October, 2022

• 12 October

  Germany at a crossroads over Sahel mission

  

  Germany is questioning its military deployment in the Sahel region after anti-Western demonstrations in Niger and a fresh coup in Burkina Faso. There is some support for the Bundeswehr to continue its training mission. Germany’s parliament is debating its deployment of troops to Mali and other Sahel states that are …

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• 12 October

  NATO To Hold Annual Nuclear Exercises Despite Russian Threats

  

  NATO is set to hold its regular annual nuclear deterrence exercises next week amid Russian President Vladimir Putin’s repeated threats to use nuclear weapons. “This is routine training which happens every year to keep our deterrence safe, secure and effective,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Tuesday (11 October). …

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• 12 October

  Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant loses external power

  

  Ukraine’s biggest nuclear plant, which is surrounded by Russian troops, has lost all external power needed for vital safety systems for the second time in five days, the head of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog said Wednesday, calling it a “deeply worrying development.” The warning from International Atomic Energy Agency Director-General …

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• 12 October

  Nuclear deterrence drill, talks on restocking arsenals next up on NATO’s agenda

  

  The U.S.-led NATO alliance will agree this week to a plan for ramping up munitions and weapons production to replenish stockpiles after months of arms shipments to Ukraine, NATO’s top official said Tuesday. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking on the eve of a two-day defense ministers conference in Brussels, also said …

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• 12 October

  How Far Will Xi Go to Help a Desperate Putin?

  

  Cracks have emerged in their marriage of convenience, but the two autocrats are in it for the long haul. Anyone who has been in a relationship knows there are good days and not so good days. While trust and respect are the bedrock of healthy partnerships, transactional and even toxic …

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• 12 October

  US commits $1.1bn in long-term assistance for Ukraine

  

  18 HIMARS systems and 150 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles are part of the package. The US Department of Defense (DoD) has confirmed additional security assistance worth $1.1bn to cater to Ukraine’s defence requirements in the mid and long term. The aid package under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) …

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• 12 October

  France to scale up military aid for Ukrainian armed forces

  

  Macron will stay in close contact with Zelenskiy and European and G7 members to extend support. French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to augment military assistance to strengthen Ukrainian armed forces as Russian attacks intensify. The announcement comes close after attacks by Russia across Ukrainian cities that reportedly claimed several …

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• 12 October

  Biden Promises Zelensky Further Advanced Air Defense Systems After Attacks

  

  Immediately upon Monday’s major wave of airstrikes on dozens of cities and towns across Ukraine, the Zelensky government renewed its appeal for Washington to urgently send more anti-air defense systems to help “close the skies” – as President Zelensky had earlier in the war said to Congress. President Biden in …

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• 12 October

  Putin may meet Erdogan to discuss idea of Russia-West talks, Kremlin says

  

  President Vladimir Putin may meet Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan this week to discuss a Turkish proposal to host talks between Russia and the West on Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Monday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had not received any signals about the prospect of negotiations with …

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• 12 October

  Iran’s crackdown on protests intensifies in Kurdish region

  

  Iran intensified its crackdown Tuesday on Kurdish areas in the country’s west amid protests sparked by the death of a 22-year-old woman detained by the morality police as oil workers demonstrated at a key refinery, activists said. Riot police fired into residential neighborhoods in Sanandaj, the capital of Iran’s Kurdistan …

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