Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #baltics

Most recents (24)

#France and #Macron deserve a thread in the context of #Ukraine, #Russia and beyond.

- First, some historical context: France, just like #Britain, is a declining power. This process started with the loss of colonies after the World War 2.

🧵 ...

1/18

theguardian.com/world/2023/may…
- A clear geopolitical shift happen with the Suez Crisis in 1956, which marked the emergence of #USA and #USSR as the world powers.

- #France also experienced a humiliating military defeat by #Germany during the World War 2. That shaped rather pretentious politics of ...

2/18
.. Charles de Gaulle, who tried to restore the French power with dissenting views vis-a-vis #Americans and #British (or the "collective Anglo-Saxons"). In 1966, #France withdrawn from the #NATO's military command.

3/18
Read 19 tweets
Casually or not, the #Baltic & North Sea region is getting riskier during the last 24hours.

🇳🇴🇬🇧Norway declared the risk of drones over its gas & oil offshore platforms.
🇩🇰Denmark reported several gas leaks on #NordStream 1 and 2.
🇷🇺'000s of Russians refugees.

#OOTT #ONGT
🧵
Certainly, the #Article5 is clear. But seems like #Russia is doing hybrids interventions exploiting some gray areas.

Pipelines (left) and tankers (right) are vulnerable.🧵
The North Sea has an important development of 512 offshore platforms. Static targets.

🧵
Read 6 tweets
#Russian state television #Russia1 says when #Russians “reach the western borders of #Ukraine, the rest will certainly not be about” #Kiev. A “safe corridor” to #Kaliningrad “has to be created” regardless of #NATO “waving their #Article5.” He warns “taming of #Lithuania... [1/2]
...is being considered” but “the issue is with” their masters in #Washington and #Brussels. He suggests striking #Energy & #Logistics infrastructure of #EU as the “spigot closes from here.” He says “#Nuclear weapons might be used.” [2/2]
Speaking on #Russian state television #Russia1, retired General and current #StateDuma deputy, #AndreyGurulyov, says “not one normal member of the military would go for” capturing the #SuwalkiGap with “#NATO forces” on “both sides.” He proposes instead a corridor “from... [1/2]
Read 14 tweets
NEW: #Russia waging #cyber war as part of its war in #Ukraine, per new @Microsoft report

"Microsoft has seen the Russian military launch multiple waves of destructive cyberattacks against 48 distinct Ukrainian agencies & enterprises..." per report
Goal of #Russia's #cyberattacks vs #Ukraine has been to "penetrate network domains by initially comprising hundreds of computers & then spreading #malware designed to destroy the software & data on thousands of others" per @Microsoft
#Russia also targeting governments outside #Ukraine

"We’ve detected Russian network intrusion efforts on 128 organizations in 42 countries outside Ukraine" per @Microsoft
Read 11 tweets
Thread: 1 June 2022: Day 98 of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine
Kalush Orchestra, the rap-folk band that won Eurovision for #Ukraine, has sold the Eurovision trophy at auction for $900,000 in order to buy drones (the PD-2 unmanned aerial system) for the country's war effort against the #Russian invaders. nypost.com/2022/05/30/eur…
Vladimir Shamanov on the "superiority" of #Russia's army; intentions with Poland, Baltics, Romania; taking 5 to 10 years to fully demilitarized and denazify #Ukraine, leveling the country if need be and trying its officials and journalists at a "Nuremberg"
Read 66 tweets
Happening now: US @SecDef Lloyd Austin & @thejointstaff Chairman Gen Mark Milley brief following a virtual meeting of the 40+ member #Ukrainian Defense Contact Group
.@SecDef calls virtual mtg "highly constructive", giving contact group members a chance to hear from key #Ukraine officials, inlcu DefMin @oleksiireznikov

Says attendees got a "a sharper" sense of Ukraine's needs
.@SecDef praised countries for new pledges of security assistance to #Ukraine - "We're intensifying our efforts"

Austin said numerous countries contributing ammo, artillery

Also:
#Denmark: harpoon launcher, missiles

#CzechRepublic: attack helicopters
Read 22 tweets
Thread: 23 May 2022: Day 89 of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine
#Britain's intel: #Russia has lost more men in three months in #Ukraine than the Soviets did in nine years in Afghanistan b/c of "poor low-level tactics, limited air cover ... and a command approach ... [that] reinforce[s] failure and repeat[s] mistakes"
#Russian soldier ranting about the war on #Ukraine being for the "future of the white nation ... We are all that's left". The West, he says, is lost to Arabs, blacks, Asians, and homosexuals (he uses different words).

[Video via @sternenko, English subs added by @ZeroZhvk]
Read 24 tweets
Thread: 16 May 2022: Day 82 of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine
#Israel denies the reports that it had agreed to send Blue Spear anti-ship missiles to #Ukraine via Estonia jpost.com/international/…
#France's President Macron has ideas about how to approach #Russia that were self-evidently dangerous to European security half-a-decade ago.
Read 63 tweets
Thread: 14 May 2022: Day 80 of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine
It might not be completely finished yet—#Russia still has positions in the area—but as of 13 May #Ukraine has clearly defeated the Russians around #Kharkiv, and the complete eviction of Russian troops retreating toward the border is only a matter of time.
Reports that #Israel will send Blue Spear anti-ship missiles to #Ukraine (via Estonia)
Read 37 tweets
The Surge of “Little Green Men,” and Metal is Poised to Strike – Part 5 - The world is closer to witnessing the use of some type of #NuclearWeapons due to war in the Ukraine than during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 - by @TraderStef #TacticalNukes #WW3 crushthestreet.com/articles/preci… Image
#LittleGreenMen #Russia #Ukraine #NATO #War - #TacticalNukes - a bunch of high-ranking Russian military suits were taken out by a Ukrainian hit in #Izium
Read 120 tweets
Insight into #Russian #fascism (really just #narcissism/#NPD on a grand scale). English translation a pro #Russia blogger- usual dehumanization of #Ukrainians ("evil, not to be thought of as humans"). Notably, this monster lives in #Europe teaching #Russians how to hate & kill us ImageImageImageImage
Ofc it's characteristic of these propagandists - they preach #Russia, "#Russian world" its #fascism, oppose #Europe's values, teach #Russians of horrors of democracy, yet prefer to abuse the same #Europe's values.
How exactly some of the Western #Europe (well, not geographically, #Germany also is included) can allow itself to patronize &"teach" Eastern Europe on problems of #Russian aggression at their borders, when they do business with Russia and have no issue enabling such propaganda
Read 5 tweets
Thread: 4 April 2022: Day 40 of #Russia's invasion of #Ukraine
Not exactly subtle from #Russia, and quite funny to include #Belarus, which has been stripped of even the minimal sovereignty it had before the war on #Ukraine began.
#Russia's troops ransacked and looted Trostyanets, one of the towns retaken by #Ukraine's army near Sumy in the northeast. Among the victims was an elderly man who fought for the Soviets in Afghanistan, because he wouldn't give up his home.
Read 58 tweets
JUST IN: Details on additional US troop movements in response to #Russia|n aggression

Aviation elements, ground forces "will move within the EUCOM Area of Operations to @NATO’s northeastern & southeastern flanks...expected to be in place later this week" per sr defense official
MORE-US troops on the move within @US_EUCOM to @NATO's NE/SE flanks:
-infantry battalion task force of abt 800 personnel, from #Italy to the #Baltic region
-up to 8 F35 Strike Fighters from #Germany to operating locations along NATO’s eastern flank
...per sr defense official
MORE-US troops on the move within @US_EUCOM to @NATO's NE/SE flanks:
-battalion of attack aviation-20 AH-64 helicopters-from #Germany to #Baltics
-attack aviation task force-12 AH-64 helicopters--#Greece to #Poland
...per sr defense official
Read 5 tweets
Made a mess of these threads. Integrating them here
#Ukraine's President Zelensky said a few hours ago he is still going to Germany tomorrow for the Munich Security Conference. Whether this is supposed to promote calm or what is unclear; it's a hell of a time for him to leave his capital.
President #Biden just said in his White House address that the US believes the #Russians will invade #Ukraine in the next few days and "they will target Ukraine's capital, Kiev". Image
Read 1414 tweets
Under the auspices of the #OSCE Vienna Document, #Ukraine has officially asked #Russia to provide information about its military exercises near Ukraine's borders. /1

osce.org/fsc/74528
On February 9, #Estonia, #Latvia, and #Lithuania did the same regarding joint exercises between #Russia and #Belarus taking place now in Belarus. /2

Unsurprisingly, it seems Belarus' response has been insufficiently transparent. /3

Read 14 tweets
#Russia's government not being very subtle about how this is going to go with #Ukraine: a provocation will be staged and the Russians will claim to be acting in self-defence when they invade, while screaming about 'Western false-flag operations'.
Integrating this thread from Feb. 11 here
Read 431 tweets
Last week, @columlynch published a very good piece @ForeignPolicy about how the #UNSC might respond to a Russian offensive against #Ukraine.

Colum kindly quoted me, and I wanted to add a few points to the article (mainly for @UN wonks).

A 🧵 [1/12] foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/14/bid…
There have been snarky responses to @columlynch's piece accusing anyone who thinks @UN can help #Ukraine are "clowns" etc.

But as I said "Nobody actually thinks that the Council will have a significant substantive role in negotiating a conclusion to a new war in Ukraine." [2/12]
.@USUN, @RussiaUN and other Council members will use the #UNSC to try to shape political narrative around #Ukraine.

For example, Russia recently held an informal SC meeting on threats to minorities in the #Baltics and #Ukraine.

See @SCRtweets: [3/12] securitycouncilreport.org/whatsinblue/20…
Read 12 tweets
Global Militarisation Index 2020 #GMI \ Worldwide trends in militarisation and what they may mean for trends in health security. bit.ly/36z4NSE Image
#GMI 2020 focuses on the link between militarisation and health security. “It cannot be excluded that the high level of resources invested in the military in countries with a particularly high level of militarisation is at the expense of health provision”, the authors explain. Image
#Israel, #Armenia, #Oman, #Bahrain, #Singapore, #SaudiArabia, #Brunei, #Russia, #Kuwait and #Jordan are the Top 10 in militarisation. All countries in the Middle East are highly militarised by global comparison—six countries are from this region. Image
Read 6 tweets
As I predicted. #Putin is waiting in the wings. If #Lushenko falls is #Belarus, #Russia will invade under a mutual defense pact. This puts the #RussianArmy head-to-head against #NATO countries in the #Baltics as #Trump scrambles NATO formations. #BigMess

theguardian.com/world/2020/aug…
@thewademethod If #Russia invades #Belarus to save #Lushenko & binds now independent nation into Russia a 'la #Crimea, what will #China do? #Belarus invasion puts #NATO on alert & draws resources. Great time for big event in #SouthChinaSea. They are allies & we are pinned down. #TrumpPutin
It's getting ready to happen. #Russia state TV just does not call for invasions for the hell of it. The invasion of #Belarus by #Putin, almost immediately after #Trump tears up the #NATO war plan by scrambling the forces. Was this planned with sweet nothings in #Trump's ear?
Read 5 tweets
#China "I don't see China right now as an inevitable threat, that we're going to have a fight w/them, or whatever the case may be" per @EsperDoD "But we do have to compete in all domains"
"Our hope is that we can get #China on the rt trajectory where they share our same values,where they at least respect int'l rules&norms" per @EsperDoD "Where they stop doing what we've seen them do to many of our partners..twisting arms&using coercive techniques to get their way"
"The murder of #GeorgeFloyd was a wake-up call" per @EsperDoD "It was a wake up call for us as well as leaders"

"I don't think what everybody appreciated, at least me personally, is the depth of sentiment out there among our servicemembers of color, particularly Black Americans"
Read 11 tweets
.@POTUS says withdrawal of almost 12,000 US troops from #Germany result of German failure to spend more on defense

"Why would we keep all of those troops there" he told reporters "Germany is delinquent...They’ve taken advantage of us for many years"
Asked about whether the move was about #German defense spending, @EsperDoD said, "We began this process actually several months ago...what the president did with his directive in early June was to accelerate that process"
"We are still retaining a little more than 24,000 troops in Germany, which is still a lot, and I think still more than any other country in #Europe" per @EsperDoD
Read 9 tweets
"If indeed they did this, this would be a serious miscalculation & a serious mistake" ret. Gen. John Nicholson, former commander of US Force in #Afghanistan, tells lawmakers re alleged #Russia|n bounties
"What we saw [in #Afghanistan] was a pattern that they had used in #Crimea, #Ukraine, the #Baltics & #Syria" Nicholson says of #Russia aid to #Taliban "...of using military exercises to move capability and people into an area & then leave some behind"
"This slow, gradual build-up while we weer focused primarily on #Syria was of concern enough to me as commander that we highlighted this & eventually called them out" per Nicholson of #Russia
Read 7 tweets
The Lithuanian 'National Threat Assessment 2020' holds some interesting #insights on the #Baltic region & #Russia's broader efforts there and around the world... vsd.lt/wp-content/upl… #GlobalTrends #Security #Geopolitics Some takeaways..(1/4) Image
2/4 #Russia's strategic position via Kaliningrad...#Baltics #Security #Geopolitics ImageImage
3/4 Examples of #CyberAttacks on #Lithuania from both Russian and Chinese sources...#CyberSecurity #InformationWarfare #Risks Image
Read 4 tweets
Another bad day for #Facebook: Psych researcher Aleksandr Kogan who helped #CambridgeAnalytica mine private data from 87 million Facebook users sues FB for defamation. Almost a year to the day since we first learned of the massive privacy breach scandal, which FB blamed on Kogan.
🔥"This is not democracy, spreading lies in darkness, paid for with illegal cash…It's subversion & you are accessories…handmaidens to authoritarians"—brilliant @carolecadwalla @TEDTalks on technology platforms & election manipulation—#Brexit #Trump #CambridgeAnalytica #Facebook
#Facebook Expects to Be Fined Up to $5 Billion by FTC For Privacy Breaches, including 87 million users' data harvesting scandal by Aleksandr Kogan for #CambridgeAnalytica, Bannon's political consulting firm building voter profiles for Trump campaign nytimes.com/2019/04/24/tec…
Read 5 tweets

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