Pretty sure the Secretary of Defense is wrong when he said the sinking of IRIS Dena was the first ship sunk with a torpedo since WW2:
"On 2 May [1982] Conqueror became the first nuclear-powered submarine to sink an enemy surface ship using torpedoes"
π€·
A week of cycling in Amsterdam has resulted in three close misses with cars, and almost being hit by someone opening their car door.
No matter where you cycle, it's dangerous.
"In any future conflict with Russia, allies must be prepared to face an adversary that employs unmanned systems at scale β at strategic, operational and tactical levels on land, in the air and at sea."
Could the UK deal with this threat? Could any NATO nation?
Imagine speaking multiple languages to a high standard and passing various specialised intelligence training courses - to degree level - only to find yourself fighting with spreadsheets all day.
It's not often the GRU have my sympathies, but...
"In 2026, Russia is likely to impose even harsher measures to restrict access to independent information in online media."
Just today Russia announced it'll throttle telegram:
www.france24.com/en/live-news...
Simply chilling.
π I think the below image tells you one area where Russia will be focus throughout 2026 and onwards...
"The L. N. Tolstoy International Peace Prize"
Is effectively a competitor the Nobel prizes. Russia will use the presentation of such awards to sure up relationships around the world.
Analyst comment - Any similarities to the FIFA peace prize should be ignored π
"It is important to recognise that all of Russiaβs international scientific cooperation initiatives are part of the Kremlinβs influence apparatus, which is intertwined with the security services. They bear no resemblance to normal academic research or academic freedom."
Yeahhhhhhhh
"Russia is highly likely to do everything in its power to derail the conclusion of the ArmeniaβAzerbaijan peace treaty and the creation of the transit corridor named after President Donald Trump."
As does Armenia!
"Russiaβs recent bid to unseat Moldovaβs pro-Western government has failed.
The Kremlin is analysing the lessons, drawing conclusions and updating its methods.
Russia is almost sure to make another attempt to seize control of Moldovaβs state institutions."
Moldova needs to be prepared.
"Russia is setting long-term operational objectives in its war against Ukraine. This confirms that the recent uptick in peace-talk rhetoric is merely a tactic to buy time. Moscow has no intention of ending the war until its objectives are achieved or the conditions are favourable for doing so."
π¨π¨π¨
"Russia is attempting to use the network of the Russian Orthodox Church in its anti-Western influence operations, seeking new sympathisers among extremist circles and spreading false claims about the persecution of Orthodox believers in Ukraine"
Nice to see this called out loudly and clearly
"There is, however, no cause for panic. In the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Serviceβs assessment, Russia has no intention of militarily attacking Estonia or any other NATO member state in the coming year"...
A totally different take compared t some of the ferver doing the rounds.
raport.valisluureamet.ee/2026/en/fore...
"Russia remains dangerous despite its incompetence"
It's that time of year, the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service drop their yearly report π₯ Highly recommend reading it.
What I love about airports is the fact you get to interact with thousands of people who have never heard of airport security, or how to queue properly.
The indignity of having to stay in the All Passports queue with your meaningless British passport while your EU partner whizzes through the EU self service machines.
VSAT still blows my mind. Wi-Fi at 38,000 feet and 465 knots. π€―
Always nice to have a flying visit back home π΄σ §σ ’σ ³σ £σ ΄σ Ώ
Final figures are in. Iβm done for the day π
Moving to Amsterdam felt like a good idea until the reality set in
www.linkedin.com/pulse/review...
I wrote a thing about the coverage of Chinese espionage in the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament Annual Report 2023β2025.
Wonderful evening at BBC Scotland in Glasgow.
First day of unemployment. Glorious. Highly recommend. 10 out of 10.
Listening to callers on LBC who start their call with "I asked ChatGPT...". A worrying trend.
Always love some time in Brussels!
archive.is/h4DQn
An excellent read on the alleged threats posed by Hong Kong/China.
Stolen from Twitter. True.
www.gov.uk/government/p... β Government witness statements viewable here.
Obviously nothing to suggest Cash and Berry are guilty, they were charged before the case was dropped. They are both innocent.
