DefenceTalkBelarus, a Moscow ally that shares a border with Ukraine, launched “surprise” military maneuvers on Wednesday, to test the reactive capacity of its army, its defence ministry said. Belarus military units were testing their capacity to “go on the alert, move to predetermined zones and undertake combat training,” the ministry said in a statement. “The […]https://www.defencetalk.com/belarus-launches-surprise-military-maneuvers-78754/

DefenceTalkUkraine’s Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov on Wednesday said Kyiv faced “extremely difficult weeks” ahead, warning of major “destruction” in a developing Russian offensive in the east of the country. “Some extremely difficult weeks lie ahead,” Reznikov said in a statement on Facebook. “Russia has already gathered forces for a large-scale offensive in eastern Ukraine,” he […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-faces-extremely-difficult-weeks-ahead-defence-minister-78745/

DefenceTalkBulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov will take members of his government coalition to Ukraine this week amid an ongoing row over voting on military aid for Kyiv that has shaken his cabinet. A coalition council late Tuesday confirmed that Petkov and representatives of three of the four parties in the ruling coalition — all except […]https://www.defencetalk.com/bulgaria-pm-allies-to-visit-ukraine-amid-military-aid-row-78726/

DefenceTalkUkraine called Wednesday for urgent negotiations with Russia in Mariupol, which appeared close to falling after weeks of siege, as Vladimir Putin flexed his military muscle with the test launch of a new, nuclear capable ICBM. Washington downplayed the test of the intercontinental ballistic missile and said it had been notified in advance, but Putin […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-calls-for-talks-in-teetering-mariupol-as-moscow-holds-icbm-test-78715/

DefenceTalkNorway has given Ukraine around 100 French-made Mistral anti-air missiles, the government said on Wednesday. The Mistral launchers and missiles, which have already been delivered, had until now been mounted on Norwegian navy vessels, the defence ministry said in a statement. Built from the end of the 1980s by defence group Matra, which later merged […]https://www.defencetalk.com/norway-gives-ukraine-anti-air-missiles-78712/

DefenceTalkUkraine has received fighter planes and aircraft parts to bolster its air force in the face of Russia’s invasion, the Pentagon said Tuesday, declining to specify the number of aircraft or their origin. The announcement comes a week after US President Joe Biden unveiled an $800 million military aid package for Kyiv, including heavier equipment […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-receives-fighter-planes-parts-to-bolster-air-force-pentagon-78706/

DefenceTalkThe sinking of the warship Moskva on Thursday after it was engulfed in an inferno was a “big blow” to Russia’s naval strength in the Black Sea, the Pentagon said Thursday. The guided missile cruiser sank in rough seas after being damaged by fire during Russia’s military operation in Ukraine, Moscow’s defense ministry said. But […]https://www.defencetalk.com/sinking-of-warship-a-big-blow-to-russian-fleet-pentagon-78696/

DefenceTalkRussia’s setbacks in its invasion of Ukraine could lead President Vladimir Putin to resort to using a tactical or low-yield nuclear weapon, CIA director William Burns said Thursday. “Given the potential desperation of President Putin and the Russian leadership, given the setbacks that they’ve faced so far, militarily, none of us can take lightly the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/cia-warns-desperate-putin-poses-nuclear-threat-78693/

DefenceTalkAn additional $800 million drawdown package of security assistance is on its way to Ukraine. Efforts to get the newly authorized equipment and supplies to the Ukrainian military will begin immediately, said Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby. “As you’ve seen [it] go in the past, from the time the president authorizes drawdown until the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/howitzers-helicopters-humvees-headed-to-ukraine-78680/

DefenceTalkFinland is preparing for a potentially historic decision “before midsummer” on whether to apply to join NATO as a deterrent against Russian aggression. The Nordic nation of 5.5 million has traditionally been militarily non-aligned, in part to avoid provoking its eastern neighbor, with which it shares a 1,300 kilometer (830 mile) border. But Russia’s invasion […]https://www.defencetalk.com/finland-gears-up-for-historic-nato-decision-78661/