Tag: russia

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Ukraine: what might happen if the war spreads to a Nato country

Mohammed Abbasi

Kenton White, University of Reading As Russian military activity moves nearer the Ukrainian border with Nato, the potential for direct confrontation between Russia and the alliance increases. On March 13, Russian aircraft reportedly fired rockets at the Yavoriv International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, 20km from Ukraine’s border with Poland, a Nato member. The possibility of a unit from the Russian or Belarusian military stumbling across a border is also high. Mistakes happen in all military organisations, something shown starkly in recent days when India accidentally launched a missile into Pakistan – two nuclear armed nations in a state of … Continue reading Ukraine: what might happen if the war spreads to a Nato country

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The cost of war: how Russia’s economy will struggle to pay the price of invading Ukraine

Mohammed Abbasi

Renaud Foucart, Lancaster University The invasion of Ukraine has placed Russia on the verge of bankruptcy. Interest rates have doubled, the stock market has closed, and the rouble has fallen to its lowest level ever. The military costs of war have been exacerbated by an unprecedented level of international sanctions, sustained by a large coalition of countries. Russian citizens, now unable to spend at IKEA, McDonald’s or Starbucks, are not allowed to convert any of the money they do have into foreign currency. Generous estimates suggest the Russian economy could shrink by 7% next year, instead of the 2% growth … Continue reading The cost of war: how Russia’s economy will struggle to pay the price of invading Ukraine

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Fake viral footage is spreading alongside the real horror in Ukraine. Here are 5 ways to spot it

Mohammed Abbasi

T.J. Thomson, Queensland University of Technology; Daniel Angus, Queensland University of Technology, and Paula Dootson, Queensland University of Technology Amid the alarming images of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine over the past few days, millions of people have also seen misleading, … Continue reading Fake viral footage is spreading alongside the real horror in Ukraine. Here are 5 ways to spot it

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Ukraine’s military is outgunned but can still inflict a great deal of pain on Russian forces

Mohammed Abbasi

Frank Ledwidge, University of Portsmouth Ukraine’s ramshackle military offered no resistance to the Crimean annexation in February 2014. Since then the poorly equipped but well-motivated Ukrainian Army has taken thousands of casualties while fighting separatist forces in the eastern Donbas … Continue reading Ukraine’s military is outgunned but can still inflict a great deal of pain on Russian forces

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Experts suggest US embassies were hit with high-power microwaves – here’s how the weapons work

Mohammed Abbasi

Edl Schamiloglu, University of New Mexico Some of the cases of the mystery ailment that has afflicted U.S. embassy staff and CIA officers off and on since 2016 in Cuba, China, Russia and other countries most likely were caused by pulsed electromagnetic energy, according to a report by a panel of experts convened by national intelligence agencies. The report’s findings are similar to those of another report released by the National Academies in 2020. In that report, a committee of 19 experts in medicine and other fields concluded that directed, pulsed radiofrequency energy is the “most plausible mechanism” to explain … Continue reading Experts suggest US embassies were hit with high-power microwaves – here’s how the weapons work

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Will Qatar Supply EU With Gas?

Mohammed Abbasi

EU Reconsiders Russian LNG, Qatar Waits in Wings By Daniel Wagner, Giorgio Cafiero, and Sufyan bin Uzayr A tanker transports liquid natural gas (LNG) through the province of A Coruña, on Spain’s Atlantic Coast. Credit: Robert/cc by 2.0 WASHINGTON, Apr 25 2014 (IPS) – Throughout the Ukraine crisis, European Union (EU) leaders have become more vocal about their interest in reducing Europe’s consumption of Russian natural gas. As a result, Qatar — the world’s number-one provider of liquefied natural gas (LNG) — is well positioned to play a more influential role in Europe’s energy landscape. Although unlikely to replace Russia as Europe’s top natural gas provider, … Continue reading Will Qatar Supply EU With Gas?

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Guardians of the High Frontier – Air Force Space Command & United States Space Surveillance Network

Mohammed Abbasi

    Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) is a major command of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado. AFSPC supports U.S. military operations worldwide through the use of many different types of satellite, launch and cyber operations. Operationally, AFSPC is under the Combatant Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command. More than 40,000 people perform AFSPC missions at 88 locations worldwide, including military, civilians and contractors. This includes approximately 22,000 military personnel and 9,000 civilian employees, although their missions overlap. On 1 December 2009, the intercontinental ballistic missile mission was transferred to the new Air Force Global Strike Command. AFSPC gained the cyber operations mission … Continue reading Guardians of the High Frontier – Air Force Space Command & United States Space Surveillance Network