Türkiye Warns of Radical Steps Over Gaza
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan warned Thursday that Türkiye, Qatar and Egypt could take radical action over Gaza unless Washington pushes Israel to meet its ceasefire commitments, according to Daily Sabah. Speaking alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty at a news conference in El Alamein, Fidan said "Türkiye, Qatar, and Egypt will have to take radical steps on this issue" if Israel's non-compliance continues, calling it a responsibility owed to the Palestinian people. He also accused Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of pursuing policies that disregard human dignity and provoke the international community. The warning came alongside a deeper push to formalize Ankara-Cairo ties: the two ministers signed three cooperation documents following the second meeting of the Türkiye-Egypt Joint Planning Group, and Fidan described Egypt as Türkiye's natural partner, expressing hope the relationship would soon become formal. Abdelatty said the two countries also oppose Israeli strikes on Syrian sovereignty…
Poland May Give Ukraine MiG-29 Jets Soon
Poland and Ukraine are in the final stage of negotiations over the transfer of Polish MiG-29 fighter jets to Kyiv, with delivery possible within weeks, according to an NV, citing the Polish newspaper Wirtualna Polska. Under the terms being discussed, Warsaw would hand over a portion of its remaining MiG-29 fleet in exchange for a large number of Ukrainian-made drones across multiple types, along with related technology. A Polish defense ministry source said talks picked up pace after Rustem Umerov was appointed head of Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service. Even so, Polish officials remain wary of how the deal would be implemented in practice. One source involved in the talks said Ukrainian drone maker Fire Point has offered 1,500 long-range drones, with an immediate transfer of the same number to Poland if war reached its territory — but cautioned Kyiv could later cite force majeure if its own front-line needs took…
RSF Claims Kurmuk as Sudan Fighting Widens
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) claimed control of Kurmuk in Sudan’s Blue Nile state on August 13, days after disputed fighting around nearby Geissan. The claim, reported by Sudans Post, has not been independently confirmed. Sudans Post cited local sources describing drone strikes ahead of an RSF ground assault from the Ethiopian border area. The Kurmuk claim follows a more clearly documented escalation around Geissan. Reuters reported the RSF said it captured Geissan on August 11, a claim local authorities disputed while saying the army was fighting back. Kurmuk itself changed hands earlier this year, with Sudan Tribune reporting SAF recaptured the town on July 8 after RSF and SPLM-N (Al-Hilu) forces had seized it in March. Sudanese officials have alleged RSF and SPLM-N (Al-Hilu) operations use Ethiopian territory as a staging ground, an allegation Ethiopia denies. The renewed fighting in Blue Nile has already displaced civilians on a large…
Blast Kills Suspected Russian Defector in Sevastopol
A man was killed Thursday morning in an explosion in Russian-occupied Sevastopol. Russia's FSB office for Crimea and Sevastopol said the device, planted in a trash bin near a bench on Stoletovsky Avenue, killed a Russian Defense Ministry serviceman, and that a woman born in 1994 was detained shortly afterward, accused by the agency of acting on orders from Ukrainian special services, according to RIA Novosti. The FSB did not name the victim. Unofficial Russian and Ukrainian sources, including Telegram channels VChK-OGPU and Crimean Wind, identified him as Robert Shageev, a Captain 1st Rank who commanded a Kilo-class (Project 636) submarine crew in the Black Sea Fleet's 4th Independent Submarine Brigade at Novorossiysk — a role Ukraine says tied him to Kalibr cruise-missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. Shageev previously commanded the Ukrainian Navy submarine Zaporizhzhia before defecting after Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, according to Meduza. Neither his…
EU Urges Patriot Missile Transfers to Ukraine
The European Commission is pressing member states to release Patriot interceptors from national stockpiles for Ukraine, calling it an "unconditional priority," spokesperson Anitta Hipper said Thursday, according to Babel. Beyond its direct appeal, the EU's SAFE loan mechanism now allows Kyiv to apply for financing to buy interceptors from non-EU suppliers when the required systems can't be produced or procured within the bloc, offering a workaround for Europe's own limited Patriot production, according to United24 Media. Poland, separately, expects a decision within days on transferring another batch of Patriot missiles, Deputy Defense Minister Magdalena Sobkowiak-Czarnecka said on RMF FM, adding that any transfer still depends on backfill guarantees from the US and NATO, as with Warsaw's previous donation, according to RMF24. She said Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz now leans toward approving the move, framing it less as domestic politics than as forward air defense: he'd rather such a missile "be…
Ukraine Is Rewriting How the U.S. Army Thinks About War
The outcome of a recent U.S. Army training exercise in Germany attracted attention for an unusual reason. According to a Wall Street Journal investigation, Ukrainian drone operators consistently outperformed their American counterparts during the Combined Resolve exercise at Hohenfels in April and May. About 3,500 U.S. personnel, primarily from the 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, faced an opposing force reinforced by Ukrainian operators from the 412th Regiment of the Unmanned Systems Forces, known as Nemesis. Officials briefed on the exercise told the Journal that the Ukrainian teams effectively eliminated a U.S. armored brigade before American forces adapted. For decades, military knowledge flowed primarily in one direction. The United States developed doctrine, technology and operational concepts that allies absorbed through NATO training, procurement and joint exercises, while Ukraine was largely viewed as a recipient of Western expertise. Today, that relationship is becoming more reciprocal. During the second half…
