Denis Zelenko

Newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapatyi, was involved in the legendary 2014 Mariupol breakthrough. In 2014, he commanded a BMP that broke through a separatist barricade in Mariupol. Drapatyi ordered his crew not to stop. _

The Pentagon confirmed that the nuclear-armed Ohio-class submarine arrived in Gibraltar — a rare public disclosure. At the same time, a U.S. Navy E-6B “Mercury” aircraft, capable of transmitting nuclear launch orders, arrived in Germany. A clear strategic signal amid rising tensions with Iran. _

Fujairah route: This pipeline allows bypassing the Strait of Hormuz The UAE is withdrawing from OPEC and OPEC+ Pipeline capacity: ~1.5–1.8 million barrels/day The UAE produces ~3–4 million barrels/day The route is not a “game changer,” but leaving OPEC is a strategic shift. _

The administration of Donald Trump is considering the possibility of redeploying U.S. troops from NATO countries that refused to support the operation against Iran to those states that backed U.S. actions. There are also discussions about closing at least one U.S. military base in Europe. _

The United States Department of State has approved an arms sale to Germany valued at approximately 3.5 billion US dollars. Under this agreement, Germany would receive 173 Standard Missile 6 (SM-6) Block I and 577 Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) Block IIIC missiles, along with related equipment. _

France has publicly shown its upgraded ASMPA-R nuclear cruise missile for the first time, marking its official entry into French Navy Rafale M service. _

US Navy E-6B “Mercury” arrived in Europe today The aircraft relays nuclear command orders via TACAMO to submarines worldwide and serves as an airborne command post (“Looking Glass”) if ground bases fail. Rarely deployed outside the US, its presence signals NATO readiness and strategic vigilance. _

On PURL: the first U.S. weapons under this program have already arrived in Ukraine, more are on the way Ukraine has already received the first U.S. weapons shipment under the new mechanism Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which is funded by NATO member states. _

University of Maryland astronomers discovered that an unexpected blast of space rocks ejected during DART mission carried three times more momentum than the spacecraft itself, leading to new insights for future planetary defense missions. _

Rotterdam port transforms — Europe’s largest port is becoming a NATO logistics hub. Reserved docks and joint drills mark a shift: critical infrastructure is now key to strategic security—not just trade. _

"Die von NATO-Ländern an die Ukraine gespendete Militärausrüstung muss sicher an ihren Bestimmungsort gelangen. Zu diesem Zweck überwachen niederländische F-35-Kampfflugzeuge vom 1. September bis zum 1. Dezember den NATO-Luftraum über Osteuropa."

On June 21, 2025: B-2 Spirit stealth bombers took off from Whiteman Air Force Base in the United States, possibly for a potential redeployment. _

The U.S. Air Force has completed construction of 30 reinforced concrete shelters for F-16C/D fighters at Kunsan Air Base in South Korea. _

95% of assets on Iran’s Nobitex crypto exchange vanished after a hack by the group “Predatory Sparrow.” According to military reporter Doron Kadosh, Nobitex was used by Iran to bypass sanctions via crypto. Foreign sources say wallet holdings dropped from $1.8 billion to just $100 million. _

⚠️ Confirmed: Analysis of telemetry shows a significant reduction in internet traffic in #Iran; the incident comes amid an escalating conflict with Israel and is likely to limit the public's ability to access information at a critical time 📉

Cumulative direct Chinese investments in Russia in 2024 reached just $18bn—equivalent to 1% of Russia’s gdp and barely twice as much as China has invested in Kazakhstan, a much smaller economy. _

Military aid to Ukraine updated with: Delivered; - 🇨🇦 64 LAV-2 Coyote Reconnaissance Vehicles (Delivered in 2024, listed as chassis on Canada's aid list) docs.google.com/spreadsheet...

Belgium Defence gets first general for drones and innovation

Why prepare for a possible war in 4 years when you can enable Ukraine to win now? _

French Army building mobile 3D printing labs capable of producing up to 10 FPV drones every 3 hours (or 60 drones per day). _

If the EU wants to be taken seriously as a foreign policy actor, it has to hurt Russia for real. Half of Russia's seaborne oil leaves via the Baltic and half of those shipments are on the shadow fleet. Shut that down. That will plunge Russia into deep financial crisis, which is what it deserves...

Moscow’s advantage on the Ukraine battlefield is waning. _

Russia almost certainly seeks to avoid direct conflict with NATO because it assesses it cannot win a conventional military confrontation with the alliance. However, Moscow remains fully capable of employing asymmetric capabilities against the United States and allies. _

What might a “Georgia scenario” look like for Ukraine? _

Russia is introducing new nuclear-tipped air-to-air missiles as part of an overall expansion of its nuclear forces. _

NATO's new air command center will be built north of the Arctic Circle

Power grid in Central Europe uses unencrypted radio signals to add and shed loads. _

Germany has shifted its policy on weapons transparency Berlin will no longer publicly confirm details of missile aid, including Taurus. Gov’t spokesman Stefan Kornelius noted: “We can’t disclose how cruise missile support currently looks.” _

NATO's Rutte wants 2032 deadline for new defence spending goals, Dutch PM says reut.rs/3YD8e5v

Germany's Merz: We cannot end the war in Ukraine without the US. Europe cannot replace the US. _

NATO is undergoing its biggest transformation in decades. _

To support Ukraine’s F-16 fleet, the U.S. now is sending retired F-16s from the Davis-Monthan “boneyard” to be used as spare parts—not for combat. _

Europe can show how serious it is about its security. It needs to tighten economic sanctions against Russia. The first step is to stop Russian supplies of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which are growing rapidly. Last year, the EU imported a record 16.5 million tons of LNG from Russia. _

Senator Lindsey Graham announces broad Senate support for new "bone-crushing" sanctions on Russia, with 72 colleagues backing a bill to impose tariffs up to 500% on nations buying Russian oil, gas, and key products. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

Just after the signing of the mineral deal, Trump administration approves first $50M arms sale to Ukraine through direct commercial sales (DCS). The move signals continued U.S. support despite calls for a diplomatic solution to the conflict. www.kyivpost.com/post/51800

The flow of US weapons into Ukraine continues with Antonov Airlines UR-82027 as ADB7011 landed in Rzeszow, Poland a few days ago likely carrying F-16s for the war effort. _

Britain's electricity grid operator is investigating unexplained power failures that occurred hours before power cuts in Spain and Portugal. _

German Defense Minister Pistorius: Germany will support Ukraine and provide weapons even if the US stops aid. _

Germany has become the world's fourth-largest military spender, only behind the US, China and Russia. Top 5 Military Spenders in 2024: United States — $997 billion China — $314 billion (estimated) Russia — $149 billion (estimated) Germany — $88.5 billion India — $86.1 billion Source: SIPRI _

The port in Bandar Abbas, specifically this terminal, handled 80 percent of all container traffic coming into Iran. Why a sodium perchlorate or some rocket fuel component was stored at a civilian port is a rhetorical question at this point — it was likely hidden among ordinary cargo. _

The US has privately offered to provide security guarantees for Sir Keir Starmer’s “coalition of the willing”. US officials have opened the door to giving intelligence and logistical support for British and European soldiers to back up a Ukraine peace deal from land, air and sea. _

Cluster munitions + dense minefields. The lesson is brutally clear: armies that can saturate terrain with rapid, area‑effect fire and durable obstacles survive, while armies that cannot, bleed. _

This week, for the first time, France deployed a group of nuclear-capable Rafale strike fighters to Sweden for a major training exercise. While visiting the deployment, France's ambassador, Thierry Carlier, confirmed that the French "nuclear umbrella" extends to protect Sweden. _

The US will demand that Putin recognize Ukraine's right to have its own army and defense industry. Signing a treaty that recognizes the right of a large and strong Ukrainian army to exist will be an absolute humiliation for Putin. That is why he will never do it. _

The pace is picking up... The flow of US weapons and munitions for Ukraine continues with Kalitta Air's N715CK as CMB488 out of Dover AFB, DE preparing to land in Rzeszow, Poland. Dover is a known hub for munitions. Rzeszow is the western reception point for supplies going into Ukraine.

House Republicans will seek a $150 billion Pentagon spending hike as part of their party-line megabill, abandoning a lower defense target and aligning with plans set by their Senate counterparts. _

Putin: Russia needs to prepare for new wars and continue expanding military production _

U2 Dragon Lady crossed the big lake (for RAF Fairford). Ready for active missions. _

The flow of US weapons, munitions, support and aid for Ukraine continues as Kalitta Air's N745Ck as CMB478 landed in Rzeszow, Poland, the staging location for western arms and munitions inbound for Ukraine.