DefenceTalkA total of 250 Czech army paratroopers on Monday left for Slovakia, which neighbours war-ravaged Ukraine, to build a NATO battlegroup there, the defence ministry said. The battlegroup will comprise up to 2,100 soldiers from Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United States. The Czechs will be in command of the battlegroup. “The […]https://www.defencetalk.com/czechs-send-250-soldiers-to-slovakia-to-set-up-nato-battlegroup-78589/

DefenceTalkThe US Defense Department approved Monday the sale of eight F-16 combat aircraft to Bulgaria for $1.67 billion, bolstering its air force as the regional threat has risen after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. “The proposed sale will improve Bulgaria’s capability to meet current and future threats by enabling the Bulgarian Air Force to deploy modern […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-approves-sale-of-eight-f-16-combat-aircraft-to-bulgaria-78586/

DefenceTalkAir strikes rocked Ukraine’s strategic Black Sea port of Odessa early Sunday, AFP reporters said, but there were no casualties, according to the army. The Russian defence ministry confirmed the strike. “This morning, high-precision sea and air-based missiles destroyed an oil refinery and three storage facilities for fuel and lubricants near the city of Odessa, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/air-strikes-hit-ukraines-strategic-port-odessa-78578/

DefenceTalkUS arms manufacturers are not cashing in directly from the thousands of missiles, drones and other weapons being sent to Ukraine, but they do stand to profit big-time over the long run by supplying countries eager to boost their defenses against Russia. Like other Western countries, the United States has turned to its own stocks […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-defense-contractors-see-longer-term-benefits-from-war-in-ukraine-78575/

DefenceTalkSweden’s prime minister said Wednesday she hasn’t ruled out NATO membership in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, after having insisted until now on her country’s policy of military non-alliance. “I don’t rule out NATO membership in any way”, Magdalena Andersson told Swedish public television SVT, adding that a review of the country’s security […]https://www.defencetalk.com/swedens-pm-says-hasnt-ruled-out-nato-membership-78556/

DefenceTalkRussia on Tuesday temporarily exempted young IT workers from military service after an exodus of programmers following Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine. Military service is compulsory in Russia for men aged between 18 and 27. Many try to evade service through medical or educational exemptions while some simply ignore the summons. Men aged 27 and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-postpones-military-service-for-it-specialists-78553/

DefenceTalkFive weeks into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Kyiv has kept the extent of its military losses under wraps, but analysts say the country has probably succeeded in limiting the toll thanks to years of preparation and smart tactics. Hiding combat deaths and equipment destruction is standard procedure in wartime, and both Russia and Ukraine […]https://www.defencetalk.com/as-ukraine-holds-out-its-military-losses-remain-hard-to-gauge-78544/

DefenceTalkRussia will “radically” reduce its military activity in northern Ukraine, including near the capital Kyiv, after “meaningful” talks in Istanbul, Moscow’s negotiators said Tuesday. “Given that the talks on the preparation of an agreement on the neutrality and non-nuclear status of Ukraine have moved into a practical field… a decision has been made to radically… […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-to-radically-reduce-military-activity-around-kyiv-78537/

DefenceTalkFinland must brace for Russian interference and hybrid attacks as it weighs whether to join the NATO military alliance, the security services warned on Tuesday. The Nordic nation shares a 1,340-kilometre (830-mile) border with Russia and has remained militarily non-aligned since the end of World War II to avoid provoking its eastern neighbour. But Russia’s […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finlands-spy-service-warns-of-russian-interference-attacks-78530/

DefenceTalkWhen 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a recent border clash with China, the military hardware New Delhi sent to bolster its Himalayan frontier was mostly Russian-origin, showing not for the first time its closeness to “longstanding and time-tested friend” Moscow. Facing an increasingly assertive China closer to home, these ties help explain Prime Minister […]https://www.defencetalk.com/indias-russian-arms-explain-shaky-ukraine-stance-78507/