On Sunday, North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un announced his intention to upgrade his country’s conventional military, declaring he would adopt a policy of “simultaneously pushing forward the building of nuclear forces and conventional armed forces” at the next major meeting of his Workers’ Party, expected early next year. Kim’s desire to upgrade his conventional forces is a response to lessons learned fighting Ukrainian troops and a determination that nuclear weapons alone cannot guarantee the continued existence of the regime.
On Monday, President Trump signed an executive order designating Antifa as a terrorist organization. Trump’s order directs federal agencies to investigate and dismantle the “militarist, anarchist enterprise that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government.”
On Tuesday, President Trump addressed the UN General Assembly, excoriating the body for its ineffectiveness. He said he liked the idea of the U.N. but that it wasn’t “even coming close” to living up to its potential.
On Wednesday, Sweden’s Minister of Defence Pål Jonson announced that Sweden will shoot down the next Russian fighter jet that crosses into its territory. This announcement comes as U.S. President Trump stated that NATO countries should do precisely that. Polish and Estonian officials also signalled that they will do so after Trump gave the green light.
On Wednesday, President Trump announced that Ukraine can win all of its territory back from Russia, a dramatic shift from the U.S. leader’s call on Kyiv to make concessions. Trump described Russia as a paper tiger and said that Russia was in serious economic trouble.
On Wednesday, the Associated Press reported that satellite images show that Iran is rebuilding its missile sites, hit by Israel in the 12-Day War. Large mixers for producing solid fuel are missing, but it is believed that missile component production has resumed.
On Thursday, Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was found guilty of criminal conspiracy and sentenced to five years in jail. The court has ordered that he begin his sentence within one month, unless his lawyers can convince the judges to delay while he appeals the decision. He was found guilty of allowing his associates to “act with the aim of obtaining financial support” from the Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
On Thursday, Denmark’s government said a “professional actor” was responsible for the drones flown over its airports during the week. However, it did not place the blame on Russia, the most obvious suspect. The Russian embassy in Copenhagen called speculations of Russian involvement “absurd.”
On Thursday, the Barents Observer noted that Russian authorities are becoming ever more reckless in their behaviour. Their shadow fleet is taking risks by transporting oil from Arctic depots to global markets. Some of these ships have already become stuck in ice, and none of them are designed to sail in icy conditions, creating a huge environmental risk.
On Thursday, Rheinmetall announced plans to build an artillery ammunition factory in Latvia that will produce 155mm shells. The plant will be a joint venture between Rheinmetall and the Latvian State Defence Corporation, with Rheinmetall being the majority owner (51%). Reports did not indicate the production capacity of the factory.
On Friday, South Korean forces fired warning shots at a North Korean merchant vessel that crossed the disputed sea border between the two countries in the Yellow Sea for up to an hour. The North Korean ship retreated from the South’s maritime control area after dozens of warning shots were fired by the South Korean military.
On Friday, in a closed-door meeting at the UN, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy requested “Tomahawk” Land Attack Cruise Missiles from President Trump. The missiles have a 2400km range and could easily strike Moscow. Trump is reportedly open to selling them to Ukraine.
On Friday, the United Nations Security Council voted not to delay the imposition of sanctions on Iran, a proposal put forward by Iran’s closest backers, China and Russia. The resolution failed to garner support from the nine countries required to halt the series of U.N. sanctions from taking effect on Saturday. The vote was 4-9 with two abstentions. On Saturday at 00:00 GMT, sanctions were imposed on Iran. In a statement on Sunday, Iran said it did not recognize the “illegal” and “unjustifiable” sanctions.
On Saturday, President Zelenskyy warned that Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack another European country. “Putin won’t wait until the end of the war in Ukraine. He will open another direction,” Zelenskyy said. “He is testing Europe. He has checked that Europe doesn’t have the capacity to protect itself from Russian drones.” On Saturday night and into Sunday morning, Russia launched more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles at Ukraine, targeting cities across Ukraine. In response, Poland closed the airspace over several cities near the Ukrainian border, according to Flightradar24, which tracks air traffic.
On Sunday, a Ukrainian HIMARS struck a thermal power plant near the Russian city of Belgorod. Residents reported widespread disruptions following the blasts. The city lost electricity, water, and internet access. Elevators stopped working, and stores were operating on a cash-only basis or had closed entirely. Public transport was running irregularly, some streets were unlit, and traffic lights were out of service.
