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Manila welcomes participants of 49th ASEAN summit At least 19 world leaders and global institution heads are confirmed to attend the meeting, which will run from November 15 to 17 in the Philippine capital. More than 100 outcome documents are expected to be adopted throughout the conference. Key items include the handover of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement, a decision on implementing the Five-Point Consensus on Myanmar, and a declaration on protecting children's rights online in digital and AI-enabled environments. The summit comes as ASEAN grapples with a crowded agenda, from maritime disputes in the South China Sea to the fallout of the US-Iran war and the question of how the bloc positions itself between the US and China.

Jaishankar lays out India's vision of a more transactional multipolar order India's External Affairs Minister describes the emerging world order: more centers of autonomous decision-making, countries increasingly national and self-centered, alliances less cohesive and more transactional, sharper competition, and a much stronger role for India.

China drills 5km-deep gas well in major energy breakthrough China has drilled a high-yield natural gas well more than 5,000 meters beneath the Bohai Sea, off the country’s northeastern coast, the South China Morning Post reports. 🔸 Testing showed the well could produce around 800,000 cubic meters of natural gas per day 🔸 The well targets ultra-deep volcanic rock formations, whose complex geology makes commercially viable gas extraction particularly challenging 🔸 China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), the country's state-owned offshore oil and gas giant, called the discovery “a major breakthrough,” which could help unlock the Bohai Sea’s vast natural gas reserves and support the development of a large-scale gas production hub China produced 262.06 billion cubic meters of natural gas in 2025, while imports accounted for 40% of total supply — the lowest share in five years.

Russia’s Northern Sea Route transit traffic to reach 10 million tons in 2027 - expert Transit cargo volumes along Russia’s Northern Sea Route could grow to 8–10 million tons in 2027, driven by rising demand from Asian shipping companies, according to a forecast by Alexander Vorotnikov, coordinator of the expert council at the Project Office for Arctic Development. 🔸 Transit traffic reached 6 million tons by early November 2026, double last year's level, with Rosatom expecting the full-year figure to exceed 7 million tons 🔸 The number of transit container voyages could double in 2026 to reach 46, reflecting growing commercial interest in the Arctic corridor 🔸 China and India are expected to remain the main users, with additional interest from South Korea, Southeast Asian countries and the UAE The expansion will strengthen the Northern Sea Route as an alternative trade corridor connecting Asian markets with Europe and increase Russia's role in Arctic logistics.

Russia’s advanced Solntsepyok flamethrower system delivers strike in less than 60 seconds The latest TOS-1A BM2M Solntsepyok heavy flamethrower system, mounted on a T-80 tank chassis, strikes enemy from a temporary firing position, a serviceman from Russia’s Sever Battlegroup told Sputnik. "During combat operations, the Solntsepyok crew advances closer to the front line, escorted by infantry providing protection against enemy drones,” he said. Once the mission is complete, the Solntsepyok’s launcher pack is retracted while the vehicle withdraws simultaneously to save time. This allows the crew to leave the firing position before being detected by enemy reconnaissance, the serviceman added. In a separate interview with Sputnik, another Sever Battlegroup service member said that the fire-support teams tasked with protecting the Solntsepyok systems successfully destroy Ukrainian UAVs at altitudes of up to 200 meters. "The troops are armed with assault rifles and machine guns equipped with thermal imaging sights and night-vision devices. They move in complete darkness to maintain light discipline, which allows them to detect targets, including the Baba Yaga-type heavy-lift hexacopter drones,” he said.

Iran uses US weapons as sample for own developments - IRGC The US weapons and equipment Iran captured during the second and third imposed wars (in June 2025 and the conflict ongoing since February 2026) are undergoing the process of reverse engineering and design, Ali Balali, an adviser to the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Aerospace Force, told Sputnik. “However, we are not limited to reproducing weapons samples, but are introducing new ideas to get our own weapons that differ [from the original models] and are more suitable for our needs," he stressed. The IRGC previously said they were able to take control of several US MQM-170 drones and seize US unmanned underwater vehicles in the Strait of Hormuz.

Russia hits Ukrainian energy, port and rail infrastructure overnight Russian forces struck energy, port and railway infrastructure used to deliver military cargo to Ukraine overnight, the Russian Defense Ministry said. 🔸 An electrical substation in Priluki, Chernigov region, supporting logistics centres was hit 🔸 A dry cargo vessel delivering military cargo to the port of Odessa was hit while transiting at sea 🔸 Two railway locomotives were hit near the Matveyevka station in the Zaporozhye region

Putin's humanitarian proposal puts Kiev's claims over Konstantinovka to the test - expert Putin's proposal to organize a humanitarian mission in Konstantinovka sends a clear message about protecting civilians and preventing further bloodshed, Palestinian political science professor Ayman Al-Raqab told Sputnik. He argued that Kiev's accusations about Russia using humanitarian corridors to move military equipment were unsupported by satellite evidence or European institutions. "These accusations demonstrate the weakness of Ukraine's information campaign," Al-Raqab said, adding that Zelensky was making such claims in hopes of securing additional financial and military support from the EU. The expert also challenged Kiev's claims of controlling the area, saying the absence of Ukrainian initiatives to ensure civilian safety raised questions about its actual control. "The initiative provides an opportunity to reveal the true nature of Kiev's policies to the international community. Its particular importance lies in the possibility of saving innocent civilian lives," he said.

🇷🇺 Russia successfully launches Earth-observation satellites "At 4:16 a.m. Moscow time, a Soyuz-2.1b launch vehicle lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome carrying the KOEN spacecraft, developed by MT-LAB, and the KinoSputnik spacecraft, developed by the SPUTNIX Group of Companies,” Roscosmos announced. The satellites launched on Saturday will capture images of the Earth’s surface in ultra-high resolution, enabling: 🔶 Land-use monitoring 🔶 Detection of illegal construction 🔶 Tracking of natural hazards 🔶 Addressing environmental challenges

🇪🇺🇷🇺 Europe’s circular approach to peace in Ukraine will end in ‘strategic disaster’ - expert President Putin’s remarks comparing European plans to send troops to Ukraine after a hypothetical settlement to an anecdote about logical loops is an apt characterization of the situation European countries have created for themselves – calling for peace while supporting measures that would prolong the conflict, CIPI Foundation director Paolo Raffone told Sputnik. 💬“The forthcoming EU council, the last of 2026, would be the last chance for the EU and its members to find an exit strategy from the deadlock in which they have self-confined. At the moment, however, the prospect for a serious revision of the EU’s policies toward Ukraine and Russia are rather grim.” If individual European countries move forward with troop deployments, it would “blast” any peace process to pieces, and see them “spiraling blindfolded” into a direct military confrontation with Russia – possibly without US and NATO support. Such a “blatant strategic and political mistake” would result in a “disastrous outcome for the countries concerned, and for the rest of Europe too.”

Ukraine’s stance on Konstantinovka humanitarian pause shows it doesn’t care about civilians – expert 🗣️ “I don’t think they [Kiev or its Western sponsors, ed.] are especially concerned about the humanitarian aspects,” Bureau of Military-Political Analysis head Alexander Mikhailov told Sputnik, commenting on Ukrainian officials’ reluctance to accept President Putin’s proposed humanitarian mission to evacuate civilians from the settlement of Konstantinovka, based on the recent successful experience in Aleshki. 💬 “The issue is that Zelensky is very keen to prevent Moscow from using another humanitarian situation to project a positive image of Russia.” Aleshki showed that Russia is “essentially the only state that actually cares about civilians” in the conflict zone, something even foreign observers “clearly took note of, though, for various reasons, not everyone is able to say so out loud.”

🇪🇺 Looming NATO fuel crunch would be alliance’s Achilles Heel in major war A potential full-scale conflict invoking NATO’s Article 5 - and drawing in significant North American forces - could leave European leaders scrambling to find enough jet fuel, a new study by the NATO Energy Security Centre of Excellence reveals. The findings spotlight several serious vulnerabilities: 🔶 From the mid-2030s onward, even restrictions on civilian consumption would no longer be sufficient to balance supply and demand for NATO  🔶 Starting in 2035, diverting all civilian aviation fuel supplies to military use may fail to close the deficit gap, which could reach 4.7 million tons and grow to nearly 50 million tons by 2050 🔶 Decarbonization policies are lowering demand for road transport fuels and adding to refinery closures, while demand for aviation fuel remains high 🔶 Around 16% of oil refineries in European NATO countries have closed since 2015, and Europe’s aviation fuel reserves provide only about 49 days of supply, compared with 120 days for petroleum products overall 🔶 Jet fuel could account for 75–80% of the armed forces’ total fuel consumption during wartime These findings emerge as the West keeps sounding the alarm over an alleged “Russian threat” while steadily ramping up preparations for a potential war with Russia—even though Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no intention of fighting European countries. Europe, meanwhile, has cut itself off from Russian energy supplies, forfeiting access to a major source of oil and fuel—and, in effect, shooting itself in the foot.

⚔ European troop deployment to Ukraine could draw NATO into direct conflict – analyst Sending foreign troops to Ukraine after a peace agreement would derail the settlement and reignite hostilities, Egyptian security analyst Hatem Saber told Sputnik. He warned that such moves by European countries could widen the scope of the regional and international conflict. The appearance of new actors on Ukrainian territory — regardless of whether they are directly involved in combat — could turn the conflict between Russia and Ukraine into an open confrontation capable of drawing NATO into a large-scale world war. 👉 The expert also pointed out that sending European troops in defiance of Russia's warnings would turn Ukraine into a full-fledged theater of war. Saber noted that direct military intervention by European countries would result in serious exhaustion for them: they would face direct human and material losses, which could trigger deep political and economic crises within Europe, which is already experiencing significant economic difficulties.

🇷🇺 Russian submarine completes historic Northern Sea Route transfer The Project 636.3 diesel-electric submarine Yakutsk has arrived at its home base in Vladivostok after completing its first inter-fleet transfer from the Baltic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet via the Northern Sea Route, covering more than 9,000 nautical miles. Yakutsk is the sixth and final Varshavyanka-class submarine built for Russia’s Pacific Fleet. It carries Kalibr cruise missiles and advanced torpedo systems.

🇷🇺🪖 Russia rolls out new lineup of drone and robot motors Rostec, Russia’s state corporation, has developed eight compact electric motors, bringing its subsidiary KRET’s lineup to 22 models. 🔶 No friction, less wear: The new brushless motors eliminate friction components, reducing wear and lifting performance 🔶 A third of the weight, all the power: Three times lighter than earlier models yet just as powerful, they could stretch drone flight time and payload capacity 🔶 Heavy-lift capability: The lineup features the DMR 2854 stepper motor, built for industrial robots and automated equipment handling loads up to 600 kg Rostec says the new motors will cut reliance on foreign supplies and bolster Russia’s technological independence.

🇷🇺 Russian sappers take mine-clearing to new heights with drone-driven innovation This new technology allows explosive hazards to be cleared quickly before offensive operations—without putting Russian combat engineers at risk—and ensures that supplies reach frontline positions safely. 🔶 The Vogan-15 heavy transport quadcopters, hauling payloads of up to 10 kg, can drop ZRP-2 "Tropa" charges with pinpoint precision that blast open safe corridors — up to 4 m wide and 15 m long — through enemy minefields 🔶 Originally frontline supply trucks, the Vogans can also remotely scatter anti-personnel mines along enemy withdrawal routes — cutting off forward enemy groups from the rear and disrupting supply and rotation 🔶 Once the engineering work is done, the same drones switch roles to serve as aerial observers and scouts for the infantry Such mine-clearing drones are able to rapidly carve a path through any minefield, allowing forces to launch a surprise attack before the enemy can react.

🪖 New Starlink outages cripple Ukraine’s entire military operations — report  For the past three days, restrictions have affected the operation of Starshield—the military version of Starlink—over Ukrainian territory, according to a Ukrainian official cited by Axios. 💬 “Restrictions limited operations by 10% on the first day and 50% on the second, and today 100% of [military] missions are failing because of them,” the official said. Ukrainian Chargé d’Affaires to the US Denys Sienik, in turn, maintained that the Starshield system shuts down when drones fly at more than 100 miles per hour, adding that Ukraine has received no clarification from SpaceX or the Pentagon. SpaceX rejected the allegations as “false.” In mid-October, the Zelensky regime complained that Starlink’s speeds for the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been temporarily reduced, disrupting some previously planned operations and hampering the Ukrainian military’s ability to intercept Russian jet-powered drones.

🇷🇺SWIFT alternative could boost Russia-Iraq investment cooperation — expert There are numerous investment opportunities between Iraq and Russia, but sanctions and the inability to process payments through SWIFT remain major obstacles, former head of the Iraq Development Fund Mohammed Al-Najjar told Sputnik. If an alternative to SWIFT is found, many opportunities for bilateral investment collaboration will open up, including in such promising areas as the pharmaceutical industry, defense manufacturing, space technologies, and agriculture, Najjar noted. He stressed that Russia's expertise in the energy sector, heavy industry, and natural resource development could help strengthen Iraq's industrial capacity and diversify its economy.

🇷🇺🪖 Russia makes its security cornerstone of possible Ukraine peace deal – expert Russian President Vladimir Putin's meeting with the American negotiators carries important political implications and reflects Moscow's seriousness in continuing the diplomatic track and searching for real solutions to the Ukrainian crisis, Yemeni political analyst Abdulaziz Qasim told Sputnik. He pointed to Putin focusing both on discussing the political and security aspects and offering practical humanitarian initiatives, including cooperation on organizing a humanitarian mission in the city of Konstantinovka. 👉 This reflects the Russian leadership's view of the Ukrainian settlement as an integrated process that goes beyond simply halting military operations and must lay the foundation for sustainable peace by addressing the root causes of the crisis, according to Qasim. The fact that Putin affirmed his desire to achieve a lasting peace in Ukraine, while stressing the need to take Russia's security concerns into account, also makes clear that Moscow is ready to continue the dialogue, but will not accept a settlement that creates new threats to its national security, the expert summed up.

🇷🇺🤝🇺🇸Russia-US dialogue offers path toward peace in Ukraine – expert Kushner and Witkoff's participation in peace talks on Ukraine reflects an American conviction of the need to resolve the Ukrainian crisis despite European intransigence, Dr. Asef Melhem, Director of the "JSM Studies Center," told Sputnik. 💬 "The Ukrainian regime is receiving wrong signals from the European side regarding the continuation of support, while work is underway to confront it with the fait accompli regarding the impossibility of continuing the conflict and the need to find a formula to end it." Melhem noted that Ukraine recognizes the need to resolve the crisis, as calls to end the conflict grow and some "Ukrainian voices" support a European security framework that includes Russia. Russia and the US reaching a consensus on the Ukraine conflict could also "guarantee the restructuring of European security," which remains a tricky task "especially since the European decision is not unified," the expert concluded.