This has just come on iplayer and looks like it's well worth a watch.
Watched this yesterday. It's pretty brutal, but very compelling
Ukraine-UK drone manufacturing has now started in Suffolk, deal only agreed in September
Airless tyres available in a variety of sizes including 650b (on request) https://militarnyi.com/en/news/ukraine-develops-sectional-airless-wheels-for-military-equipment/
Back to the cycle of reply, reply doesn't appear. CBA to wait 10mins for an edit
Missed the link https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cy0dvjwygk1o
Ukraine struck the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant on Friday with FP5 Flamingo home-grown heavy missiles. This is a first for the missile on a plant that's significant to building Russian solid-fuel ballistic missiles, including Iskander and Oreshnik that have been used to strike Ukraine.
It also produces components for Russia's oil and gas industry.
It's well-known that Flamingo has the radar cross-section of a barn making it an easy target for AD systems and its accuracy is still suspect within the open-source community, however, President Zelensky sees this as a success for a missile that doesn't rely on "foreign" targetting systems, apart from "electronically-hardened" GPS.
"I will not say what quantity of Flamingo was used to strike this time. I only want to say that there were interceptions by the Russian air defense, there were non-interceptions, and there were direct hits. But most importantly, all the missiles that were launched, all of them reached the facility. I believe this is the most significant success; that is, we are speaking about high quality and accuracy," Zelenskyy said at a press conference with the Prime Minister of Norway Jonas Gahr Støre in Kyiv. (source: interfax Ukraine)
There's a full assessment by Fabian Hoffmann, a Doctoral Research Fellow at the Oslo Nuclear Project (link below)
The strike on the Votkinsk plant marks the first confirmed successful use of the Flamingo against a high-value target and, in some ways, represents a comeback for the missile and its manufacturer, which have faced growing criticism in recent months.
If European governments believe they could be involved in a prolonged war of attrition against Russia in the coming years, preparing for such a scenario, including by acquiring the deep-strike capabilities needed to target enemy production, is anything but optional. Europe’s current capability gap in this area, therefore, remains highly concerning.
https://missilematters.substack.com/p/flamingo-finds-its-target
The US-Israel incursion into Iran may have consequences for Ukraine, especially in the timely supply of US munitions and Patriot AD missiles.
The strike on the Votkinsk Machine Building Plant is just what Ukraine needs to develop to cut off the supply of ballistic missiles before they can be launched at Ukraine's cities. Ballistic missiles are the hardest to intercept and need the most sophisticated AD systems.
We'll have to see how this pans out in reality, but fill your cars up before the oil markets open on Monday morning
Ukraine may get the opportunity to bring a few petro-dollars in and use the excess weapons production capacity that it can't afford to fill.
PM Starmer is bringing Ukraine's expertise to the Gulf States, along with our own from UK-Ukraine partnerships
And we will also bring experts from Ukraine together with our own experts to help Gulf partners shoot down Iranian drones attacking them.
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/pm-statement-on-iran-1-march-2026
Russian LNG tanker hit by naval drones off the cost of libya
https://bsky.app/profile/covertshores.bsky.social/post/3mg5ocmjsmc26
President Trump compares President Zelensky to P.T. Barnum, the famous hoaxer.
“Sleepy Joe Biden spent all of his time, and our Country’s money, GIVING everything to P.T. Barnum (Zelensky!) of Ukraine – Hundreds of Billions of Dollars worth,” Trump wrote, alleging that high-end weapons had been given away “FREE!” and not replaced. https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71174
President Joe Biden gave Ukraine directly a total of $127bn, not "Hundreds of Billions of Dollars". Other money was either loaned or went to neighbouring countries.
I did a bit of research;
P.T. Barnum became the teetotal head of a circus. He's an American showman, businessman and politician.
He bought his first building in NY city and named it after himself.
He went bust at least once, found himself in Court but came back financially and was known for his lies. He served two terms as a Republican politician. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._T._Barnum
The US-Israel incursion into Iran may have consequences for Ukraine, especially in the timely supply of US munitions and Patriot AD missiles.
this is looking like a real issue for Ukrine
Irans plan seems to be to exhuast the gulf states supplies, they are slow to manufacture so its going to lead toa big shortage globally and Russia will be watching this closely
I was imagining it'd be somewhat good for Ukraine that Iran won't be supplying missiles or drones to Russia for a while - or have they brought that all in-house anyway by now ?
I feel that this will hurt Ukraine in the short term due to global demand for interceptors but in the longer term the impact of Russia losing a key ally (whilst being shown to do diddly squat too help them) and a major source for their attack drones will probably work out in their favor. It's certainly a huge hit to Russia's overall position.
I bet there are a lot of countries who are suddenly very interested in Ukraine's domestically produced Octopus interceptor drones as well.
The US-Israel incursion into Iran may have consequences for Ukraine, especially in the timely supply of US munitions and Patriot AD missiles.
this is looking like a real issue for Ukrine
Irans plan seems to be to exhuast the gulf states supplies, they are slow to manufacture so its going to lead toa big shortage globally and Russia will be watching this closely
Hopefully this threat is receding,
US Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on March 4 that the number of ballistic missiles Iran has fired regionally has decreased 86 percent since the start of the combined force’s campaign on February 28, with a 23 percent decrease in the past 24 hours. The combined force has designed its campaign to destroy Iran’s ballistic missile capabilities before the force depletes its interceptor stockpiles.
https://understandingwar.org/research/middle-east/iran-update-morning-special-report-march-4-2026/
I was imagining it'd be somewhat good for Ukraine that Iran won't be supplying missiles or drones to Russia for a while - or have they brought that all in-house anyway by now ?
I think that in the short-term in-house manufacturing in Russia will paper over any cracks.
Russia did rely on Iran to leverage its sanction-busting routes, and vice versa. Russian comms components, for example, have turned up in Iraq's Shaheds.
In the medium to long-term, low sanctioned component stocks will slow production in Russia
A somewhat bizarre story that demonstrates the outlaw PM Orban's desperation.
Two vehicles of Ukraine's Oschadbank collection service carrying $40 million, €35 million ($41 million), and 9 kilograms (20 pounds) of gold were “unjustifiably detained in Hungary while carrying out a regular transportation of foreign currency and bank metals between Raiffeisen Bank Austria and Oschadbank Ukraine.” (I read that as 40mn dollars in cash, 35mn euros in cash and 9kg in gold.)
If there are options, Raiffeisen Bank (RBI) is an unusual choice for Ukraine. RBI maintains unsanctioned banking with Russia, via a Russian subsidiary, to pay for energy exports to European countries.
“These seven Ukrainians are employees of the state-owned Oschadbank. They were driving two bank cars that were transiting between Austria and Ukraine, transporting cash as part of a regular service between state-owned banks.”
Sybiha accused Budapest of “taking hostages and stealing money” and said Kyiv’s foreign ministry sent an official note demanding the seven citizens’ official release. https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71348
Hopefully Orban will be out in April 🤞
Another round-up from Stefan Korshak. That guy saves some work 😉
The quotes are my choice, I recommend the whole of (both) articles
The most important news from the war this week was that it became absolutely clear that Ukraine had defeated Russia’s attempt to influence events by bombarding Ukraine’s power grid and heating infrastructure.
For the first time since 2023, in Feb. 2026, the ZSU (Ukraine's forces) captured more ground than it lost, and likewise, for the first time in about 30 months, the Russian army suffered a net loss of ground in Ukraine. (Around 15–20 sq km)
The failure of Starlink and the widespread near-failure of Russian forces is making Ukrainian attacks a little easier, but not enough so that the attacks are safe.
(In a drone attack on Novorossiysk) Ukraine General Staff on Friday evening confirmed two missile frigates were hit: Admiral Gessen and Admiral Makarov.
https://stefankorshak.substack.com/p/march-6-2026-day-1472a-blue-takes
Stefan Korshak, part 2. I recommend the whole of (both) articles.
We’re sensing Russian weakness in certain areas. It’s a new feeling. This doesn’t mean we should let our guard down, let me explain. We can’t relax, can’t think the enemy’s given up, can’t think their numbers have dropped. But what’s important, very important, is that personnel-wise, they feel a bit weaker. (President Zelensky voicing what others have thought for a few weeks now,)
Moscow Mayor Sobyanin announced he will sack 15% of Moscow’s civil servants because the capital’s economy is growing too slowly and can’t support the payroll, budget revenue growth is only 2% for the past 2 months vs the planned 6,5%. The city will also reduce its investment program by 10%, he said.
Russian citizens on average are spending 40 percent of their salaries on food.
So exactly one year after Trump and Vance are yelling at Zelensky that Ukraine “has no cards”, Ukraine is going to send its technicians so the White House can counter the narrative it didn’t really think through the Iranian Shahed threat. This is already funny and the Ukrainian internet is having a field day.
So first thing, we can already predict what will happen when the Ukrainian “specialists” get to the Gulf. The Ukrainians will say: “Your air defense network isn’t like our air defense network, so really the only thing we can do for you, is sell you tons of drones for you to operate yourself, which we are glad to do — the moment the Russians stop bombarding us.”
https://stefankorshak.substack.com/p/march-6-2026-day-1472b-continued
Surely the flow of drones from Iran to Russia has now stopped completely as they are pretty much the only retaliatory asset that is effective for Iran to use?
If Iran were to try to use conventional forces they would be dealt with fairly swiftly by the Israeli/ US team and planes and tanks are both expensive and take time to repair or replace.
Hopefully this will make things easier for the whole of Ukraine, boosting morale and helping the army continue to grind down the Russian forces so their units become obsolete.
Surely the flow of drones from Iran to Russia has now stopped completely as they are pretty much the only retaliatory asset that is effective for Iran to use?
Russians have been making the drones themselves under licence for a while now.
Surely the flow of drones from Iran to Russia has now stopped completely as they are pretty much the only retaliatory asset that is effective for Iran to use?
Russians have been making the drones themselves under licence for a while now.
Yelabuga drone factory has easy access to the Caspian sea and Iran.
It started building Iranian kits and developed with the expectation of producing wholly Russian-made Shahed analogues by September 2025.
Iran is still important for its sanctions-busting routes to buy many technical components and Russia has its own suppliers as well to assist production in both Russia and Iran. Parts availability is likely to slow Russian production, as well as workforce availability.
Short-term production will certainly continue
A bit of a missile update morning for the next couple of posts
Ukrainian officials reported that the Russian strike against an apartment building in Kharkiv City killed at least 11 civilians and that preliminary information indicates that Russian forces used an Izdeliye-30 missile in the strike. https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-7-2026/
The Izdeliye-30 is a new addition to the war, notable for its 800kg warhead; ATACMS missiles have an option of a 247kg warhead and SCALP/Storm Shadow 450kg (later post).
800kg is bigger than many of the more complex cruise missiles and may indicate consequent limitations in accuracy and survivability.
Its estimated range puts the launching aircraft well beyond the reach of AD, unlike Russia's glide bombs, while the missile uses many existing missile assemblies and is suited to faster production.
This article includes the origin of parts to link ^^ https://war-sanctions.gur.gov.ua/en/page-product-30
The March 6 to 7 Russian strike series notably contained a higher quantity of ballistic missiles than Russia usually includes in its regular strike packages. Russia is likely trying to exploit Ukraine’s shortage of Patriot interceptors and take advantage of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-7-2026/
The Ukrainian General Staff reported that Ukrainian forces conducted an ATACMS and SCALP missile strike against a site near the Donetsk Airport that Russian forces used to store, prepare, and launch Shahed-type drones. The Ukrainian General Staff reported that the strike caused a large fire and secondary explosions, and geolocated footage confirmed the strike. Russian authorities began constructing this Shahed launch site no later than August 2025. https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-7-2026/
Hopefully Orban will be out in April 🤞
Ukraine's Oschadbank staff have been released from Hungary, although the cash seems to be held as "evidence" of money laundering.
Anti-Ukraine sentiment is PM Orban's USP for the April election, not helped by President Zelensky offering to publish his address so that Ukraine's military could discuss the issue in person, which upset the EU,
Hungarian authorities said the detention was linked to a criminal investigation on suspicion of money laundering.
“Our review confirmed that the cargo was properly documented. The package of accompanying documents complies with the Customs Code, and we have no remarks regarding the contracts,” (National Bank of Ukraine Governor Andriy) Pyshnyi wrote. https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71424
Yes those threats by Zelenskyy are not clever, and will help Orban for sure. A strange misstep by a usual y more media savvy operation .
Ukraine will hopefully be getting some income from their defence of the Gulf States and make use of their excess manufacturing capacity.
It also clears the way for an exchange of less appropriate Patriot batteries that the Gulf States have for Ukraine's detection and interception tech.
Ukrainian interceptor drones and personnel with experience downing Shahed drones are helping protect US military infrastructure in the Middle East. The New York Times reported on March 9 that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine recently sent interceptor drones and a team of drone experts to protect US military bases in Jordan.
Zelensky stated that another team of Ukrainian experts will go to the Middle East to help unspecified states evaluate their protective measures against Iranian drones. Zelensky reported that Ukraine has received calls from leaders of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia seeking Ukrainian help to defend against Iranian strikes. Zelensky separately added on March 9 that Ukraine has received 11 requests so far from Middle Eastern and European states and the United States for Ukrainian support.
The ongoing Iranian strikes against Middle Eastern states present an opportunity for Ukraine’s Middle Eastern partners to invest in the Ukrainian defense industrial base (DIB) to enable Ukraine to scale up its interceptor drone and other defense capacity for both Ukraine and its partners. https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-9-2026/
Ukraine is engaged in a dual-headed assault on Russian factories producing munitions and drones, while continuing to push toward their southern-most forward logistics lines.
The aim must be to put the Russian Summer offensive in a bad starting position geographically, while starving Russia of munitions and supplies.
The apparent ease of Ukraine's advances demonstrates a lack of Russian consolidation of their own positions following advances, lack of forces and their rush to maintain a timetable.
It's believed that Ukraine is exploiting drone radio frequencies that are too high for Russian Electronic Warfare (EW) equipment so that it can't be re-calibrated via a software update.
Those high frequencies can come with problems of their own, including only line-of-sight control, but Ukraine's tech experts are way ahead of me on that!
By-passing EW units increases the effective range of Ukraine's drones facilitating attacks on Russia's logistics across the whole frontline.
"The Russian government is reportedly considering a bill that would grant the Russian president powers for extraterritorial military operations to protect Russian citizens abroad."
This is posturing both for the home crowd, who are more openly questioning the invasion of Ukraine, and to divide Europe thereby reducing support for the Baltic regions.
One of President Putin's allegations before the invasion of Ukraine was discrimination against Russian-speaking minorities and their culture; the lack of similar legislation then didn't prevent his decision to invade.
"(Major General Oleksandr Komarenko, the head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Ukrainian General Staff) also stated that Ukrainian forces have liberated almost all of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast but have not seized three small settlements nor cleared two other settlements – likely referring to five settlements that are both in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and the Oleksandrivka direction. Ukraine’s Airborne Assault Troops previously reported that Ukrainian forces had liberated nine settlements in the Oleksandrivka direction as of March 2."
"Ukrainian forces are intensifying their theater-wide, mid-range strike campaign against Russian logistics, military equipment, and manpower, which will likely also interfere with the Russian spring-summer 2026 offensive. Russian milbloggers observed in March 2026 that Ukrainian forces have increased their use of first-person view (FPV) drones across all frontline sectors, including by leveraging drones that are harder to suppress or jam, such as high-frequency, fiber-optic, and mothership drones."
"Geolocated footage published in March 2026 shows Ukrainian forces striking Russian trucks and vehicles traveling along highways north and northeast of Donetsk City. Ukrainian forces are reportedly conducting similar precise strikes in southern Ukraine. Russian Ambassador-at-Large and former Russian occupation official Rodion Miroshnik claimed that Ukrainian forces struck a Russian freight train in occupied Crimea."
https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-10-2026/
An opinion piece by Stefan Korshak on complaints from pro-Russian sources, "In the collective opinion of patriotic Russian observers of combat operations in Ukraine, the war is going badly and probably things will get worse."
Complaints that the Kremlin’s bid to conquer Ukraine looks hopeless and that President Vladimir Putin has no exit strategy have spiked among Russian government critics and even pro-Moscow military bloggers, in the wake of a wave of positive war news for Kyiv on and off the battlefield.
"There are absolutely no doubts about this (achieving a win) whatsoever. It’s just when. That’s the key question. When will it all end? When will it all, finally, end? There is, I am putting this gently, a certain amount of fatigue among people. To put it mildly,” (Ivan Pankin, a Komsomolskaya Pravda journalist) said in a video interview.
Danil Bezsonov, a senior official in the Russia-supported Donetsk People’s Republic, in a late February interview published on his personal Telegram channel, complained that Russian military leadership has ignored command and organization problems for years, which has prevented victory over Ukraine, and that he has little confidence those problems will be fixed. Ukraine was supposed to be a pushover and it isn’t, he told listeners.
Maksim Kalashnikov, a self-described Russian “patriotic military writer" said, "Because, as we know, the strategy of attrition that Moscow has chosen – it’s really now working against the interests of the Russian Federation.”
“And what about us [Russia]? – I predict… Moscow will drag the things to the last possible moment, refusing to seek either a decisive victory or capitulation…But the ‘balance’ is gradually shifting towards ‘We can’t fight, we must capitulate!’ However, before the ‘switch’ [sufficient pressure to force the Kremlin] if this scenario comes to pass, there will still be months of [faked] ‘continuous victories’ on the battlefields….and more and more fierce bombardment of Russia’s deep rear,” (Igor "Strelkov") Girkin said.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71628
Have I missed this somewhere (maybe in one of the other conflict-related threads)?
There must be a concern that Iran's efforts to close the Straits of Hormuz will lead to international pressure to relax sanctions on Russia, oil in particular. That wouldn't help the Ukraine situation.
Edit. Just read the Venezuela thread, and I see some LPG is coming out of there, albeit primarily to the US. But the rest of the world will be fretting, surely.
Yep (and it's already happening).Have I missed this somewhere (maybe in one of the other conflict-related threads)?
There must be a concern that Iran's efforts to close the Straits of Hormuz will lead to international pressure to relax sanctions on Russia, oil in particular. That wouldn't help the Ukraine situation.
US and Israel bomb Iran
Iran stops the oil
Trump lifts sanctions preventing India buying Russian oil
Russia provides assistance to Iran
Iran bomb US allied targets
Have I missed this somewhere (maybe in one of the other conflict-related threads)?
There must be a concern that Iran's efforts to close the Straits of Hormuz will lead to international pressure to relax sanctions on Russia, oil in particular. That wouldn't help the Ukraine situation.
Raising US sanctions for one month has already been announced and its effect on Ukraine was my first reaction too.
It's framed that a month won't help the Russian budget and it isn't for new production.
It's oil that's already on tankers before 5th March and is probably hanging around Asia looking for a buyer. The oil can only be sold to India.
The Rupee has been a bit dodgy for a while and now has taken a massive hit because it was weaned off Russian oil, then middle eastern oil suddenly rocketed in price. The Rupee hit a record low on Monday causing economic problems in a country that the US would like to sell stuff to.
On balance it's probably better to keep India onside a month at a time than put them back to permanently buying everything from Russia.
Then, on Monday, President Trump had a phone call with President Putin and started to float the idea of further loosening sanctions on "some countries", whatever that means...
Ukraine is continuing its campaign against Russian oil infrastructure.
US sources report that Russia has been giving intell to Iran, but this doesn't seem to be a problem for the world's greatest deal-maker who has just extended the exemption to the export of Russian oil to include oil loaded by 1201am 12th March https://ofac.treasury.gov/media/935191/download?inline
I think that there's the distinct possibility that pressure will be put on Ukraine to stop their campaign, as President Biden did in March 2024. This was a few months before elections that weren't polling well. Russia didn't budge on its demands in 2024, despite the easing of Ukraine's strikes, and it won't now.
The US exemption on Russian oil exports is smelling a bit like desperation; both to do something about the oil price rises triggered by Operation Epic Fury and to get India to sign an interim trade deal, scheduled for this month. India, perhaps sensing better terms, is threatening to hold off on signing for a few months and closer to the US mid-terms.
In the short-term the Iran war will help Russia, but this is counter-balanced longer-term by pulling India out of Russia's orbit and opening an export market up to Ukraine in the middle-east for drone defences https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-hold-off-us-trade-deal-amid-new-probe-sources-say-2026-03-13/
Hungary has now returned damaged security vehicles to Ukraine's Oschadbank ("You weren't supposed to blow the bloody doors off!")
Hungary has formally seized the cash and gold prompting a complaint to the EU from Ukraine.
The EU has acknowledged receipt of the letter and has read it. EU press briefing on the matter (65 secs video) https://audiovisual.ec.europa.eu/en/media/video/I-286395
Ukrains arms industry should be getting a big boost with11 new clients from the Middle East, for anti drone drones. It’s incredible that Ukraine offered this technology to the US 8 MONTHS ago - but it was turned down by Trump 🤦🏻♂️🤷♂️🤦🏻♂️🤷♂️🤦🏻♂️
Democrats Accuse Trump of Aiding Russia With Sanctions Relief
“Russia is reportedly providing Iran intelligence to target and kill US servicemembers and the Trump administration’s response has been to loosen pressure and help facilitate a windfall of $150 million each day for its war machine,” the senators said in a joint statement.
“President Trump is offering more relief to the Kremlin than he is to American families, who are now paying more at the pump and for most other essentials because of this conflict.”Trump said in a radio interview that aired Friday he suspected Putin “might be” aiding Iran “a little bit” in the war.
They also questioned whether the administration had complied with a US law requiring Congress to be notified before sanctions on Russia are eased.
“Secretary Bessent needs to testify because Congress and the American people deserve immediate answers,” the lawmakers said.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/71910
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot has re-established diplomatic ties to former colony, the Central African Republic (CAR), with the first visit by a senior French politician in several years.
This has been worked on for the last year following overtures by CAR President Faustin-Archange Touadera.
CAR has been reliant on Russia's Wagner Group to stabilise the country following a civil war in exchange for mineral and gold contracts, but it's not a robust peace.
Europe will be working towards a stable peace and, no doubt, eventual access to mining rights.
Duplicate post.
Russia's Arctic Metagaz liquid natural gas (LNG) carrier was reportedly sunk off Malta through an attack launched from Libya. Russia blames Ukraine who haven't commented.
The hulk is floating off Italy, appears to be part-full of LNG and is being observed by Italian authorities,
...but the preferred solution would be for the vessel's manager, Russia-based LLC SMP Techmanagement, to hire a specialised company to tow it to safety.
The ship is one of Russia's small LNG shadow fleet of around a dozen vessels that serve the Arctic LNG2 gas-field and isn't rated for ice operations despite its use in the Arctic. It's suspected that shadow fleet vessels don't have adequate insurance, although Italian authorities will discover the reality of that.
US sanctions, seasonal ice and now the loss of a ship are causing problems with the fleet and possibly to business with China,
“The key concern now that I’ve heard is that the prospective Chinese buyers are worried about reliability. They don’t want just one cargo, and as long as Arctic LNG 2 cannot prove that it is able to operate reliably, that’s going to be a problem,” said Eikland. https://www.lloydslist.com/LL1154256/Russia%E2%80%99s-Arctic-LNG-ambitions-remain-largely-frozen
The overall theme in Ukraine's tactics in 2026 is preventing Russian forces from gaining ground from which to launch a Summer offensive.
Ukraine is also using its drone advantage to strike Russian storage, logistics, chemical, munitions and oil production to further this aim. It's continuing to target heavy transports, e.g. trains and shipping, including the only Kerch railway ferry, Slavyanin, and the Kerch logistics ferry, Avangard.
A good summary from President Zelensky,
The spring campaign, as it had been planned, drowned in this spring for the Russians; they were unable to advance. They are carrying out offensive actions, but they are all the same – attempts at infiltration and similar tactics. They cannot break through anywhere with equipment – we are burning their equipment. Therefore, they do not have any large-scale operation, although in different parts of the front they still try to act using infiltration tactics and constant assaults. Our warriors are destroying them.
Full article, worth reading https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4101758-russian-spring-offensive-campaign-fails-zelensky.html
On 13th March on Fox News discussing Ukraine, host Brian Kilmeade asked President Trump, "Are they helping with drone defence too?"
Trump said, "No, we don’t need their help in drone defense. We know about drones more than anybody. We have the best drones in the world, actually."
He repeated something similar on NBC on March 15th, adding,
"We don’t need help." "The last person we need help from is Zelensky."
Strangely, he wouldn't comment on taking Ukraine’s offer of help with Iran's drones.
This is all the more surprising when you consider that his family's Aureus Greenway Holdings is reported by the Washington Post to be in a deal with drone company Powerus, which "acquire(s) capabilities demonstrated in demanding settings" and whose investors include Eric Trump and Donald Jr.
It appears that it's okay for US private investors to secure and invest in Ukraine's drone tech and know-how, but less okay at a US Federal-level,
Zelenskiy also said that he was unsure whether Ukraine and the U.S. would sign a deal on drone co-operation, which Kyiv has sought to agree for months. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/zelenskiy-says-ukraine-wants-money-technology-return-middle-east-drone-help-2026-03-15/
Ukraine has lessons to learn in Electronic Warfare (EW) where it doesn't always co-ordinate its EW well and "blinds" its own electronics at critical junctures. This is a problem that has only been recognised in the last couple of years because of current tech development and now incorporates AI solutions in specialised EW units. Local trench EW needs some work to close the AI-comms gap.
The 7th Rapid Reaction Corps (7th RRC) of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is focussed on electronic warfare systems, drones, air defense, and secure communications. The immediate future is an AI-controlled automated EW suite that will recognise a target from intel/electronic sources and automatically deploy EW to neutralise enemy drones without affecting Ukraine's resources. Where this isn't possible the system will allocate the target for kinetic destruction.
"The priority is electronic warfare (EW) equipment for detecting and suppressing UAV control and guidance channels...as well as resilient communication systems between units on the front line."
"Special attention is paid to building a unified network to counter enemy drones. The DShV (7th RRC) already has a centralized system with its own electronic warfare control points: intelligence data from various sources converge there, after which automated software helps to choose a neutralization method: radio suppression or destruction by air defense targets/interceptors. According to (Major Viktor Kordon, head of the department of radio and cyber-warfare), such an organization allows (us) to neutralize up to 90% of enemy UAVs approaching the defense line." https://dev.ua/en/news/7-i-korpus-dshv-vidkryvaie-tsentr-dlia-rozrobky-reb-droniv-ppo-ta-zviazku-1758727186
"We don’t need help." "The last person we need help from is Zelensky."
I read that last night. God, I despise Trump.
The BBC article ^^ is interesting, thanks.
Ukraine and Hungary (with Slovakia) have taken polar views on this with the EU stuck in the middle, desperately trying not to intervene against PM Orban and strengthen his hand in April's election. They don't want him in power any more than Ukraine does
Hungary and Slovakia don't need Russian oil because the EU can supply more than they need via Croatia
Ukraine has supplied evidence to the EU that the damage was caused by Russia and said that Hungary (with Slovakia) should approach Moscow for repairs, which won't be easy for either side during a war
^^ Yep, I really hope Oban gets the boot. I agree with you, the EU desperately want him out too.
Must be infuriating for Ukraine to see Russian oil potentially flowing over it's soil again. I can understand his fury but getting rid of Oban will better serve Ukraine and Europe in the longer run.
I wonder if he has to take this hard line stance to placate a weary and angry nation but he accepts the reality of the situation in private.
Must be infuriating for Ukraine to see Russian oil potentially flowing over it's soil again. I can understand his fury but getting rid of Oban will better serve Ukraine and Europe in the longer run.
I wonder if he has to take this hard line stance to placate a weary and angry nation but he accepts the reality of the situation in private.
He isn't a career politician and has spent his entire presidency leading a nation through war. The stress of the last four years (particularly) must be incredible and he occasionally says what he thinks and upsets allies.
It's widely reported that President Zelensky has said that Ukraine will get the latest SAMP/T NG air-defence missile system from France to defend against ballistic missiles on the battlefield.
If the missiles prove successful, Ukraine will be first in line for more SAMP/T NG missiles,
"This year we will see whether the new SAMP/T systems can shoot down ballistic missiles. This year we will receive a system that we will test against ballistic missiles. So if it works, it will become good long-term assistance."
"If we succeed together with the French and are able to shoot down ballistic missiles, this will be the first such alternative. And of course, Emmanuel and I are agreeing that Ukraine will be first in this queue."
In related news, France has discovered an operational problem with its Rafale fighter aircraft; a missile shortage,
"The stockpile of MICA missiles has very (too) quickly melted under the hot sun of the Emirates despite the famous war economy launched for more than three years by Emmanuel Macron."
(online translation of the original, starts okay, mais...)
"According to concordant sources, Sébastien Lecornu has summoned all this little people on the nerves for a crisis meeting Tuesday in Matignon and find capacity solutions in the long term."My translation. France made the decision to go with MICA missile development independently of the US, unlike their older MAGIC missile which was backwards-compatible with Sidewinder.
MICA missiles are on a two-year lead time at current production rates and there isn't an alternative.Rafale users (including Ukraine who signed a declaration of intent to buy up to 100 Rafale as well as SAMP/T missiles in November) will be watching developments closely.
MICA, MAGIC, CAESAR, HAMMER, etc are all effective weapons with wonderful acronyms. SAMP/T NG is what happens when partner nations get involved in the naming.
https://www.latribune.fr/article/defense-aerospatiale/defense/1121911587305114/conflit-au-moyen-orient-crise-des-missiles-a-paris
General Gerasimov of Russia is talking up its losses in the southern part of the frontline with Ukraine. He's making claims that don't correspond with the evidence so we must be anticipating another round of peace talks (postponed from 12th March and TBA),
"In two weeks in March, 12 settlements have been liberated by units and military formations of the United Group of troops."
"He said Kostiantynivka, another town long subject to Russian pressure, was now 60% in Russian hands, with Ukrainian forces "taking all possible measures to stop our advance".
Russia took the village of Novopavlivka about 20km away from Kostiantynivka and are continuing their offensive slog: https://understandingwar.org/map/assessed-control-of-terrain-in-the-kostyantynivka-druzhkivka-tactical-area-march-16-2026-at-130-pm-et/
The EU is supporting Hungary and Slovakia as bloc members and have asked Ukraine to repair the Druzhba pipeline that supplies Russian oil. Those oil supplies will be stopped next year under EU agreement. The EU will provide repair money and tech support, but accepts that Ukraine won't prioritise repairs above its own infrastructure.
What's the betting that repairs won't be completed before Hungary's elections on April 12th?
What are the implications for PM Orban's anti-Ukraine campaign stance?
I find it hard to believe that this will turn his 10% disadvantage around, however 20% of the population is undecided. There doesn't appear to be a viable vote-splitting party to complicate things; everyone else is polling in single figure %
Slovakia's governing coalition under PM Fico is faltering and the President's own party, a Fico ally, is hovering around the threshold % required to enter Parliament.
So far the early snap election in 2026 hasn't materialised. Fico's New Year address called 2026 a pre-election year, but this could be a reference to scheduled 2027 elections.
The EU finds itself in the position of adding to Russia's coffers and being beholden to a couple of minor members who have between them unlawfully confiscated Ukrainian cash and gold, withdrawn electrical grid support from Ukraine and stopped the €90bn loan to Ukraine that they aren't contributing to.
There are differences between Ursula von der Leyen and other European bodies over her over-reaching by stepping into EC (António Costa) and Foreign Affairs and Security (Kaja Kallas) territory.
In fairness to VDL, the modern world has developed in a way that wasn't anticipated by the EU's neat compartmentalising of responsibilities; the EU is overdue for reform.
And on that note,
"Look at our British friends, the UK, who have been talking about reset, who are now talking about alignment, and some of whom mention the term customs unions," Barrot said.
"So let us say to our British friends that if they stand ready to come back to the single market, with all associated privileges and duties, they will be met with open arms," he added.
https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/french-minister-uk-would-be-met-with-open-arms-if-it-returned-eu-single-market-2026-03-17/
I've been watching Russian moves on the Telegram app and throttling internet access in general for a while now. It's regularly reported in Russian newspapers too (see Steve Rosenberg on Youtube "Reading Russia").
I read an interesting piece of reasoning too. Ideas of a coup are remote, IMHO, due to the strengthening of Rosgvardiya defences since Yevgeny Prigozhin advanced on Moscow in 2023.
"Over the past week, mobile internet has been completely down every day in parts of central Moscow, St Petersburg and other major cities, according to Reuters reporters in those areas and eight senior foreign diplomats in Russia.
"These measures are taking place," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Reuters when asked about restrictions to messaging apps and internet service.
"They are partly related to the fact that a number of foreign companies refuse to comply with the norms of Russian legislation, and partly due to security measures against the threat of Ukrainian drones."
Attack drones can use cellular networks to aid navigation."The end of Moscow's war in Afghanistan in 1989 caused major social ructions in Russia with returning veterans fuelling a wave of lawlessness that blighted the 1990s. The chaos was compounded by the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
"Russia's leaders and security services remember 1991 and they remember what happened to Russia and what happened to them when Moscow stopped a big war in Afghanistan: the country collapsed, the security services were split apart - it was a disaster," said Andrei Soldatov, a Russian investigative journalist who is an expert on the security services.
"What is happening now is that the security services are trying to create a situation in which - if Putin signs a peace deal or if Putin goes for a protracted war - it would not destroy the whole thing." https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/great-crackdown-russia-tightens-screws-internet-2026-03-20/
Russia is currently having technical difficulties,
"Russian federal censor Roskomnadzor is reportedly struggling to block all blacklisted resources on the Russian internet as Russian authorities are attempting to slowly throttle access to Telegram. A source at a Russian fixed-line telecommunications operator told Forbes’ Russia service on March 18 that Roskomnadzor has “completely lost control” of its blocking efforts, allowing users to periodically access some previously blocked websites and apps."
"Russian business outlet Kommersant reported on March 18 that the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR) expelled Russian State Duma Deputy Andrei Svintsov for actions that “discredited” the LDPR, likely referring to controversial statements that he recently made regarding the blocking of Telegram, virtual private networks (VPNs), and the internet in Russia." https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-19-2026/
Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s foreign minister, has been keeping his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, informed of the details of EU meetings for years, the Washington Post has reported.
The EU has reportedly been limiting confidential information to Hungary by holding meetings in smaller groups, e.g. the EU three, etc.
Further action isn't being contemplated prior to the April elections
Szijjártó is a key player in Viktor Orbán’s Russia-friendly government in Budapest, which has a track record of supporting Moscow’s interests within the European Union and NATO, including attempts to thwart support packages for Ukraine. https://www.kyivpost.com/post/72397
EU member Slovenia has just had parliamentary elections resulting in a very narrow win (<1%) for the incumbent Freedom Movement, which had formed a ruling coalition up to the elections described by Wikipedia as social-liberal(Freedom Movement)/centre-left(Social Democrats)/eco-socialist(The Left).
Their main opposition was right-wing populist MP, Janez Janša, who has been PM on three previous occasions over the last couple of decades. Janša (aka Ivan Janša) has drifted slowly to the political right over time and is often compared to Donald Trump,
"Janša was described as a far-right leader by The Independent and by Foreign Policy in 2020. His style of politics has been compared to Donald Trump. He has been dubbed a "MAGA-style populist" by NPR, "the Slovenian Trump" by Der Spiegel, and "mini-Trump" by Deutsche Welle." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Janez_Jan%C5%A1a
There were allegations of dirty tricks including phone-tapping and Slovenia was hit by a fuel shortage at the pumps in the week before parliamentary elections, sparking an inquiry into possible violations in fuel trading and logistics management.
From Ukraine's POV it remains to be seen what a new coalition government would look like. Janša would be politically more aligned with Hungary's PM Orban and Slovakia's PM Fico https://www.politico.eu/article/slovenia-election-result-robert-golob-janez-jansa/
There have been protests in Czechia against defence cuts by the right-leaning government there and France is leaning against the right in many of the major cities in municipal elections there.
I'm (still) anticipating US intervention in Ukraine's drone strikes on Russia's O&G export infrastructure as a result of the war in Iran,
MOSCOW, March 23 (Reuters) - The Baltic Sea ports of Primorsk and Ust-Luga, Russia's largest petroleum export outlets, have suspended exports of crude oil and fuel since Sunday following drone attacks, two industry sources told Reuters on Monday.
The suspension adds to the global shortages caused by Tehran's closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran. https://www.reuters.com/world/fuel-reservoir-russias-primorsk-port-fire-after-drone-attack-governor-says-2026-03-23/
@timba just in case you ever wonder if your posts on this thread go unnoticed or are not appreciated, they don't and they are not. I check this thread every single day and it is my primary resource for keeping updated on Ukraine. I don't post on it very often these days, as I seldom have anything new to add, but I always read every post. Thank you and keep up the good work.
I concur my first thoughts when I was having issues getting on to the site at the weekend was that I hope @timba still has access. Thank you
I'm with bloke, regular reader but infrequent poster as I don't know enough to say anything useful, but interested to learn from those who have more info, keep it up timba
"So let us say to our British friends that if they stand ready to come back to the single market, with all associated privileges and duties, they will be met with open arms," he added.
That will require us not falling into some Reform/Tory/Restore coalition hellscape amongst quite a few stars aligning.
Yep, Timba - good work as usual.
Another big up and thank you from me.
Between you, Chewk 😉 and Paul Warburg I stay up to date with Ukraine. In fact I watch lots of Ukraine stuff on Youtube and only hope that at least half of it is as positive as it sounds.
Here's the latest Stefan Korshak. Going forward I'll only publish links if there's a comment to make. There's a two-parter from last week (13th) on the same sub-stack that I haven't linked to (the title dates must be when he begins to write, rather than the published date, which is often 3-4 days later)
In related news Ukraine info platforms report there are about 200 Ukrainian “drone experts” now “deployed” to Qatar, UAE, Saudia Arabia and Kuwait, and they are just appalled — I say again appalled — at how primitive and unprofessional drone defense standards are in that part of the world. There is a report bouncing around the Ukrainian internet today about someone, my guess the UAE, using $6 million dollar SM-6 missiles to fire salvos at $30,000 Iranian drones — and missing.
Comment: SM-6 is a newer tech solution than Patriot, primarily for naval use but can be used air-to-air and ground-to-air using the same transporter erector launcher as the Tomahawk ground-to-air. All three missiles are now made by Raytheon
I've seen other reports of Gulf Nations leaving their Patriot batteries in auto mode and firing a salvo of eight missiles at one drone. That's a $$ cost ratio around 1000:1 if you bulk buy. It's worse if you only bought a few.
Auto mode means a faster response, but it isn't necessary for slow moving drones and rips through missile stocks. It can also lead to "friendly"-fire disasters.
************
This is particularly interesting in relation to the war in Iran,
LATE ADDITION: Defense of Ukraine is reporting NATO did an naval exercise off shore Portugal in 2025, called REPMUS/Dynamic Messenger, and that the “red” team led by Ukraine and comprising US, British, Spanish and other units competed against the “blue” team, representing NATO forces, in five scenarios, and the Ukrainian-led team defeated the Alliance’s forces in all five scenarios, including “sinking” a NATO frigate and scoring “hits” with Magura sea drones against other warships and simulated cargo ships.
This is apropos particularly of the Strait of Hormuz and US calls for NATO to send ships to unblock it. Anyone paying attention in NATO or heaven forbid the White House might actually check the record and see that as recently as Mar. 2, Ukrainian sea drones smacked into the oil loading terminal in Novorossiysk, and in Dec. 2025 sea drones blew up a Russian missile submarine in port there.
The "deja vu" section in the second link (1485b) is worth a read too
https://stefankorshak.substack.com/p/mar-20-2026-day-1485a-spring-sprung
https://stefankorshak.substack.com/p/mar-20-2026-day-1485b-continued
It appears that Ukraine has pulled a big feat off. Nothing too huge (two Zircon hypersonic missiles and a launcher destroyed pre-launch) but another interesting tactic if they reveal how it was done!
Ukraine has been damaging Russian AD systems on Crimea for a while and early yesterday (Tuesday) carried out a strike on a missile transport convoy officially located near Aktachi, however this isn't obvious on a map.
The nearest village is Furmanovka, c10miles NE Sevastopol International Airport in occupied Crimea. If you have a look on a map (link below, NB from 2023. Illustrative only) then it's quite a long way south and I suspect that it's quite difficult for Ukraine to operate there under "normal" circumstances.
According to a Telegram statement, fighters from the Department of Unmanned Systems tracked a column of Bastion-M launchers near the village of Furmanovka in occupied Crimea as it advanced toward firing positions.
“As a result of accurate strikes by reconnaissance units, one of the launchers and two expensive Zircon missiles were destroyed, and another Bastion was damaged,” the HUR said.
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/72496
It also seems that Ukrainian drones visited some Russian boats "a few miles away" and done some damage.
One example:
https://bsky.app/profile/darthputinkgb.bsky.social/post/3mhulm76lms2o
It can also lead to "friendly"-fire disasters.
I've spoken with gulf war veteran pilots who spoke about the same issues at King Fyed Airport in the 90's. It would seem that the ROE they developed then have all been forgotten since. I'm still to be convinced that the F-15 friendly fire incident at the beginning of the Iran conflict was an air to air engagement and not some badly paid squaddie in a Patriot battery letting the 'auto' function do its thing.
I'm (still) anticipating US intervention in Ukraine's drone strikes on Russia's O&G export infrastructure as a result of the war in Iran,
I think US leverage against Ukraine is very significantly diminished compared to a few months ago. Contrary to the shitgibbon's claims, it seems Ukraine now has a pretty decent hand of cards. The US still wields some influence of course, but far, far less. Thankfully.
I think Zelensky can legitimately claim that the oil price spike caused by the Iran war is directly benefiting Russia and thus harming Ukrainian citizens. As such they are entirely justified in using "kinetic sanctions" to prevent that, even (or especially) if the tangerine toddler doesn't like it.
Effectively using Trump's ill thought out actions, which have increased Russian oil revenue as a justification for what they are doing. There's a beautiful irony in that. If it hurts Russia AND enrages Trump, happy days! 😉
I also think that Ukraine (and Europe) are rapidly making practical changes that mean they are not reliant on the USA and the orange telly-tubby. Ukraine are again showing how resilient, innovative and wise they are.
While Russia is warming up the spring meat attacks, Ukraine is quietly disrupting across every important funding and supply route they can. They are also keeping Russia at bay - and that link above about extending 'kill zones' says a lot about what Russia will experience in the coming weeks and months.
It can also lead to "friendly"-fire disasters.
I've spoken with gulf war veteran pilots who spoke about the same issues at King Fyed Airport in the 90's. It would seem that the ROE they developed then have all been forgotten since. I'm still to be convinced that the F-15 friendly fire incident at the beginning of the Iran conflict was an air to air engagement and not some badly paid squaddie in a Patriot battery letting the 'auto' function do its thing.
Wot? Just watch the video of it happening. Theres no rocket motor smoke, it's a rear impact in all cases and limited damage whereas a patriot would likely blow the thing to bits (much larger warhead)
Wot? Just watch the video of it happening.
Watched them. I agree it's convincing, but it also needs the Kuwaiti F-18 to be carrying more than a couple of sidewinders (they don't) and while I can agree that 'a' friendly shoot down might be possible - although still requires the Kuwaiti CAP to have ignored all his briefings, his IFF, his RWR and presumably the call-sign acknowledgement from the F15s to the tower, and just pull the trigger blindly ...To do that 3 times?
Meanwhile Putin's orcs have attacked Lvlv rather more intensely than before, perhaps emboldened by the Orange Turd's lack of support. Can't think it'll be too long until one of these drones kills someone a NATO country.
Maybe he just doesn't like Eagles.
I think US leverage against Ukraine is very significantly diminished compared to a few months ago.
You have a valid point, no doubt helped by President Trump losing focus on Ukraine and Russia losing up to 40% of seaborne oil capacity because of attacks on different facilities.
Having said that, the 40% is based on a Reuters investigation which is a little light on detail https://www.kyivpost.com/post/72621
Following on from the US agreement to reduce sanctions on manufacturing and associated banks of Belarus, was a trip by President Lukashenko to NKorea. This was probably organised months before, but with sanctions relief comes a bonus to both states, along with Russia.
They all now have unsanctioned banks to leverage, NK can develop in the agreed areas (below) and Russia, through Belarus, can continue to make trades with NK to improve Russia's military lot without the need for cash. The price of gold is on the wane, despite early gains at the beginning of the Iran war due to US$ and inflationary pressures, and historically increases when wars end. Russia has already been dipping into its gold reserve and would probably enjoy the respite.
NK is believed to have benefitted by $7bn to $14bn in military trade with Russia between 2023 and 2025, with some of that in cash.
Belarus continues to increase cooperation with North Korea. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un and North Korean First Deputy Prime Minister Kim Tok Hun on March 25 during Lukashenko’s official visit to North Korea to discuss areas for new bilateral cooperation. Belarusian Foreign Minister Maxim Ryzhenkov told journalists on March 25 that Belarus and North Korea intend to sign a friendship and cooperation agreement during Lukashenko’s visit. Ryzhenkov stated that the parties intend to sign about 10 agreements to strengthen the legal framework of bilateral cooperation, including a fundamental friendship treaty and nine agreements covering agricultural, education, healthcare, commerce, industry, scientific, and information cooperation. https://understandingwar.org/research/russia-ukraine/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-march-25-2026/
Apparently we're still talking about the inderdiction of shadow fleet tankers, which has been talked about since June. It seems that the development has been the UK authorising military action to board vessels where they refuse to comply.
The UK and France are launching coordinated operations to interdict and seize Russian ‘shadow fleet’ vessels, with the UK authorised to board ships in its waters and France targeting fraudulently flagged tankers
UK and France aim to add costly disruption to shadow fleet operations with seizures
France focused on economic disruption, while the UK may pursue criminal proceedings against shipowners, operators and crew for sanctions breaches
Moves come ahead of summit where several countries are expected to signal intensified crackdowns on shadow fleet activity in the Baltic and Mediterraneanhttps://www.lloydslist.com/LL1156723/UK-and-France-preparing-to-seize-shadow-fleet-ships
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nb8-joint-statement-on-the-shadow-fleet
I also think that Ukraine (and Europe) are rapidly making practical changes that mean they are not reliant on the USA and the orange telly-tubby. Ukraine are again showing how resilient, innovative and wise they are.
Good timing, Matt 😊
March 26 (Reuters) - The Pentagon is weighing whether to redirect weapons originally meant for Ukraine to the Middle East, as the war in Iran strains supplies of some of the U.S. military's most critical munitions, the Washington Post reported Thursday, citing three people familiar with the matter.
The weapons that could be redirected include air defense interceptor missiles purchased through a NATO initiative launched last year, under which partner countries buy U.S. arms for Kyiv, the report said. https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/pentagon-considers-diverting-ukraine-military-aid-middle-east-washington-post-2026-03-26/
They are also keeping Russia at bay
I think that you're right that Russia's spring offensive seems stuck before it reaches the starting blocks. A year of nothing is a possibility and will increase pressure on negotiations in favour of Ukraine
this seems very bad
The Washington Post: On Monday, the Pentagon informed Congress that it plans to reallocate $750 million—originally provided by NATO allies for Ukraine’s weapons procurement under the PURL program—for its own needs. 👇
https://bsky.app/profile/osintradar.bsky.social/post/3mi2am4xus22w
this seems very bad
Not as bad as you might think. Ukraine now is far less reliant on US weapons than Ukraine of 3 or 4 years ago. The long range weapons that they were so desperate for back then, have to a large extent been replaced by domestically manufactured versions. Also 155mm artillery ammunition and other munitions are now produced in country at scale or are available from European partners who have built new plants or expanded production at others.
In fact, despite fighting an existential war, they are now net exporters of defence equipment. Especially in drone and counter drone technology which now completely dominates the battlefield. It's the US and its Gulf allies who have had to reach out to Ukraine for equipment and tech support during the current war with Iran.
Ukraine now arguably has the most capable army in Europe, by some measure. Certainly the one best adapted to the seismic change in battlefield tactics of recent years. The US, UK and just about everyone else has a lot of catching up to do. European countries seem to get this. US hubris, especially under the current regime seems to mean they don't.
its interceptor missiles for the patriot batteries so im not sure Ukraine have an alternative
its interceptor missiles for the patriot batteries so im not sure Ukraine have an alternative
The gulf states blew more Patriot missiles in 1 or 2 days than Ukraine has in 4 years and that includes the early period before they had many other options. They still have a place of course in Ukraine's layered air defence system, but Patriot isn't critical and doesn't quite live up to the hype.
There is reporting to suggest that the European manufactured SAMP/T has outperformed Patriot in Ukraine against Iskander ballistic missiles. For Shaheeds and similar which form the bulk of the threat they are a waste and Ukraine has many better options.