FRONTLINE NEWS PORTAL
30 May 2023
(CNN)
Ukrainians are familiar with seemingly endless Russian drone attacks as Vladimir Putin’s “special military operation” moves into its 16th month but today saw residents of Moscow under drone attack. Neither confirmed nor denied by Ukraine, the early morning attack damaged high-rises and an exclusive residential area.
30 May 2023
(EuroNews)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s weekend re-election has been followed by his government’s demand that Sweden take legal action against a Kurdish separatist group which mounted a May 28 political stunt in Stockholm. Turkey considers the group terrorists and has blocked Sweden’s NATO membership over what it says is Sweden’s inaction to date.
30 May 2023
(Breaking Defense)
Eighteen Leopard 2A6s donated to Ukraine by Germany are to be replaced with new 2A8 models, in a €525-million contract with Krauss-Maffei Wegmann. There also is an option for 105 more which would push the total cost to some €2.9 statement. Germany currently has 321 Leopards in service as well as others in storage.
29 May 2023
(BBC)
Two dozen NATO peacekeepers in Kosovo were injured today, three seriously, in attacks by Serb demonstrators angered at having ethic Albanian mayors. The crisis dates to April when Serbs boycotted local elections, allowing Albanians to take control of local councils with a less than 4% voter turnout. Ethnic Albanians account for more than 90% of the Kosovar population but Serbs are the majority in the north.
29 May 2023
(Reuters)
After Russia President Vladimir Putin reiterated a plan to deploy tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus, his counterpart there suggested May 28 that any other neighbouring country could expect the same arrangement. “No one is against Kazakhstan and other countries having the same close relations that we have with the Russian Federation,” Lukashenko said on Russian state TV. “It is very simple: join in the Union State of Belarus and Russia. That's all: there will be nuclear weapons for everyone.”
29 May 2023
(BBC)
Incumbent Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was returned to power for five years May 28 in a runoff election which gave him just over 52% of the votes. His chief opponent, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, called it “the most unfair election in recent years”, saying that Erdogan’s party had mobilized state resources against him.
26 May 2023
(TASS)
Deployment of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to neighbouring Belarus, a close ally in the war against Ukraine, has been formalized in a May 25 agreement. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said the arrangement is justified by “an extremely sharp escalation of threats on the western borders of Russia and Belarus.”
26 May 2023
(Defense News)
Subject to Senate approval, President Joe Biden has nominated General CQ Brown, current head of the air force, as the next Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman to succeed Army General Mark Milley. Having served in Europe, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific, Brown is the son of a Vietnam War veteran and grandson of a World War II vet.
24 May 2023
(Al Jazeera)
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, often out of step with other NATO leaders, said today that Ukraine is unlikely to win its war with Russia. “It is obvious that there is no victory for the poor Ukrainians on the battlefield,” he said. “The war can be stopped only if the Russians can make an agreement with the U.S. “In Europe, we are not happy with that, but it’s the only way out.”
24 May 2023
(Defense News)
The Government Accountability has highlighted more issues with the U.S. Air Force’s planned procurement of new T-7A Red Hawk advanced jet trainers being developed by Boeing and Saab. It cites safety issues, scheduling and testing delays and the potential for further slippage in a program already a decade later than the USAF had expected.
