Author: Michael

A Russian dissident living in Latvia who ABC News describes as “once one of the most powerful men in Russia,” Mikhail Kasyanov, believes that mounting domestic political pressures-such as recent protests or shifts in public opinion-are increasingly challenging Vladimir Putin’s authority over the Ukraine War.

Recent strikes deep inside Russia by the Ukrainians have targeted oil production, refining, and export facilities as well as cultural symbols, like Russia’s “second capital” of St. Petersburg.

Switchblade Drone. Image Credit: Industry Handout.

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President Donald Trump is threatening to continue his escalation against the Islamic Republic of Iran; this comes after a brief interlude in which a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) paused the fighting for around 18 days before the entire military operation resumed.

Ostensibly, the new round of warfare centers around control over the Strait of Hormuz (SoH). The Americans want it to remain an open international waterway, whereas the Iranians insist that the SoH be governed at least partly by them (with the other part governed by Oman).

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Ukrainian special operations forces say they destroyed a Russian Su-24M strike bomber at Saky Air Base in occupied Crimea using two upgraded Hornet strike drones after a three-week planning effort.

Ukraine says the bomber was preparing for a combat sortie when it was hit.

Tu-95. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

Tu-95 Bomber Russian Air Force. Image Credit: Creative Commons.

The incident provides yet another example of Ukraine’s increasingly sophisticated deep-strike capabilities, demonstrating the vulnerability of Russian air bases and assets behind the front.

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For decades, new recruits joining the Air Force have left their hometowns and taken commercial flights to San Antonio, Texas, home of the service’s boot camp for all enlisted troops.
But perhaps oddly for a military branch built on aviation, that final civilian flight to Texas was the only exposure to a real airplane an Air Force recruit could expect for months or even years.

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Back in late February, President Donald Trump joined Israel in launching strikes on Iran, including an initial strike that killed Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, killing him and other top leaders.

That decision, for which Trump never quite made the case to the American people, came just weeks after the U.S. intervention in Venezuela, which included the arrest of that country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and the installation of a pro-Western regime. So the success of that intervention likely emboldened Trump to once again attack Iran.

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Crimea Is Quickly Slipping Away From Russia And Putin: Crimea was an integral part of Russia’s illegal annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014. Russian President Vladimir Putin joked then that “little green men” were responsible for the takeover of government facilities, as Crimea was the ”jewel” in Putin’s attempt to rebuild the Soviet Union.

But the peninsula is now looking vulnerable. Intensifying Ukrainian drone strikes and the resulting state of emergency have made Crimea a severe strategic and symbolic liability for Putin.

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The British Army marked Her Majesty The Queen’s birthday with a traditional gun salute and music at Green Park in London. Soldiers, horses and guns of The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery fired the 41-gun salute – 21 for the traditional Royal salute with 20 more because it took place in a Royal Park. #bfbsforcesnews #forcesnews #news #uk #shorts #military #army #royal #london #birthday

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Russia may be pushing to make more gains in the Donbas ahead of what seem like inevitable peace negotiations in the coming months, but according to the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, the country is rapidly losing its troops.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe said on Wednesday, July 16, that Russian soldiers survive only an estimated 20 to 30 minutes on the battlefield before they are wounded or killed.

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