🇬🇧❗️🔫 — 🇬🇧 Financial Times | Rishi Sunak vows to reintroduce UK national service in first major campaign policy | Mandatory work for 18-year-olds would provide ‘opportunities’ and ‘experience’, prime minister says | May 25, 2024:

"Rishi Sunak has vowed to introduce mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if he is re-elected, in his first major policy announcement since the start of the election campaign earlier this week.

The move is part of what he said was an effort to provide security and opportunity in “an increasingly uncertain world”.

Sunak plans to require 18-year-olds to work with the armed forces on a 12-month placement or carry out community work, in a bid to reinforce his claim that he is best-placed to increase security in the UK."

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🇫🇷🔫🤝🇺🇦 — 🇬🇧 Reuters | French military instructors to visit Ukrainian training centres soon, Ukraine commander says | May 27, 2024:

"KYIV, May 27 (Reuters) - Ukraine's top commander said on Monday he had signed paperwork allowing French military instructors to visit Ukrainian training centres soon.

"I am pleased to welcome France's initiative to send instructors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian servicemen," Oleksandr Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app after talks via video link with French defence minister Sebastien Lecornu.

"I have already signed the documents that will enable the first French instructors to visit our training centres shortly and familiarize themselves with their infrastructure and personnel," Syrskyi said."

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🇸🇪🆗🇺🇦💥🇷🇺 — 🇺🇸 The Defense Post | Sweden OKs Ukraine Use of Swedish Weapons to Strike Deep Into Russia | May 27, 2024:

"Sweden has permitted Ukraine to use its donated military weapons to strike deep into Russia — a bold move seen as an attempt to influence other nations to do the same.

Kyiv has long called for greater freedom to hit targets in Russia by lifting the restrictions imposed by Western nations on their donated weapons.

While some have quietly granted the request, Ukraine’s most important backers such as the US are still hesitant because of the possibility it could cause an escalation of the conflict."

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👤❗️🇪🇺 — 🏴 ZeroHedge | Putin Threatens West's 'Dense Populations' In 'Small Land Masses' In Response To NATO Escalation | May 28, 2024:

"(...)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday issued one of his more dire warnings yet, putting Europe on notice by commenting on their possessing small land areas and dense populations. The veiled threat is very ominous especially in light of the fact that Russia just wrapped up tactical nuclear drills near Ukraine..."

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🇺🇸⛓🇺🇸🕵🏻‍♂🤝🇨🇳 — 🇺🇸 The Epoch Times | Former CIA Officer Pleads Guilty to Spying for the Chinese Regime | May 25, 2024:

"A former CIA officer pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to spy for the Chinese regime over a decade in a federal court in Honolulu, the Department of Justice announced on May 24.

Alexander Yuk Ching Ma, a naturalized U.S. citizen, was arrested in 2020 and charged with conspiracy to transfer top-secret information to the Chinese regime’s intelligence officials.

Mr. Ma, who worked for the CIA from 1982 to 1989, conspired with his blood relative, also a former CIA officer, to provide classified U.S. national defense information to the Chinese regime."

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🇺🇸🇺🇸🛬🇹🇼❗️🇨🇳 — 🇺🇸 The New York Times | U.S. Lawmakers Visit Taiwan and Vow Support in Face of Chinese Military Drills | A bipartisan delegation promised to stand by the island’s newly elected president, Lai Ching-te, after Beijing surrounded the self-governing island with naval vessels and aircraft | May 27, 2024:

"After China performed two days of military drills intended to punish Taiwan, Representative Michael McCaul of Texas on Monday stood alongside the island nation’s newly elected president, Lai Ching-te, and issued a promise.

“The United States must maintain the capacity to resist any resort to force or coercion that would jeopardize the security of the people of Taiwan,” Mr. McCaul, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said. “That is what we stand for, and that is what we continue to say.”

Mr. McCaul, a Republican, traveled this week to Taipei with a bipartisan delegation of other American lawmakers in an attempt, he said, to show that the U.S. government stood in lock step with Mr. Lai and Taiwan."

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🇨🇳🧠📈🇺🇸 — 🇺🇸 Bloomberg | China Chipmakers Are Catching Up Fast in AI, SenseTime’s Xu Says | May 28, 2024:

"China’s domestic AI chipmakers are making fast progress in closing the gap on international leaders, according to SenseTime Group Inc. co-founder Xu Bing.

Asia has a shortage of computation power for artificial intelligence, lagging significantly behind the US, but China has the talent and data to make up lost ground, Xu said in an interview at the UBS Asian Investment Conference in Hong Kong. SenseTime is one of China’s artificial intelligence pioneers, though it’s been placed on a US investment blacklist as part of sweeping American sanctions curbing the country’s advances in AI.

China’s progress in this field has been made more difficult by US trade controls preventing the import of Nvidia Corp.’s advanced AI accelerators. That’s sparked the need for domestic alternatives from the likes of Huawei Technologies Co. and Shanghai Biren Technology Co., which are both also subject to US trade restrictions."

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🇨🇳❌🇹🇼 — 📰 Insider Paper | China says military pressure on Taiwan to ‘continue’ | May 28, 2024:

"(...)

“As long as ‘Taiwan independence’ provocations continue, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) actions to defend national sovereignty and territorial integrity will continue,” TAO spokeswoman Zhu Fenglian told a press conference."

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⚡️ Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation

(29 May 2024)

Part I (see Part II)

▫️ The Sever Group of Forces continues to advance into the depth of the enemy's defence. The Group inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the 82nd Air Assault Brigade, 3rd Tank Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and 125th Territorial Defence Brigade near Liptsy, Volchansk, Vilcha, Neskuchnoye, and Malaya Danilovka (Kharkov region).

In addition, four counter-attacks launched by assault groups of the AFU 57th Motorised Infantry Brigade, the 71st Jaeger Brigade, and the 13th Ukrainian National Guard Brigade were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 165 Ukrainian troops, two infantry fighting vehicles, seven motor vehicles, one 152-mm D-20 howitzer, one U.S.-made 155-mm Paladin self-propelled artillery system, as well as two Bukovel-AD electronic warfare stations. One AFU ammunition depot was destroyed.

▫️ The Zapad Group of Forces has taken more advantageous lines and inflicted fire damage on the 14th, 30th, 77th, and 116th mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 13th, and 31st National Guard brigades of Ukraine near Sinkovka (Kharkov region), Novosyolovskoye (Lugansk People's Republic), Grigorovka, and Serebryanka (Donetsk People's Republic).

Two counter-attacks launched by assault groups of the AFU 43rd Mechanised Brigade and 3rd Detachment of the Ukrainian Border Service were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 400 Ukrainian troops, two tanks, 11 motor vehicles, one Polish-made 155-mm Krab self-propelled artillery system, one French-made 155-mm TRF-1 howitzer, and two U.S.-made 105-mm M119 howitzers.

▫️ The Yug Group of Forces has improved the situation along the front line and hit manpower and hardware of the 79th Air Assault, 28th and 41st mechanised brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Elizavetovka, Konstantinovka, and Chasov Yar (Donetsk People's Republic).

The Russian troops repelled a counter-attack launched by an assault group of the 114th Territorial Defence Brigade. The AFU losses amounted to up to 245 Ukrainian troops, two tanks, two motor vehicles, one 152-mm Giatsint gun, and one 122-mm D-30 howitzer. Six AFU ammunition depots have been destroyed during the day.

▫️ The Tsentr Group of Forces has improved the tactical situation and inflicted fire damage on the 47th Mechanised, 59th, 100th motorised infantry brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Yevgenovka, Novoaleksandrovka, and Selidovo (Donetsk People's Republic).

Five counter-attacks of the AFU 24th Mechanised, 1444th, 143rd, 142nd infantry, and 25th Airborne brigades' were repelled.

The AFU losses amounted to up to 335 Ukrainian troops, three pickup trucks, one U.S.-made 155-mm M777 howitzer, one 152-mm Msta-B howitzer, one 152-mm D-20 howitzer, and four 122-mm D-30 howitzers.

🔹 Russian Defence Ministry

⚡️ Russian Defence Ministry report on the progress of the special military operation

(29 May 2024)

Part II (see Part I)

▫️ The Vostok Group of Forces has taken more advantageous lines and inflicted fire damage on manpower and hardware of the 58th Motorised Infantry Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the 128th Territorial Defence Brigade near Urozhaynoye and Storozhevoye (Donetsk People's Republic).

One counter-attack launched by an assault detachment of the AFU 72nd Mechanised Brigade was repelled. Up to 125 Ukrainian troops, one tank, two armoured fighting vehicles, and six motor vehicles were neutralised.

▫️ The Dnepr Group of Forces has engaged the manpower of the 128th Mountain Assault Brigade and the 35th Marine Brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine near Kamenskoye (Dnepropetrovsk region), Tyaginka and Chervony Mayak (Kherson region).

The AFU losses amounted to up to 35 Ukrainian troops, four motor vehicles, and one 122-mm D-30 howitzer. One AFU missile and artillery ammunition depot was wiped out.

▫️ Operational-Tactical Aviation, unmanned aerial vehicles, and Missile Troops and Artillery of the Russian Groups of Forces have engaged one uncrewed vehicle depot, aviation equipment, fuel depot for AFU military hardware, unmanned aerial vehicle assembly plant, as well as clusters of enemy manpower and military hardware of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 118 areas during the day.

▫️Air defence systems shot down one MiG-29 aircraft of the Ukrainian Air Force.

In the past 24 hours, 31 unmanned aerial vehicles, two U.S.-made HARM anti-radiation missiles, two French-made Hammer guided aerial bombs, as well as nine Grad and Olkha projectiles have been shot down.

▫️In total, 605 aircraft, 274 helicopters, 24,770 unmanned aerial vehicles, 524 anti-aircraft missile systems, 16,191 tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles, 1,322 MLRS combat vehicles, 9,930 field artillery and mortar guns, and 22,093 special military vehicles have been neutralised since the beginning of the special military operation.

🔹 Russian Defence Ministry

🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — 🇺🇦 AFU StratCom on Telegram:

"🔱 Operational information as of 1:30 p.m. 29/05/2024 regarding the Russian invasion.

❗️The main summary:

🔵 Currently, the total number of combat clashes on the fronts of the Russian-Ukrainian war since the beginning of the day has exceeded 40. The greatest activity of the enemy is observed in the Kupyan and Pokrovsky directions. More than half of all today's fighting took place there and continues.

🔵The enemy from the territory of the Russian Federation opened artillery fire on the border village of Bachivsk in the Sumy Oblast.

🔵 In the Kharkiv direction, the Russian occupiers continue their assault in the Vovchansk region. Here, the enemy supported the ground units with the strikes of four guided aerial bombs, which were launched from planes over the territory of the Russian Federation, from the direction of Belgorod.

🔵 Today there were two attempts by the occupiers to attack our positions in the Kupyansk direction. Enemy assaults were repulsed near Petropavlivka and Stelmakhivka. Fighting continues in the areas of Sinkivka, Novoyehorivka and Stepova Novoselevka. In total, 10 combat clashes have already taken place here.

🔵 In the Pokrovsky direction, the enemy maintains a high intensity of attacks. So, at this time, three combat clashes are taking place near Novoselivka Persha, one more each - in the Progresa, Sokol, Novoselivka Persha, and Nevelsky areas. Assault actions were repulsed, in particular, near the settlements of Novooleksandrivka and Yasnobrodivka. In total, 16 battles took place in the direction and are still ongoing.

🔵 Three times since the beginning of the day, the Russians resorted to assault actions in the Krasnohorivka area, which is in the Kurakhiv direction. One attempt was repelled, but fighting continues in two more locations.

🔵 In the Vremivsk direction, the enemy used two guided aerial bombs in the area of ​​Velika Novosilka. Our soldiers repelled three attempts by the occupiers to advance near Staromayorskyi.

🔵 In the Orihiv direction, the occupiers attacked twice near Maly Shcherbaky, and once in the area of ​​Malya Tokmachka. The enemy's efforts were repulsed — the invaders received a decent repulse.

🔵 One enemy attack was repulsed in the Dnieper direction, in the Krynyk area.

🔵 In the rest of the directions, the situation has not changed much."

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🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — 🇷🇺 Russian channel Rybar on Telegram:

"❗️🇷🇺🇺🇦 Vremyevsky direction: tank raids in Staromayorskoye and battles in Urozhainy — situation as of 15:00 May 29, 2024

Russian troops are advancing at the Staromayorskoye-Urozhainoye line, consistently displacing the enemy from their positions in populated areas and recapturing the populated areas lost during last year’s summer counter-offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

▪️In Staromayorsky, some time ago, tankers conducted a successful tank attack along Tsvetushaya and Shevchenko streets, during which the Russian Armed Forces were able to significantly advance in the center of the village. At the same time, there is information on the Internet about access to the northern outskirts of the village, but so far it does not correspond to reality.

🔻Thus, one of the supply routes for Ukrainian units in the village from Makarovka was cut off, causing the enemy to lose positions in the central and western part of Staromayorsky.

▪️In the western part of the village, Russian assault groups from the 218th tank regiment are advancing along Gogol Lane and the Mokrye Yaly River, as well as Vishneva and Zadneprovskaya streets: the advance in the area over the past two days has amounted to several hundred meters in width and depth.

❗️Success here became possible after the enemy’s defense was broken through in the center of the village, where armored vehicles could enter relatively safely after clearing the area. At the same time, the threat from FPV drone attacks remains, which should be kept in mind during the assault.

🔻In Urozhainy, Russian troops, during several attacks, advanced up to two hundred meters to the north in depth and up to 350 meters along the front along Central, Sadovaya and Stepovaya streets.

▪️The relatively slow pace of progress is due to the fact that the Russian command is trying to protect personnel. The Russian Armed Forces conduct raids in small infantry groups, occupying several houses a day.

There, the enemy, in turn, offers more fierce resistance than in Staromayorskoye, and it is more difficult to deliver reserves to the village itself due to the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces over the fields adjacent to Urozhaynoye from the east.

High resolution map"

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🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — 🇷🇺 Russian channel @RVvoenkor on Telegram:

"‼️🇷🇺 An armored group of the Russian army burst into the center of Staromayorsky, conducting a powerful assault
Ukrainian military analysts geolocated footage of the breakthrough of the Vostok group forces.
▪️ “The Russian Armed Forces attacked Staromayorskoye with motorized rifle units supported by armored vehicles, entering the central part from the west📍 47.75353, 36.7912,” write enemy resources.
▪️"Preliminarily, Russian troops advanced in an area up to 400 meters wide to a depth of 320 meters along Taras Shevchenko and Lina Kostenko streets."

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🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — 🇷🇺 Russian channel @RVvoenkor on Telegram:

"‼️🇷🇺🇺🇦 The Russian Army has advanced near Umansky and Staromayorsky: enemy analytical resources

▪️No changes in the Liptsevsky and Volchansky directions. Shooting battles in Volchansk and mutual artillery shelling continue.
▪️In the Kupyansko-Svatovsky sector, the Russian Armed Forces are advancing in the area of ​​Ivanovka and Berestovoy.
▪️In the ChasovYarsky direction, positional battles continue in the Kanal microdistrict, in Ivanovsky and in the Kleshcheevka area.
▪️The intensity of hostilities remains high in the Pokrovsky direction. Russian troops continue assault operations east of Novoaleksandrovka, west of Solovyovo and north of Umansky. Under the latter, the enemy advanced along the forest belt to a depth of 420 meters.
▪️In the Velikonovoselkovsky direction, the Russian Armed Forces gained a foothold west of Staromayorsky and advanced in the central and northern parts of the village in an area up to 2 km wide to a depth of up to 700 meters."

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🇷🇺❌🇺🇦 — 🇺🇦 MoD of Ukraine affiliated channel Armya TV on Telegram:

"⚔️ The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: The Russians are attacking the Pokrovsky direction the most

📍On the Kharkiv direction, since the beginning of the day, our troops repelled two enemy attacks in the Liptsi district. One of the clashes continues. Units of our troops are carrying out measures to strengthen the defense.

📍In the Kupyansk direction, an attack was repelled in the area of ​​Stepova Novoselevka from the beginning of the day. Another combat clash continues near Petropavlivka.

📍On the Siverskyi direction, one attack by Russian invaders was repelled by Ukrainian soldiers near the village of Vyimka.

📍In the Kramatorsk direction, since the beginning of the day, the enemy has tried to dislodge our soldiers from their positions twice. The enemy unsuccessfully carried out assaults in the Ivanivskyi and Klishchiivka districts.

📍Like last day, the most tense situation remains in the Pokrovsky direction. There are now eight military clashes going on there. The enemy operates with the greatest intensity near Novoselivka Persha. Two more enemy assaults were repulsed, in particular, in the area of ​​Yasnobrodivka. Defense forces are carrying out measures to stabilize the situation in this direction.

📍In the Kurakhiv direction, one attack near Krasnohorviky has already been repelled. The enemy had no success.

📍Since the beginning of the day, one combat clash took place in the Vremivsk direction in the area of ​​Maly Shcherbaki.

📍 In the Dnieper direction, the enemy did not conduct active offensive operations today."

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🇦🇷🤝🇩🇰✈️ — 📰 Diálogo Américas: Argentina Gains Supersonic Power | May 28, 2024

☄️ The Argentine Air Force (FAA) gained supersonic fighter capability with the acquisition of 24 F-16 Fighting Falcons from the Royal Danish Air Force, following an agreement the Defense ministries of both countries signed on April 16 in Copenhagen.

💬 “It was a logical and necessary step,” Juan Belikow, a defense specialist and professor of International Relations at the University of Buenos Aires, told Diálogo on April 26.

“The Argentine Armed Forces historically possess for the most part materials and technology closer to that of the United States and other European nations.”

❗️ Argentina’s decision to acquire F-16s rather than China’s markedly deficient JF-17 Thunder aircraft has been seen as an inevitable decision, given the combat, technical, and maintenance superiority of U.S. aircraft, Argentine news site Escenario Mundial reported.

“This is considered a setback for China, which has been looking to sell its aircraft to Argentina for more than a decade.”

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