Looks like another Russian ally is in trouble:
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/clyx7nnrkqdoExplosions and gunfire as armed groups launch co-ordinated attacks across Mali
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Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesperson for the FLA, wrote on social media that its forces had taken control of Kidal and were expanding its presence in the centre of Gao.
He posted footage purporting to show militants taking over a camp occupied by the Malian army and Russian mercenaries in Kidal, as well as a military helicopter that had supposedly been shot down near Gao. The BBC has not been able to verify these claims.
The FLA has for years been fighting for the creation of the state of Azawad in northern Mali, a large swathe of which it has effective control over.
Ramadane also urged neighbouring countries Burkina Faso and Niger not to intervene.
Mali is currently ruled by a military junta led by Gen Assimi Goďta, who first seized power in a coup in 2020, promising to restore security and push back armed groups.
The junta had popular support when it took power, promising to deal with the long-running security crisis prompted by the Tuareg rebellion in the north, which was then hijacked by Islamist militants.
UN peacekeepers and French forces deployed to deal with the escalating insurgency left after the junta took over, and the military government hired Russian mercenaries to help tackle the insecurity.
However, the jihadist insurgency has continued and large parts of the north and east of the country remain outside government control.
Is this war still going on? This thing was supposed to be over on DAY 1!
https://defence-blog.com/ukraine-hit...emote-airbase/Ukraine hit Russian Su-57s at remote airbase
Ukraine struck Russian Su-57 Felon stealth fighters and a Su-34 Fullback strike aircraft deep inside Russian territory, at Shagol airfield in Russia’s Chelyabinsk region, approximately 1,700 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.
Ukraine’s General Staff confirmed the strike, attributing it to the Forces of Unmanned Systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The announcement stated that several Su-57 fighters and one Su-34 fighter-bomber were hit at Shagol airfield. The degree of damage is still being assessed, the General Staff said, but the strike was described as confirmed results of measures to reduce the enemy’s ability to strike civilian targets on Ukrainian territory.
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Lol 5 years laterby nixing the John Kerry deal that paid them US taxpayer dollars to promise not to make nukes for 10 years?
Also, your statement lacks evidence or proof.
I bet she still isThats my
caLLeD iT
How likely is an invasion in 2022?
In general, a large-scale Russian offensive operation against Ukraine in 2022 seems unlikely according to many indicators, even judging by purely military requirements.
https://kyivindependent.com/national...aine-analysis/
https://edition.cnn.com/2026/05/04/e...elligence-intlUnsettled Kremlin tightens security around Putin amid assassinations and coup fears, intel report says
The Kremlin has dramatically increased the personal security around President Vladimir Putin, installing surveillance systems in the homes of close staffers as part of new measures prompted by a wave of assassinations of top Russian military figures and fears of a coup, according to a report from a European intelligence agency obtained by CNN.
Cooks, bodyguards and photographers who work with the president are also banned from traveling on public transport, the dossier says. Visitors to the Kremlin chief must be screened twice, and those working close to him can only use phones without internet access, it adds.
Some of the measures were put in place in recent months in the wake of the killing of a top general in December, which sparked a dispute in the top ranks of Russia’s security establishment, the report says. They suggest mounting unease within the Kremlin as it faces growing problems at home and abroad, including economic woes, increasing signs of dissent and setbacks on the battlefield in Ukraine.
Russian security officials have drastically reduced the number of locations that Putin regularly visits, the report says. He and his family have stopped going to their usual residences in the Moscow region and at Valdai, the president’s secluded summer property which lies between St. Petersburg and the capital.
He has not visited a military facility this year so far, the report says, despite regular trips in 2025. To get around these restrictions, the Kremlin releases pre-recorded images of him to the public, the report adds.
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https://oc-media.org/armenia-signs-a...eu-and-france/Armenia signs agreements with EU and France
The Armenia–EU summit followed the 8th European Political Community Summit, hosted in Yerevan on 4 May, making Armenia the first South Caucasus country to host the summit since its inception in 2022. It was also the largest international conference ever held in Armenia.
In the frameworks of the bilateral summit, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hosted the President of the European Council António Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.
Following the summit, Armenia and the EU adopted a joint declaration and signed a number of do ents, including the Armenia–EU Connectivity Partnership. The sides also initialled a do ent on the ‘working arrangement on operational cooperation in the field of border management’ between Armenia and the EU Border and Coast Guard Agency.
The cooperation dates back to 2024, when Armenian border troops took control over all the checkpoints of the Armenian borders, including at the Yerevan Zvartnots Airport. Previously, Russian border guards had been stationed at the checkpoints. While they have since left, Russians still maintain their presence along the border with Turkey and Iran.
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Victory Day parade lasts 45 minutes with no actual military equipment present
He looks happy
Just checkin' in, fellows.
I'm still President.
Putin is still in Ukraine.
See's ya when either I'm no longer President, or, when the Putin keeps a millimeter of Ukrainian dirt.
Love always,
- Dale
P.S., And may OKC do to your Spurs what McVeigh did to OKC.
https://adf-magazine.com/2026/05/mer...t-few-results/Mercenaries in Mali Come With High Cost, Few Results
Mali’s ruling junta has paid nearly $1 billion to Russian mercenaries since 2021 in an effort to stop the spread of Islamic terrorists and Tuareg rebels. However, analysts say it’s unclear what the country has gotten for its money.
Years of Russian brutality, including the 2023 Moura massacre of 300 Fulani men, have undermined public support for the government in the north and central regions of the country. The Russian-backed attacks on Kidal in 2023 effectively ended the 2015 peace agreement with the Tuaregs and led to late April’s retreat from that same town after the Azawad Liberation Front (FLA) and Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) joined forces to retake it.
FLA-JNIM collaboration is a strategic shift that has put the government and its Russian supporters at a strategic disadvantage, according to analysts at the Robert Lansing Ins ute for Global and Democratic Studies.
“By combining local legitimacy with transnational networks, these groups have effectively outmaneuvered both Malian forces and their Russian partners,” the Lansing Ins ute wrote recently.
Africa Corps, like its predecessor, the Wagner Group, costs Mali at least $10 million per month even as terror groups have expanded their footprint in the country. The junta pays for Africa Corps in cash rather than resources as the Central African Republic has done.
“It’s a big weight for the Malian economy, but it’s a guarantee for the junta to stay in power and rob the country,” analyst Wassim Nasr with the Soufan Center told ADF in an interview. “Their priority is to preserve the regime.”
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https://www.politico.eu/article/russ...iban-new-deal/Russia signs military partnership with the Taliban
Russia and Afghanistan signed a military cooperation agreement on Wednesday, just one year after the Kremlin removed the Taliban from a list of banned terrorist groups.
The new agreement underscores the deepening ties between the Kremlin and the Taliban, and while the exact details remain murky, Afghan Defense Minister Mohammad Yaqoub said the agreement marked an expansion of the bilateral relations between the two countries.
“Interaction with Russia is important for us,” Yaqoub said following a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu at the International Security Forum in Moscow. “Afghanistan and Russia have long-standing and historic relations, and we want to move forward in this direction.”
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https://kyivindependent.com/sweden-s...media-reports/Sweden announces 16 Gripens for Ukraine
Sweden plans to transfer 16 used Saab JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter jets to Ukraine and support Kyiv in procuring up to 20 newer Gripen E aircraft, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson announced on May 28.
"Ukraine has clearly identified Gripen as the priority choice for its air force in the long term and intends to acquire the newest version, Gripen E," Kristersson said at a joint news conference with President Volodymyr Zelensky in Uppsala.
According to the Swedish government, Ukraine plans to finance the future purchase of Gripen E/F aircraft using 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion) from the European Union's Ukraine Support Loan mechanism.
Kristersson said negotiations over the Gripen E procurement are ongoing and that deliveries of the newer aircraft could begin by 2030.
He added that Sweden would also transfer 16 Gripen C/D aircraft currently used by the Swedish Air Force, with deliveries expected to begin in early 2027 after Ukraine finalizes the purchase agreement and Sweden secures the required export approvals.
The transfer would further expand Ukraine's fleet of Western-supplied fighter aircraft, which already includes American F-16s and French Mirage 2000s but remains insufficient to fully defend Ukrainian cities and infrastructure from daily Russian missile and drone attacks.
"This is truly a historic event, a historic day for our cooperation and for our countries," Zelensky said during the press conference.
"We're talking specifically about a squadron of Gripens for Ukraine, and this is tremendously important support for us," he added
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https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cg7498kz808oUkrainian drones target St Petersburg in attack Russia calls 'unprecedented'
Russia says Ukraine has launched an "unprecedented attack" on and around St Petersburg, as the city hosted the final day of an economic forum.
More than 140 drones were shot down over the surrounding Leningrad region, governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said, while the city's governor, Alexander Beglov, urged residents to stay indoors for the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said his forces had hit Russia's arsenals and a naval base, calling it a just response to Russian attacks.
It comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said there was no point in meeting Zelensky, who had called for direct talks to end the war.
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