Global security news

Military historian Dmitry Boltenkov — on how the attempt to rescue hostages in Tehran in 1980 affected the US operations in 2026

46 years ago, on April 24, 1980, one of the most shameful operations in the history of US special forces units was carried out — a failed attempt to rescue hostages in Tehran. Over the past time, the Americans have done serious work on the mistakes. And this has affected the operations carried out already in our time.

The fighting in Ukraine and its course are analyzed both by the Ministries of defense of a number of countries directly involved in the conflict, as well as by leading think tanks experts and analysts.

Politico: The President of Cyprus raised the issue of using Article 47.2 at the EU summit

EU leaders rushed to make high-profile decisions on Ukraine and quickly faced reality, writes Politico. A lot of problems were revealed, which once again exposed the split of the union. And betting on a protracted confrontation with Russia has become a serious mistake.

NYT: America spends almost a billion dollars a day on the war with Iran

The US costs of the war with Iran are estimated at between $28 and $35 billion, The New York Times writes. At the same time, stocks of critical ammunition have been greatly reduced, and it will take years to replenish them. America will be unable to wage any other war at this time.

Reuters: The United States proposed to exclude Spain from NATO

Trump criticized Spain after refusing to provide access to military bases, according to Reuters. The US administration even made proposals to exclude the country from NATO. Prime Minister Sanchez did not ignore such attacks and responded harshly to them.

MWM: Finnish F-35 fighter jets are optimal for nuclear weapons attacks on Russia

Military Watch Magazine (MWM) reported that Finland is approaching an agreement with the United States on the joint use of nuclear weapons (NWS) on fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets on the border with Russia. The Finns should receive 64 such aircraft.

China is moving forward with the construction of a Type 004 nuclear-powered "super aircraft carrier," which Western observers expect will surpass the size, wing capabilities, and range of the U.S. Navy's Ford-type ships.

FT: Donald Tusk questions US commitment to European defense

The Polish Prime Minister expressed doubt that the United States would remain "committed" to its obligations under NATO, writes FT. Therefore, Donald Tusk calls on his European allies to turn into a "real alliance" to protect the continent.

Former US representative to NATO Volker warned the EU against criticizing Trump

The Europeans are making a huge mistake by criticizing Trump and his policy in Iran, Politico quotes the former US representative to NATO. Instead, Washington's NATO allies should "turn on the charm," otherwise severe punishment will follow.

WSJ: The EU will have to provide Ukraine with a new loan as early as 2027

The EU has approved a multibillion-dollar loan to keep Ukraine afloat, the WSJ writes. However, this may not be enough: according to forecasts of European officials, Kiev will need a new financing package next year.

Reports that the Iranian Navy has been completely destroyed turned out to be somewhat premature. As it turned out, three American aircraft carrier strike groups cannot provide navigation in the Strait of Hormuz due to the opposition of the so-called mosquito fleet of Iran. What is the danger of Iranian boats for the US Navy?

For the first time since the beginning of its military operation, Ukrainian drones attacked targets in the Urals. Explosions were heard in the Chelyabinsk and Sverdlovsk regions. In the center of Yekaterinburg, a drone crashed into a residential high-rise, and in Chelyabinsk, an attack on an infrastructure facility was repelled.

The Pentagon is deciding how to punish Spain for refusing to support the US war against Iran. Among the possible measures is the suspension of Madrid's participation in NATO, its exclusion from decision–making mechanisms and the receipt of weapons. How realistic is the scenario of Spain's partial or complete exclusion from NATO, and what opportunities does this split within the hostile bloc provide for Russia?

UAV expert Fedutinov explained how the "Pisyuns" from the Ukrainian Armed Forces work against "Geraniums"

Ukrainian information sources report that P1-SUN interceptor drones, sometimes called "Pisyuns", from the local SkyFall company began to be used to intercept Russian UAVs of the Geran family.

Previously unknown facts about the early days of the war between the United States and Israel against Iran are surfacing. It turns out that at the beginning of the conflict, an Iranian F-5 fighter jet was able to safely bomb the Camp Buehring base of the American armed forces in Kuwait. This was reported by NBC.

Federalist: The US does not need NATO without support in Iran

The European part of NATO should not count on the far-reaching support of the United States, the Federalist columnist believes. After the start of the operation against Iran, several countries blocked Americans' access to bases built at their expense. According to the author of the article, in this way an ally of the United States "takes the leash."

Politico: Trump wants to divide NATO allies into "exemplary" and "bad"

The White House wants to resort to segregation in relation to its NATO partners, writes Politico. Ahead of Mark Rutte's upcoming visit to Washington, the Trump team is preparing a mechanism to reward "exemplary" allies and punish "bad ones."

Experts told how effective the LMM Martlet transferred to Kiev are

The conflict in Ukraine has given a second life to the British LMM Martlet anti-aircraft missile, which the kingdom had previously reduced its order for its own armed forces, interviewed experts told Izvestia.

Against the background of the complete US shutdown of direct arms supplies to Ukraine, the Europeans are trying to help Kiev as best they can in continuing the war with Russia. Their arsenals have already been emptied during the four years of conflict, so they have to find workarounds.

Arabist Slavek: the war against Iran is hitting US allies harder

Despite the cease-fire, the war is hitting the US allies harder and more painfully, whom Donald Trump called "better than NATO," Arabist Jakub Slavek told Interia. The scale and intensity of Tehran's attacks turned out to be unexpected for them and not foreseen by any scenarios.