan to “create the appearance that Russians supposedly support the war”. Following the “pseudo-election”, Russian President Vladimir Putin “plans an additional rapid mobilisation of several hundred thousand Russians by the end of the year, plus another similar number next year”, he added. Officials in Moscow, however, have previously denied that another mobilisation is necessary. Separately on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump announced that Russia has released former US Marine Robert Gilman after four years in detention. Trump said Putin agreed to free the 32-year-old “on a humanitarian basis” and that Washington released no prisoners in return. Gilman was expected to arrive at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, DC, on Tuesday night. The US had been pressing Moscow to release Gilman so he could receive medical treatment. US officials said he would be evaluated by doctors during the flight before being transferred to a rehabilitation centre in San Antonio, Texas. Gilman was detained in Russia in January 2022 after an alleged altercation with a police officer and was later designated by Washington as wrongfully detained.
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks to slide as Iran and US clash over Hormuz
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks to slide as Iran and US clash over control of Strait of Hormuz Welcome back to City AM liveblog. Oil prices broke above $89 per barrel on Wednesday morning, notching the sixth consecutive sessions amid mixed signals around a potential deal between the US and Iran. The regime in Iran has said that the United States must end the war before they loosen their grip on the Strait of Hormuz, despite claims from Donald Trump that the US military was in complete control of the channel. Mohsen Rezaee, the new secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, said on social media that the “message is clear” that the narrow waterway will stay shut until the US agrees to terms and pulls back from the conflict. ”The Strait of Hormuz will not reopen until the US ends the war and blockade, releases Iran’s frozen assets, and agrees to a region-wide ceasefire, including in Lebanon and Gaza,” he said. It followed Trump dismissing Iran’s six conditions for reopening the strait, which included “payment in full” for damage inflicted on Iran throughout the war. “It is an interesting idea because now I am likewise demanding compensation from Iran,” Trump said, adding: “I have instructed my representatives to put this firmly into any, and all, future negotiations.” The President also said the US was only “semi-negotiating” with Iran. But in some relief to market’s hope for peace, the defence minister of Pakistan, which has been acting as an intermediary in talks, has said things were “shaping up again in favor of a peace arrangement”. “The signals in the last two three days are that we are close to some sort of an arrangement,” they added. We’ll be bringing you all the latest market developments and analysis. Here’s a few of our top headlines this morning - Trump speaks up for Infantino at last as Fifa boss fights world football rebellion - Heathrow overtaken by Istanbul as Europe’s busiest airport - Housebuilder Bellway calls for ‘immediate’ cut to stamp duty - Burnham to crack down on vape and betting shops - London AI car firm records surge in revenue on demand for driver-tracking software
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks to slide as Iran and US clash over Hormuz
FTSE 100 Live: Stocks to slide as Iran and US clash over Hormuz
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin is preparing to use this winter to âbreakâ Kyiv, think-tank warns
Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin is preparing to use this winter to ‘break’ Kyiv, think-tank warns Putin will not enter serious negotiations if he believes he has a ‘viable military path’, says ISW Russian president Vladimir Putin is not looking to end the war in Ukraine, and is instead ramping up the production of ballistic missiles to break Kyiv’s resolve this winter, a Washington-based think tank has warned. “The Kremlin will not enter serious negotiations or make meaningful compromises on its demands as long as Putin believes that he has a viable military path to achieving his full objectives,” the Institute for the Study of War said. The ISW warned: “Russia’s reprioritisation of production efforts toward ballistic missiles will support Russian efforts to use the upcoming winter to break Ukraine’s will to fight.” Its remarks came as Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine had handed proposals to US negotiators for a plan to end the war with Russia. "We have conveyed our proposals to the American side," Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "And the United States can help strengthen our defence, first and foremost with air defence, and put pressure on Russia so that its plans are different – to prepare for an end to the war rather than prolonging it." Watch: Kyiv sends new proposals to Trump’s negotiators for plan to end conflict, says Zelensky Trump says Russia agreed to release American ex-Marine after discussions with Putin Russia released an American military veteran on Tuesday, allowing his return to the US after four years of what his family and US officials allege was wrongful incarceration and abusive treatment that left him near death. Robert Gilman, a 32-year-old Massachusetts teacher and former Marine, was freed after president Donald Trump said he spoke with Russian president Vladimir Putin about his release, which Trump said was “very much on a Humanitarian Basis.” “We appreciate this decision, and the fact that Russia asked for no one in return – No exchange took place,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted a photo on social media of a gaunt-looking Gilman draped in an American flag and surrounded by his family aboard an airplane. Over 16,000 civilians detained by Russia during the war in Ukraine are still held, UN estimates The United Nations estimates that more than 16,000 civilians detained by Russia during its war in Ukraine are still being “deprived of their liberty,” many held incommunicado and on grounds that don't comply with international law. “Widespread and systematic torture and ill-treatment" of both Ukrainian civilian detainees and prisoners of war by Russia are continuing, including sexual violence, said Claudia Fuentes Julio, the UN assistant secretary-general for human rights. Since the full-scale invasion in 2022, Julio said, UN human rights staff have interviewed 910 Ukrainian prisoners of war and 403 civilian detainees following their release. The UN has not been able to visit detention facilities in Russia, and its estimated figure of those held does not break down how many are adults or children. Russia hits the grounds of a Kyiv children's hospital Russian forces struck parts of the Ukrainian capital Kyiv overnight yesterday, according to officials. One strike hit the grounds of a children’s hospital, leaving two craters and shattering windows, the State Emergency Service said. Children and medical workers were in bomb shelters and nobody was hurt, it added. Emergency workers said two craters were formed at the site, and the building's windows and a gas pipe were damaged. Gas service workers were able to eliminate the leak. Russia attacked Ukrainian cities with missiles, drones and glide bombs yesterday, killing at least 10 civilians, officials said. Zelensky sends proposals for ending the war with Russia to Trump’s negotiators Ukraine has handed proposals to US negotiators for a plan to end the war with Moscow, Volodymyr Zelensky announced, as he suggested that Russia would use its parliamentary election next month as a pretext to declare a new round of mobilisation. "We have conveyed our proposals to the American side," Zelensky said in his nightly video address. "And the United States can help strengthen our defence, first and foremost with air defence, and put pressure on Russia so that its plans are different – to prepare for an end to the war rather than prolonging it." Zelensky offered no details on the proposals. Russians ‘snatched off streets’ to feed Ukraine war for Putin's mobilisation plan Moscow appears to be adopting increasingly aggressive strategies to recruit fresh troops for its war of attrition in Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin looks to make up for heavy battlefield losses. Men are reportedly being snatched off Russian streets and students offered significant financial incentives to join drone units as Moscow looks to avoid another forced mobilisation. Local officials have been issued recruitment quotas by the Kremlin and Moscow’s defence ministry as it looks to meet this year’s 409,000 target, sources familiar with the matter told the Financial Times. Russians are given referral bonuses for encouraging others to sign up while officials exploit knowledge of potential recruits’ debts and legal problems to pressure them into signing up, the FT adds. Alex Croft reports: Inside Putin’s aggressive army recruitment drive as Russians ‘snatched off streets’ Romania destroys drones drifting near major offshore gas project in the Black Sea Romanian army divers destroyed two Gerbera-type drones drifting in the country's Black Sea exclusive economic zone near the offshore gas project Neptun Deep, defence minister Radu Miruta said on Tuesday. The Nato state shares a 614km (382 mile) land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones repeatedly breach its airspace over the last four years, as well as mines floating in the Black Sea across key trade and energy routes. A civilian vessel working near the Neptun Deep offshore gas project spotted the drones yesterday, Miruta said. The minister did not specify the origin of the drones, but said Ukraine had confirmed they did not belong to its forces. “For the safety of the shipping lane and the works being carried out around the platform, the decision was made to carry out a controlled destruction by detonation,” Miruta said. “The defence ministry contacted Ukrainian partners, who confirmed that the systems do not belong to them.” Nato states Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, which share the Black Sea with Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, have neutralised more than 150 mines drifting across crucial trade lanes. Putin will use winter 2026 to break Kyiv’s resolve, says think tank There are indications from Russia that it will not end the war and will use production of ballistic missiles to deploy them in the upcoming winter to break Ukraine’s resolve to fight, a Washington-based think tank has said. “The Kremlin will not enter serious negotiations or make meaningful compromises on its demands as long as Putin believes that he has a viable military path to achieving his full objectives,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said in an analysis Monday. “Ukraine’s Patriot shortages offer Russia an opportunity to cause very serious damage to Ukraine over the coming winter and will therefore contribute to delaying meaningful negotiations and protracting the war,” it said. The ISW said: “Russia’s reprioritisation of production efforts toward ballistic missiles will support Russian efforts to use the upcoming winter to break Ukraine’s will to fight.” Zelensky says Moscow using more North Korean missiles on Kyiv Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian forces used ballistic missiles supplied by North Korea in an overnight attack which targeted the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia. A company said seven workers at its steel plant were killed and 21 injured. In addition to the ballistic missiles, North Korea is preparing to deploy more of its troops to Russia, Zelensky said late Monday. “Every step Russia takes – increasing ballistic missile production, bringing in North Korean equipment, preparing for mobilisation – all of this shows that Moscow is preparing not for peace, but for escalation,” Zelensky said on social media. Drones hit residential buildings in Russia's Black Sea port of Novorossiysk Debris from likely intercepted Ukrainian drones has damaged six residential buildings in the Russian Black Sea port city of Novorossiysk, according to the mayor of the major commodities export hub. Mayor Andrei Kravchenko said on Telegram that those injured were receiving medical assistance and a commercial building was also hit. There were a number of unverified social media posts on Telegram purporting to show photos of a huge tower of flames arising from somewhere in Novorossiysk. In Sevastopol in Russia-occupied Crimea, more than three dozen drones were downed, the city's governor, Mikhail Razvozhayev, said on Telegram. A few houses were damaged in the attack, but there were no injuries, he added. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their repliesComments Bookmark popover Removed from bookmarks
UN: 16,000 civilians detained by Russia in war with Ukraine still held
UN: 16,000 civilians detained by Russia in war with Ukraine still held
Oil prices rise as Red Sea, Gulf of Oman attacks heighten supply concerns
Oil prices rise as Red Sea, Gulf of Oman attacks heighten supply concerns
Oil prices rise as Red Sea, Gulf of Oman attacks heighten supply concerns
- Oil prices rose on Wednesday after deadly attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman heightened concerns over risks to global shipping routes. Oil prices rose on Wednesday after deadly attacks on vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Oman heightened concerns over risks to global shipping routes, even as diplomats signaled progress toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Brent crude futures, the international benchmark, gained about 1.24% to $90 per barrel. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures advanced 1.3% to $84.3 per barrel. Iran-backed Houthi rebels killed six people in an attack on a cargo ship in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, marking the first reported fatalities from attacks on Red Sea shipping in more than a year. Hours later, U.S. forces said they fired missiles at a container ship that allegedly tried to break Washington's blockade of Iranian ports in the Gulf of Oman. The incidents underscore the growing impact of the nearly six-month-old war on two key global shipping routes, even as diplomatic efforts toward reopening the Strait of Hormuz show signs of progress. Interactive Brokers Senior Economist José Torres said concerns over Middle East oil supplies remained prevalent despite signs that the U.S. and Iran may be moving closer to an agreement over the Strait of Hormuz. Pakistan has expressed optimism that Washington and Tehran could reach an accord, but Torres said markets were still waiting for concrete progress. "Investors have been awaiting a deal for a few weeks, and tangible progress is likely required for yields to fall significantly and stocks to rally further at this juncture," he said in a note late Tuesday. He also pointed to slightly rising oil prices as evidence that supply concerns stemming from the conflict had yet to dissipate.
Oil prices rise as Red Sea, Gulf of Oman attacks heighten supply concerns
Oil prices rise as Red Sea, Gulf of Oman attacks heighten supply concerns
Oil prices rise as Red Sea, Gulf of Oman attacks heighten supply concerns
Oil prices rise as Red Sea, Gulf of Oman attacks heighten supply concerns
Iran adapted attacks on US bases in Middle East to bypass diminishing defenses | The Jerusalem Post
Iran adapted attacks on US bases in Middle East to bypass diminishing defenses | The Jerusalem Post
Iran adapted attacks on US bases in Middle East to bypass diminishing defenses | The Jerusalem Post
As the US-Iran war progressed Iran adapted how it attacked US military bases in the Middle East, which forced the US to use its already scarce supply of Patriot interceptors, according to a report from the New York Times on Tuesday. During five days in June Iran launched waves of drones and missiles at US forces on three bases in Jordan, aiming to overwhelm American air defenses. The IRGC used missiles that could suddenly change course, forcing the US to use scarce interceptor missiles, the NYT reported. On July 17 an Iranian strike in Jordan hit a housing unit on a US base, killing three soldiers. A statement from US Central Command (CENCTOM) on July 18 said that "On July 17, two US service members in Jordan were killed in action as CENTCOM and partner forces defended against Iranian ballistic missile and drone attacks. Additionally, one service member is currently missing in action." Responding to the fatal attack, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the NYT, "We shot down almost all the missiles, one leaked through.” As the war has progressed, Iran has become more tactical and skilled with its strikes, learning how to evade US air defenses as the conflict has spread across the region, according to NYT reports. Simultaneously the US was running through its stockpile of interceptor missiles. The US Army had used up "virtually all" of its highly accurate long-range missiles during the five-month war with Iran, according to a Reuters report on August 4. These long-range munitions allow the military to carry out accurate strikes from a safe distance, playing a crucial role in the US-Iran conflict. US munitions shortage after months of war The Pentagon has fewer than 1,700 Patriot interceptors left, a source told the NYT. When asked for comment on the stockpile data, the White House issued a statement from Trump, saying the US had “far more munitions than anyone in the world" and "far more than we need," Reuters reported. "Our defense companies are, at this moment, making more munitions than they have ever made before, in addition to expanding their plants and equipment at record levels," Trump said. The munitions shortage has an impact beyond the US-Iran conflict. The Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMs) stockpile, a short-range missile also in demand by Ukraine, is drained to the extent that there’s basically none left, Reuters reported. Between February and July the US had used around 65% of its Patriot interceptors.