Hundreds of Afghans who have been relocated to Britain under a multibillion-pound scheme to protect them from the Taliban have returned to Afghanistan for holidays and other trips, an Afghan source has revealed. 1/

The source, himself a former interpreter who served with British forces in Afghanistanbefore also starting a new life in the UK, said the excursions were evidence that the threat some of his countrymen say they face because of past links with the British has been exaggerated. 2/

EXCLUSIVE: Russia is finding it "significantly" harder to conduct combat operations against Ukraine because of a rise in Ukrainian long-range drone strikes on Russian weapons supplies, ammunition depots & fuel refineries, a senior commander has said

1/🧵

news.sky.com/story/inside-a… Brigadier General Yuriy Shchygol signalled these attacks would grow, revealing that his country plans to more than quadruple the production rate of deep strike drones - with a range of hundreds of miles - to more than 2,000 aircraft a month.

2/

A senior politician has claimed internal documents prove "beyond doubt" the former head of the @RoyalAirForce “lied" to the then defence secretary over a recruitment scandal involving the discrimination of white men.
1/🧵
news.sky.com/story/document… . @aliciakearns also accused the RAF and the Ministry of Defence of failing to compensate the former head of recruitment, Group Captain Lizzy Nicholl, who resigned in August 2022 in protest at what she correctly deemed to be an unlawful order to favour female and ethnic minority applicants over white men.
2/

BREAKING: The UK is expelling Russia’s defence attaché - “an undeclared military intelligence officer” as part of a package of measures to “target and dismantle Russian intelligence gathering operations in the UK”, the Home Secretary has announced. Other measures include ⬇️ The UK has summoned Russia’s ambassador to London to inform him of the measures, which are in response to “a pattern of malign activity” in the UK & abroad believed to be linked to Russia.

EXCLUSIVE: The government has no national plan for the defence of the UK or the mobilisation of its people and industry in a war despite renewed threats of conflict, @SkyNews has learnt. 🧵/1

news.sky.com/story/govt-has… With ministers warning that Britain is moving to a "pre-war world" amid mounting concerns about Russia, China and Iran, it can be revealed that officials have started to develop a cross-government "national defence plan". 2/

BREAKING: Two serving ministers - @annietrev & @TomTugendhat - have broken cover to urge Rishi Sunak's government to "lead the way" and increase defence spending to at least 2.5% at a time of growing threats. 1/

news.sky.com/story/minister… In a highly unusual intervention, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, a foreign office minister and former defence minister, and Tom Tugendhat, the security minister and an experienced soldier, published an article online that does not appear to have been sanctioned by Downing Street. 2/

A 🧵on how the UK's ability (or lack of) to fight a war is a choice for the public & politicians. Genuinely being ready to mobilise for (or, far better, deter) all-out war is a challenge for everyone, not just the military

news.sky.com/story/uk-defen… 1/ As prime minister, @David_Cameron oversaw swingeing cuts to defence, while optimistically declaring the UK "should have no less ambition for our country in the decades to come".

Key message from @BritishArmy chief General Sir Patrick Sanders as he urges UK public to be ready for the possibility of future war: “regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them”
TV cameras weren’t permitted to broadcast his speech - unclear why, @grantshapps @RishiSunak I’ll cut & paste some of the army chief’s words instead - he says: “Ukraine really matters. I cannot overstate it.” [FWIW I’m typing these words from eastern Ukraine - where Russian forces are still trying to push forward and Ukrainian troops need more weapons & ammunition fast]

BREAKING: The UK has for the first time accused Iran of supplying Russia with ammunition for its war in Ukraine. It comes after the US said Moscow appeared to be deepening its defence cooperation with Tehran & had received 100s of lethal Iranian attack drones.

1/ Foreign Secretary @JamesCleverly said the UK agreed with the US assessment and went on to make a specific reference to ammunition.
“Iran has provided Russia with a consistent stream of weapons and ammunition which is being used to kill civilians in Ukraine,” he said.

2/

NEW: The UK will invest an extra £5bn in its military & lift defence spending to 2.5% of GDP as part of an updated policy to counter intensifying threats from China & Russia. But the £ is not enough to plug gaps & there is no timeline for the GDP target
1/
bit.ly/3Lj03VZ The Integrated Review Refresh will describe China as an "epoch-defining challenge" in a toughening of language. But will stop short of calling Beijing a state threat more broadly, other than to reaffirm that it poses the most serious state-based threat to UK economic security
2/

EXCLUSIVE: The @hmtreasury has signalled there is no new money for the UK armed forces despite recognising the urgent need to rearm in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine, defence sources have said.

1/

bit.ly/3Y6QXPI At the same time, the sources said a "refresh" of defence policy - meant to inform UK spending plans - could be delayed until after the budget because an initial draft failed to reflect sufficiently the transformed security environment in Europe, where a land war is raging.

2/

NEW: The content of a @RoyalAirForce order to give priority places on training courses to female & ethnic minority recruits over white men can be revealed.

1/

bit.ly/3YoMjw9 The instruction, dated 3 August 2022, aimed to "sequence inflow into our service" to improve diversity, according to a copy of the email, seen by @SkyNews.

2/

BREAKING: Former head of @RoyalAirForce recruitment - who resigned last year over RAF recruitment policy - determined “about 160 cases of positive discrimination” had taken place, MP @Tobias_Ellwood tells head of the RAF. This was alleged discrimination against white men. The chair of @CommonsDefence strongly challenges @ChiefofAirStaff over the order that the Group Captain chose to resign over. He says it was an order that ultimately came down from the top.
“Did the wrong person resign?” He asked Sir Mike Wigston

Coming up at 1430, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston @ChiefofAirStaff is finally appearing before MPs on the @CommonsDefence to face questions about the state of @RoyalAirForce. Here’s a reminder of the scandals that have come to light on his watch in case they feature 🧵

1/ 🚨RAF recruitment fiasco: The head of @RoyalAirForce recruitment resigned last August in protest at an "effective pause" on offering jobs to white male recruits in favour of women and ethnic minorities.

2/

bit.ly/3l1sMUh

EXCLUSIVE: A senior US general has privately told UK Defence Secretary @BWallaceMP the @BritishArmy is no longer regarded as a top-level fighting force, defence sources have revealed.

1/

bit.ly/3Y9QwDZ The sources said this decline in war-fighting capability - following decades of cuts to save money - needed to be reversed faster than planned in the wake of Russia's war in Ukraine.

2/

BREAKING: The @BritishArmy will become temporarily weaker & less able to combat Russia after giving away tanks & artillery to Ukraine, its top general has said in an unusually blunt admission. But @ArmyCGS said the move will make the UK safer.

1/

bit.ly/3Wl32Pw General Sir Patrick Sanders also stressed the "vital" need to restore his army's warfighting capability.

The comments were made in an internal message to the Army - seen by @SkyNews - that appeared designed to put pressure on the Treasury to commit more funding to defence.

2/

NEW: UK announces its "most significant package of combat power to date" for Ukraine, Defence Secretary @BWallaceMP says.
This includes:
- A squadron of Challenger 2 tanks
- 8 x AS90 guns + more on various stages of readiness
- 100s more armoured vehicles, including Bulldog The new UK aid to Ukraine will also include:
- dozens of drones
- another 100,000 artillery rounds
- 100s more "sophisticated missiles"
- spare parts to support up to 100 Ukrainian tanks and armoured fighting vehicles

BREAKING: The UK will send a squadron of 14 tanks to Ukraine “in the coming weeks”. @RishiSunak’s government says it will also supply the Ukrainian armed forces with around 30 AS90s - large, self-propelled guns. Interestingly, a statement from @10DowningStreet says: “UK defence and security officials believe a window has opened up where Russia is on the backfoot due to resupply issues and plummeting morale.” 1/2

NEW: The UK is considering supplying Ukraine with British tanks for the first time to fight Russia’s invading forces, @SkyNews understands.
1/ Discussions have been taking place “for a few weeks” about delivering a number of the British Army’s Challenger 2 main battle tank to the Ukrainian armed forces, a western source with knowledge of the conversations said.
2/

EXCLUSIVE: Ukraine is preparing for Russia to try again to invade from the north - maybe around the anniversary of its first, failed attempt to seize Kyiv last February, a top commander has said.

1/

bit.ly/3hvKjCs President Vladimir Putin could even ultimately order millions of soldiers into the war as Russia's offensive falters in the face of fierce and enduring Ukrainian resistance, Major General Andrii Kovalchuk, one of Ukraine's most senior military officers, said in an interview.

2/

NEW: Yulia discovered she was pregnant after Russia seized Kherson during the 1st days of the full-scale invasion. Almost 9 months later, a major Ukrainian counter-offensive liberated the city just in time for the birth. The new mother wept with relief.
1/
bit.ly/3ByNtMK She is clearly Ukrainian, clearly born without all this occupation," Yulia said, nursing her tiny girl called Maldina as she sat on a hospital bed next to a radiator to keep them warm.
"I am so glad that she is clearly Ukrainian. I am so glad, so glad."
2/