Military News & Developments, Significant Air Activity, Conflict Crisis Areas (Open Source)
East Midlands, England
Joined January 2012
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BlueSky retweeted
🚨🚨🚨 MYRA: a false alarm, but a very real flag problem
On 24 October, the sanctioned tanker MYRA (IMO 9336490) issued a distress alert west of 🇮🇪 Ireland amid severe weather, prompting a response involving the Irish Coast Guard and an RAF P-8 Poseidon. No assistance was ultimately required.
But the real concern lies elsewhere. According to the IMO's GISIS database, MYRA has had three successive flags recorded as false: 🚩 Guinea, Madagascar and now Cameroon.
🇨🇲❌ Its latest flag entry is explicitly marked "Cameroon False", raising serious questions about the vessel's nationality and flag-state oversight.
A telling example of the legal and regulatory vulnerabilities within 🇷🇺 Russia's shadow fleet.
BlueSky retweeted
EXERCISE GLOBAL THUNDER 27 - US STRATCOM OPS
A pair of B-52H "Stratofortress" bombers departed Minot AFB (KMIB) last night as "HUSH11" and "HUSH12" for a STRATCOM exercise flight to northern Europe. Due to some sort of mechanical fault, only "HUSH11" continued with the sortie.
It refuelled initially in AR-62E with a flight of 3x KC-46s as "FLAM67" flight flying from Pease (KPSM), before proceeding eastwards and meeting with "LAGER10" flight from RAF Mildenhall (EGUN) earlier this morning.
B-52H "HUSH11" TBC (MT)
KC-46A "FLAM67" 17-46032 #AE5E0D
KC-46A "FLAM68" 18-46039 #AE5F92
KC-46A "FLAM69" 23-46120 #AF9E2A
KC-135R "LAGER10" 63-8878 #AE05B1
KC-135R "LAGER11" 62-3510 #AE068B
h/t @Andyyyyrrrr @LatAmMilMVMTs @AUX_OSINT @TheIntelFrog @ArmchairAdml
@MATA_osint
BlueSky retweeted
🚨🇷🇺 Russia's shadow fleet is taking AIS deception to a new level.
At least 12 sanctioned tankers have reportedly used new AIS spoofing techniques in the Black Sea, with six transmitting two conflicting positions simultaneously. 📡🛰️‼️
The suspected objective: concealing actual movements from 🇺🇦 Ukrainian surveillance and drone attacks.
Rather than simply going dark, these vessels can maintain false positions while navigating elsewhere, raising serious concerns about maritime tracking and safety. ⚠️
BlueSky retweeted
🚨🚨🚨 BALTIC LEADER (IMO 9220639) is heading south once again.
After spending two days in Kaliningrad, the sanctioned 🇷🇺 Ro-Ro cargo ship has exited the Baltic Sea and is now sailing along the European coast, with no destination declared.
On October 22, a 🇩🇪 German Navy P-8A Poseidon (callsign GNY4569) reportedly conducted multiple orbits near the vessel off the Danish coast.
BALTIC LEADER has a history of transporting Russian military equipment to Africa, with previous calls at 🇩🇿 Oran, Algiers and 🇨🇬 Pointe-Noire.
Is another voyage to the Mediterranean and Africa underway? 👀
ALT @GR8NOLV
BlueSky retweeted
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence @DI_Ukraine has released footage of strikes carried out by its Prymary unit over the past month against Russian military targets.
The targets hit included:
• 9K515 Tornado-S MLRS
• Buk-M3 air defense system
• Orion UAV
• Nebo-U radar
• Kasta-2E radar
• Two P-18 radars
• UAV assembly and repair facility
• Building housing personnel of the 4th Air Assault Battalion, 108th Air Assault Regiment
BlueSky retweeted
BREAKING | 🇷🇺🇺🇦🇫🇮‼️‼️ A Russian military satellite, Kosmos-2612, reportedly approached within just 26 meters of the Finnish-American ICEYE-X36 satellite, which provides intelligence data to Ukraine, raising concerns over a potential attempt to disrupt Kyiv’s space-based reconnaissance capabilities.
Space technology analyst Giorgi Trishkin suggested that the satellites’ near-zero relative velocity could indicate a deliberate Russian maneuver designed to force ICEYE-X36 to adjust its orbit. Such evasive maneuvers could consume valuable onboard fuel, shorten the satellite’s operational lifespan, and potentially interrupt the delivery of critical intelligence to Ukrainian forces. RAND researcher Michael Bohnert described the Russian satellite’s close approach as a demonstration of force. However, Moscow’s intentions have not been independently established.
The incident highlights an increasingly important dimension of Russia’s confrontation with Ukraine and its Western partners. Satellite-based intelligence plays a critical role in monitoring Russian military movements, identifying targets, and supporting battlefield operations. Deliberate close approaches could threaten these capabilities without directly attacking a satellite, creating additional operational costs and raising the risk of dangerous incidents in orbit.
See the latest updates with us: @visionergeo
BlueSky retweeted
‼️ The Times: Satellite photos show construction of a large over-the-horizon (OTH) radar complex at Gvardeysk. It consists of three radiating arms of antenna masts, each roughly 500 metres long, in a star-like layout that is double-fenced.
This aligns with earlier Russian plans to site a Container-type radar in Kaliningrad for European coverage.
Kaliningrad is estimated to have storage facilities and delivery systems (notably nuclear-capable Iskander missiles deployed since around 2016, plus modernized storage) for up to about 100 warheads.
High-ranking Polish and Lithuanian sources told the Times they believe Russia has already begun deploying some.
BlueSky retweeted
🚨🚨🚨 Now: Russian Navy replenishment tanker 🇷🇺 VALENTIN RYKOV is stationary in the southern North Sea.
Following its transit through the Danish straits and Skagerrak, the Baltic Fleet's Project 03182 replenishment vessel is now reporting "at anchor" near the Outer Galloper offshore wind farm, at just 0.2 knots.
Its position is consistent with a potential logistics rendezvous to support the frigate 🇷🇺 NEUSTRASHIMY, deployed around the English Channel since July.
A replenishment operation remains unconfirmed, but the vessel's apparent stop adds weight to the possibility of an upcoming support mission. 👀
BlueSky retweeted
The VKontakte data center operated by LLC ICVA near St. Petersburg sustained heavy damage in the October 18 strike. The main building suffered major roof and wall damage, while traces of fire inside indicate substantial damage to equipment. #Russia
BlueSky retweeted
Ukraine has carried out what it describes as the world’s first drone evacuation of a wounded soldier from the front line.
The infantryman from the 30th Mechanized Brigade was wounded at his position. Intense russian drone activity and difficult terrain made a conventional evacuation impossible.
So a drone carried him to safety.
The operation brought together the 92nd Assault Brigade, the 30th and 14th Mechanized Brigades, the 10th Army Corps and drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defence.
BlueSky retweeted
Russian Kosmos 2612 and ICEYE-X36 (providing Ukraine military support) are now in perfect sync with each other. The Russian military satellite is intentionally stalking and tracking the Western radar satellite. Keeping a satellite "bumper-to-bumper" in this manner allows Russia to intercept or jam data transmissions, physically inspect Western technology, or quickly pivot to execute a kinetic or non-kinetic anti-satellite (ASAT) attack with very little warning or fuel expenditure.
Kosmos 2612 executed a series of highly precise, fuel-heavy maneuvers to force itself into a "coplanar" orbit—matching ICEYE-X36's exact altitude (~555 km), speed, and inclination (~97.8°). The ICEYE-X36 satellite is giving the Ukraine military support.
BlueSky retweeted
BIG | 🇺🇦🇷🇺‼️ Ukrainian forces have liberated the village of Perebudova, marking another territorial gain in their fight against Russian occupation.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have regained control of Perebudova, a settlement in Donetsk Oblast. The development represents a Ukrainian advance in a sector where control of villages and surrounding positions remains important to frontline operations.
🔥 Retaking Perebudova strengthens Ukraine’s local tactical position and puts additional pressure on Russian forces in the area. Consolidating control of the liberated settlement will be essential to securing the gain and supporting further Ukrainian operations.
See the latest updates with us: @NSTRIKE1231
BlueSky retweeted
🇺🇦 RUSSIA BUILT TWO SU-34 FIGHTER-BOMBERS IN EIGHT MONTHS. UKRAINE TOOK OUT SIX IN ONE NIGHT.
According to Poland's Defence24, the Novosibirsk aircraft plant delivered just two Su-34 fighter-bombers to the Russian Aerospace Forces during the first eight months of this year.
Ukraine reportedly eliminated six in a single overnight strike near Borisoglebsk.
The Ukrainian Navy targeted a military airfield in Russia's Voronezh region, approximately 370 kilometers from the front line, using the long-range coastal variant of the Neptune missile.
Satellite imagery reportedly shows the aftermath: four aircraft destroyed and two damaged. Even the Russian pro-war channel Voyenny Osvedomitel acknowledged these losses.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy published the satellite image and identified the weapon as the Long Neptune. According to him, the aircraft were already loaded with bombs, preparing for combat missions.
The Su-34 is Russia's primary platform for launching guided glide bombs, the same devastating weapons that relentlessly strike Ukrainian positions, particularly along the Pokrovsk front.
Russia's remaining Su-34 fleet is estimated at approximately 140–150 aircraft. That sounds substantial until you examine the production figures.
Last year, the manufacturer reported delivering 18 new aircraft. This year, according to Defence24's figures, only two had been delivered in eight months. Meanwhile, the first Su-34s from an export contract have reportedly already gone to Algeria.
This strike therefore targeted something Russia cannot quickly replace.
Six aircraft represent roughly a year's production at a rate of six per year, although actual Russian manufacturing output has varied considerably.
Will Russian glide-bomb attacks suddenly stop tomorrow? No. Russia still operates a substantial fleet.
But every destroyed Su-34 becomes increasingly expensive and difficult to replace, especially when production cannot keep pace with losses.
And there is another important lesson.
Ukraine's Neptune can now reportedly reach Russian military aviation 370 kilometers behind the front line.
Russia can build aircraft in Novosibirsk. But Ukraine is demonstrating that it can destroy them before they even take off.
The race is no longer simply between aircraft and missiles. It is between Russia's ability to replace its losses and Ukraine's ability to inflict them.
And Neptune is making that equation increasingly painful for Moscow. 🇺🇦
BlueSky retweeted
I am grateful for your support for Ukraine. Thank you. We’ve been through a lot together – during these years of full-scale war.
None of us wanted this war, absolutely none of us. But it is us who have to deal with its brutality and all the instability it has caused.
Unity in defense is always built by many standing together. Without a determined European Union capable of making strong decisions Putin would have gone much further by now.
The European Union has not fallen apart. It has not backed down or given in to fear when it came to defending the European way of life. And that mattered just as much as the courage of Ukrainians.
From an address to the participants of the European Council meeting. (1/5)
BlueSky retweeted
Last night, Ukraine’s Defense Forces struck an airfield in the Voronezh region. Four Su-34 aircraft were destroyed and two more Su-34s were hit. The Russians used them to terrorize our people. These very warplanes were ready to launch new attacks on Ukraine and were loaded with aerial bombs.
Our Long Neptune missile was used to strike the target. I thank the warriors of the Ukrainian Navy for their precision!
Our long-range sanctions also reached a site in the Oryol region used to store and launch attack drones. A target was also hit in the Black Sea.
These are our justified responses to all of Russia’s terror against Ukraine. Russia is dragging out the war, so our long-range operations will continue.
BlueSky retweeted
BREAKING: Billionaire Sir Richard Branson unleashes a SCORCHING attack on Trump and his disgusting cozying up to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
This is EXACTLY the kind of thing that gets under Trump's skin...
"I thought I’d never have to say this in my lifetime, but this is 2026, and sadly nothing is what it used to be," Branson, the founder of Virgin Group, wrote on LinkedIn. "The Trump administration has become an appeaser to autocrats and dictators, putting their personal whims before the best interests of the American people and those of the free world. What is it about Putin that President Trump fawns over?"
"How will America’s allies ever be able to trust this administration again when they are now turning against them at a time of war and suffering?" he asked.
Trump has repeatedly betrayed our Ukrainian allies in recent days. First, he announced a stunning deal with Putin to allow millions of barrels of diesel into the global markets, a move that will directly pump money into the Russian war machine. Then, he began a concerted smear campaign against President Zelenskyy and said that Putin is easier to deal with.
The backstabbing escalated when Washington failed to provide its usual early warning to Kyiv of an incoming Russian ballistic missile attack. Now, it appears that the White House ordered a temporary disruption of Starshield, a military version of Elon Musk's Starlink that the Ukrainian armed forces rely upon.
"The slowdown of Starlink/Starshield and the inexplicable lack of advance warning of Russian missile launches have already caused Ukrainian civilians to die unnecessarily," wrote Branson. "How much worse can it get?"
"If one thing is clear it’s that European leaders must overcome the initial shock about Trump’s recent actions and step up to the plate. It’s as much about Europe’s freedom as it is about Ukraine’s sovereignty. Both are worth fighting for," he continued. "All options should be on the table now, from the transfer of frozen Russian assets to Ukraine to the delivery of advanced weapons systems such as Germany’s Taurus."
"Why oh why is this happening? We cannot let the free world be dismantled before our very eyes," Branson concluded.
We couldn't agree more. Trump is an enemy to Ukraine, an enemy to democracy, and an enemy to the American people. When Democrats retake power, we have our work cut out for us. Every last trace of this monstrous man's legacy must be erased.
Please ❤️ and share if you think that Trump is Putin's puppet!
BlueSky retweeted
Satellite imagery analyzed by DniproOsint shows signs of at least one hit on a hangar at Russia’s Primorsko-Akhtarsk airfield used to store, service and prepare Geran drones for launch. The imagery also shows several burn marks around the airfield that may have resulted from drones falling after being affected by Russian electronic warfare or air defenses. Similar traces have reportedly appeared at other Russian drone launch sites. #Russia
BlueSky retweeted
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine - 16 October 2026.
Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: ow.ly/qq4L50ZUQti
#StandWithUkraine
ALT Over the course of one week, Russia suffered three tactical and strategic aircraft losses. These airframes have been involved in strike campaigns against Ukraine. On 29 September 2026 Russia's Long Range Aviation fleet lost one of its workhorse Tu-95MS BEAR H on a training flight shortly after take-off in eastern Russia. The BEAR H suffered multiple engine failures before crashing. These aircraft have been used extensively to strike Ukraine over the course of the conflict, almost certainly creating a significant maintenance burden on the fleet. On 04 October 2026, a Ukrainian one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicle strike destroyed a Su-35S FLANKER M multi-role fighter and Su-34 FULLBACK fighter-bomber and a munitions depot at Khanskaya airbase, Russia, 500km from Ukraine. FULLBACK aircraft are used on daily operations to launch glide munitions into Ukraine.
ALT Ukraine Targeted Khanskaya Airfield Destroying Fighter Aircraft and Damaging Infrastructure. (04/10/26)
ALT Ukraine Targeted Khanskaya Airfield Destroying Fighter Aircraft and Damaging Infrastructure. (04/10/26)
ALT Ukraine Targeted Khanskaya Airfield Destroying Fighter Aircraft and Damaging Infrastructure. (04/10/26)
BlueSky retweeted
BIG | 🇺🇦🇷🇺‼️‼️ New satellite images reportedly reveal extensive damage to six Russian Su-34 fighter-bombers following Ukraine’s overnight Neptune cruise missile strike on Borisoglebsk military airfield in Russia’s Voronezh region.
According to emerging reports, four Su-34 aircraft were completely destroyed, while two others sustained severe damage and were urgently evacuated from the airfield early in the morning. The attack was reportedly carried out using Ukrainian-made Neptune cruise missiles. Additional satellite imagery has been released showing the aftermath, although the precise extent of the aircraft losses remains unverified.
The reported destruction of four Su-34s and serious damage to two more would represent a substantial loss for Russia’s tactical aviation. These aircraft are key platforms for launching guided aerial bombs against Ukrainian positions, making their loss particularly significant. The strike also highlights the growing threat posed by Ukraine’s domestically produced long-range weapons to Russian airbases far from the front line.
See the latest updates with us: @visionergeo