Russia Orders Stockpile of Nuclear Protective Equipment

Schoolchildren wearing gas masks and protective suits
participate in a civil defence competition between
local schools in Russia's southern city of Stavropol,
February 2, 2011 Eduard Korniyenko/Reuters

   Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered his Security Council to assess Russia's readiness to survive a nuclear, chemical or biological disaster and has told them to stockpile protective equipment if necessary.

   The order was given during one of Putin's regular meetings with the council that is made up of the heads of Russia's intelligence, defence and law enforcement agencies. High-ranking ministers and the speaker of the Russian house of parliament are also permanent members of the group.

   According to the government website, Putin told the council that it was important to review and potentially strengthen Russia's defence protocols against "nuclear, radiological, chemical and biological threats, both in peacetime, and—God forbid, of course—in wartime.

   "We have to analyse to what extent they correspond to the realities of today and, if the need arises, make the required revisions," Putin said.

   The Russian president also proposed to the council that Russia should begin developing and producing personal protective equipment against nuclear, biological or chemical threats. "In the near future we should set up an inventory of individual means of protection for citizens, to determine which of them have become theoretically and technically obsolete, and develop measures to replenish stocks of such assets in accordance with modern designs," Putin said.

   During his address, Putin used the example of the Fukushima nuclear power plant disaster in Japan to illustrate the the need for the new defences. He also said that Moscow should be wary about the safety of nuclear power plants and businesses that handle toxic chemicals and make sure that they follow updated procedures to avoid accidents. According to the country's state nuclear agency Rosatom, Russia has 10 nuclear power plants.

Russian Jets And Bombers Conduct 'Enemy' Night Drills In Baltic Sea

The Russian navy (from left) corvette Steregushchy, 

destroyer Nastoichivy and frigate Admiral Gorshkov are 

anchored in a bay of the base in Baltiysk in Kaliningrad 

region, July 19, 2015. Reuters/Maxim Shemetov

   Bombers and fighter jets from Russia's Baltic Sea fleet have carried out night drills simulating attacks on enemy targets, the Russian news site Sputnik reported Friday. The drills, which took place off the coast of Russia's military exclave Kaliningrad Thursday evening and Friday morning, have become common in recent months as Moscow modernizes its aging navy and extends its military reach across the world.

   "Within the unannounced combat readiness inspection of the air defense and naval aviation formations of the Baltic Fleet in the Kaliningrad Region, crews of Su-27 fighters and Su-24M bombers performed night training flights," the Russian Defense Ministry stated, according to Sputnik. "[The aircraft] practiced take-off and landing, elimination of low-flying aerial vehicles, command centers and the military hardware of the simulated enemy as well as performing complex combat maneuvering at low and medium altitudes."

   Russia has been stepping up military drills in regions in or around Europe, including the Atlantic Ocean and Baltic, Mediterranean Sea and Black seas. In late September, Moscow sent its Mediterranean fleet to the coast of Syria, where it began conducting exercises just days before bombing rebel targets and the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS, inside Syria.

   The drills come amid renewed Cold-War era angst between Russia and NATO over Moscow's annexation of Crimea in March 2014 and its continued involvement in the eastern Ukraine conflict, which has resulted in a large military buildup by both sides in the Baltic region. NATO is planning to deploy battalions of up to 1,000 soldiers each in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, according to a report from the Baltic Times, an English-language news source in the region.

   Russia announced last month that it had conducted a total of 4,000 drills in 2015, an increase of 500 from the year before, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The exercises range across Eurasia from Kaliningrad in the west to the Kuril Islands north of Japan and from the Arctic to Russia’s southern borders. Russian troops have trained with militaries from China, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Mongolia, Egypt, Azerbaijan and India

Russian warplanes intercepted near US carrier off Korean peninsula

   (AFP) --- Fighter jets from South Korea and the United States intercepted two Russian warplanes after they flew near a US aircraft carrier operating off the Korean peninsula, officials said Thursday.

   White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the USS Ronald Reagan -- a massive, nuclear-powered supercarrier -- was involved in a military exercise with South Korean partners when two Russian Tu-142 Bear aircraft flew past the ship.

   "These Russian aircraft were intercepted first by Korean military aircraft that were operating in the region," Earnest said. Four American F/A-18s were then mobilized.

   Earnest sought to downplay the incident in the Sea of Japan (East Sea), calling it "not a particularly threatening encounter" and noted that the USS Ronald Reagan was operating in international waters at the time.

   "This is a particular situation that did not result in a significant confrontation," he said.

   The two Russian Tu-142 Bear aircraft were flying about a mile from the carrier at an altitude of 500 feet (150 meters) on Tuesday, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said.

   He said there was no evidence the Russian planes posed a direct threat. Tu-142 Bears are primarily reconnaissance and anti-submarine aircraft.

   Still, the carrier scrambled four F/A-18 fighters to intercept and escort the Russian aircraft, he said.

   One of the US ships accompanying the USS Ronald Reagan tried to hail the Russian aircraft by radio but did not receive a response, he added.

   "It's standard operating procedure for US planes to escort any aircraft that are flying anywhere in the vicinity of US Navy ships," Davis said. "The interaction was characterized as safe."

   "Any time there are aircraft that are operating in close proximity to a US Navy ship, particularly an aircraft carrier, we are going to take action to launch and make sure we are tracking it very closely," Davis said.

   He said this kind of incident is not unprecedented, noting: "It doesn't happen frequently but this did occur."

   The incident comes after Russia and the United States on October 10 signed a memorandum of understanding that establishes protocols for pilots flying over Syria.

   Both Russia and a US-led coalition are conducting separate bombing campaigns in the war-torn country. Though they are mainly operating in different regions, officials are worried about planes crashing into each other in the sky.

Sweden and Finland create joint naval battle group

Swedish corvette HMS Visby patrols the Stockholm 

Archipelago, October 19, 2014, searching for what the 

military says is a foreign threat in the waters.  

(TT News Agency/REUTERS) 

   Two European countries near Russia, including one that borders Russia, are combining parts of their military forces.

   The Swedish government announced on October 29 that it will create a joint naval battle group with the Finnish Defense Forces.

   Finland borders Russia to its northeast, while Sweden has seen recent Russian military violations of its territory — most notably by a possible Russian submarine in October 2014.

   The new battle group, known as the Swedish Finnish Naval Task Force (SFNTG), is envisioned as a cost-effective way for the two nations to conduct joint crisis-response operations in the Arctic and the surrounding regions. 

   According to Defense News, the SFNTG will be staffed by troops trained to operate within the region's climatic extremes. The task force will "conduct sea surveillance, exercises and include combined units," Defense News reports. "It would share infrastructure and be able to transfer operational control of units between the Swedish and Finnish navies."

   Finewire also notes that the SFNTG will be interoperable with NATO units and the militaries of NATO countries — which is notable as both Sweden and Finland have eschewed NATO membership in order to keep their policies of neutrality intact. 

   Sweden is also in talks with Finland and Denmark to be able to base naval units in the countries' homeports during peacetime. 

   The formation of the SFNTG comes amid a series of security shifts among the five Nordic countries — Iceland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. In early April, the five countries announced plans to expand their defense ties. 

   The move toward further defense cooperation shows how concerned these countries have become about the regional security environment. Iceland, Denmark, and Norway are already full NATO members. Sweden and Finland had steered away from the organization out of concerns over infuriating Russia — but polls show that people in both countries thinking about the benefits of joining the alliance.

   The formation of closer Nordic defense ties, in addition to Sweden and Finland's increasing tilt toward NATO, demonstrate that Scandinavia is taking the threat of a resurgent Russia very seriously. 

   "Russia's actions are the biggest challenge to the European security," the defense ministers from the Nordic nations said in a joint declaration in April. "Russia's propaganda and political maneuvering are contributing to sowing discord between nations, and inside organizations like NATO and the EU.

   "There is increasing military and intelligence activity in the Baltics and in our northern areas," the statement said. "The Russian military is challenging us along our borders and there have been several border infringements in the Baltics."

   Since Russia annexed Crimea in March 2014, Moscow has pursued an aggressive military strategy in the Arctic and the Baltics. Russia has sent unprecedented numbers of jets and boats throughout the region, Sweden contends that Russia sailed a submarine through its territorial waters in October 2014, and the Kremlin is undertaking a massive military construction blitz throughout the Arctic. 

   Moscow is constructing 10 Arctic search-and-rescue stations, 16 deepwater ports, 13 airfields, and 10 air-defense-radar stations across its Arctic coast. One of these military bases is only 30 miles from the Finnish border.

Turkey would shoot down planes violating its air space

   ISTANBUL (Reuters) --- Turkey would not hesitate to shoot down planes violating its air space, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said on Saturday, a day after the NATO member shot down an unidentified drone near its border with Syria.

   Syrian, Russian and U.S. coalition aircraft are flying combat missions near Turkey's borders as part of the Syrian civil war. The drone incident highlights the danger that Turkey, with the second largest army in NATO, could be drawn into a military confrontation.

   Turkey had already complained of Russian warplanes violating its air apace along the border with Syria earlier this month.

   "We downed a drone yesterday. If it was a plane we'd do the same. Our rules of engagement are known. Whoever violates our borders, we will give them the necessary answer," Davutoglu told a rally of his ruling AK Party in the central city of Kayseri.

   Turkey is still investigating where the drone came from.

   A U.S. official said on Friday Washington believed it was of Russian origin, but the Russian defense ministry said all of its planes in Syria had safely returned to base and that all its drones were operating "as planned".

   The Turkish military said it shot down the unmanned aircraft after it continued on its course despite three warnings, in line with its rules of engagement. Broadcaster NTV said it had come 3 km (2 miles) into Turkish air space.

   The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday it had established direct contact with the Turkish military to avoid incidents with flights near the border, Interfax news agency reported.

First migrants reach Slovenia after Hungary closes Croatia border

Migrants walk to the border with Hungary after arriving by 

train at Botovo, Croatia October 16, 2015. REUTERS/Laszlo 

Balogh

   LJUBLJANA (Reuters) --- The first bus full of migrants arrived at a Slovenian border crossing with Croatia on Saturday, the Slovenian police said, after Hungary shut its border with Croatia late on Friday, diverting them toward Slovenia.

   "The bus is on the border crossing (Gruskovje) and the migrants will now go through a registration process," police spokesman Bojan Kitel told Reuters. He was unable to say how many people were on the bus.

   Slovenia has canceled all rail traffic with Croatia so that migrants are not able to enter the country by train.

Migrants walk to the border with Hungary after arriving 

by train at Botovo, Croatia October 16, 2015. 

REUTERS/Antonio Bronic

   Slovenia and Croatia said on Friday that they would not restrict the flow of migrants so long as Austria and Germany keep their door open.

   Slovenia said it was in talks with Croatia possibly to direct the flow of migrants through only two border crossings. Slovenia's national security council is due to meet later on Saturday.

   The police told Reuters migrants are expected to enter Slovenia on Saturday through border crossings Gruskovje and Petisovci, which are both located in eastern Slovenia, not far from the border with Hungary.

Over the past month, only about 3,000 migrants passed through Slovenia which has said it was in a position to accommodate up to 8,000 migrants per day.

Turkey shoots down drone near Syria, U.S. suspects Russian origin

   ANKARA(Reuters) ---  Turkish warplanes shot down an unidentified drone in Turkish air space near Syria on Friday and a U.S. official said Washington believed it was of Russian origin.

   The Russian defence ministry said all of its planes in Syria had safely returned to base and that all its drones were operating "as planned".

   The downing of the drone highlights the risks to NATO member Turkey as Syrian, Russian and U.S. coalition aircraft fly combat missions so close to its borders.

   The Turkish military said its jets had shot down the aircraft after it continued on its trajectory despite three warnings, in line with its rules of engagement. Broadcaster NTV said it had come 3 km (1.9 miles) into Turkish air space.

   "It's a drone. We are trying to identify its nationality," a senior Turkish government official told Reuters.

   A U.S. official told Reuters that Washington suspected it was a Russian drone, but said the information was still preliminary and declined to give any more details.

   Russian jets violated Turkish air space on two occasions earlier this month and Turkey has warned it will respond if the incursions are repeated.

   Russia's air strikes in Syria mean that Russian and NATO planes are now flying combat missions in the same air space for the first time since World War Two, heightening concern that the Cold War enemies could fire on each other.

   The Russian air force officially informed the Turkish military on Thursday about the violations by Russian jets earlier this month, and about steps it would take to prevent a repetition.

   Turkey has also reported unidentified aircraft and Syria-based missile air defence systems harassing its warplanes several times in recent months.

Damascus shelling of Russia embassy an 'act of terror': Lavrov

   Moscow (AFP) --- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday described the shelling of Moscow's embassy in Damascus as an "act of terror" aimed at intimidating those who support Moscow's bombing campaign in Syria.

   "It is a clear act of terror meant to scare supporters of fighting terrorism," Lavrov told reporters in Moscow, after two rockets struck the Russian embassy compound.

   Nobody was killed during the incident which took place as some 300 people were rallying near the embassy in support of Russia's recent intervention in Syria.

   Demonstrators had been waving Russian flags and holding up large photographs of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

   "We are counting on the perpetrators being found and that measures be taken to prevent such acts in the future," Lavrov said, adding Moscow would investigate the incident along with Syrian authorities.

   Russian late last month launched a bombing campaign in the war-torn country at the request of its ally President Bashar al-Assad against what Moscow says are targets of the Islamic State jihadist group and other "terrorists".

   On Tuesday, Russia's defence ministry said its air force had hit 86 targets in Syria in the past 24 hours, destroying "terrorist" command posts, training camps and ammunition depots.

   And Syria's Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front called on jihadists from the Caucasus to perpetrate attacks in Russia in response to the air strikes.

   Lavrov was on Tuesday meeting the United Nations' Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura in Moscow for the first time since the Kremlin launched its bombing campaign.

Two shells fired at Russian Embassy in Damascus

   DAMASCUS (Reuters) --- Two shells were fired at Russia's embassy in Damascus on Tuesday during a demonstration in support of Moscow, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage to the building.

   The incident came nearly two weeks after Russia, a major ally of Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, launched air strikes against Syrian rebels and Islamic State fighters.

   One witness said both shells appeared to land in a park close to the embassy compound. A second witness said one of them landed inside the compound but did not hit the building itself.

   Russia's Interfax news agency said two rockets landed in the embassy grounds. It quoted a diplomat at the embassy as saying none of the embassy employees was wounded.

Russia Demands Explanation After Newspaper Reports British Planes Have Permission to Shoot Down Russian Jets

   (CNSNews.com) – Russia’s ambassador to Britain said he has requested an urgent explanation from the British government after a media report Sunday said that British pilots flying anti-ISIS missions have been given permission to shoot down Russian aircraft if threatened.

   Calling the report in the London Sunday Times “worrying,” Ambassador Alexander Yakovenko said in a statement issued by the embassy, “We have urgently requested explanations from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.”

   The newspaper quoted defense sources as saying that Royal Air Force Tornados, up until now armed with satellite-guided bombs for use in the anti-ISIS mission, will be equipped also with air-to-air missiles in case threatened by Russian warplanes that are operating in the area.

   “The first thing a British pilot will do is to try to avoid a situation where an air-to-air attack is likely to occur – you avoid an area if there is Russian activity,” a source from Britain’s defense Permanent Joint Headquarters in north London told the paper.

   “But if a pilot is fired on or believes he is about to be fired on, he can defend himself,” the source said. “We now have a situation where a single pilot, irrespective of nationality, can have a strategic impact on future events.”

   Russia launched airstrikes in Syria on September 30, in a campaign ostensibly targeting ISIS but seen as primarily designed to prop up the Assad regime.

   U.S. officials have expressed concern about the possibilities of accidental collision or other mishap in airspace that is now being used by Russian warplanes as well as those of the U.S.-led coalition.

   Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Wednesday the U.S. military will continue to hold “basic technical discussions [with the Russians] on safety procedures for our pilots over Syria.”

   Britain is part of the U.S.-led anti-ISIS coalition, although up to now RAF airstrikes have been limited to targets inside Iraq. Prime Minister David Cameron is expected to seek parliamentary approval within weeks to extend the operation to Syria, however.

   Noting that the British currently aren’t even operating in Syrian airspace, and that Russian aircraft are not now in Iraqi skies, Yakovenko questioned the motivation of the defense leak to the Sunday Times.

   “[T]he very premise of a potential conflict of U.K. and Russian combat aircraft over Iraq is incomprehensible,” he said. “It is known that Russian Air Force does not take part in strikes against ISIS targets in the said country [Iraq]. At the same time, RAF does not participate in the anti-ISIS coalition strikes in Syria. The question arises, what is the goal of such a provocative media leak? Whose morale are they meant to raise?”

   Getting support from the House of Commons to expand the RAF mission to Syria may be an uphill battle for Cameron, who will need some support from opposition Labour Party lawmakers to win the vote.

Labour’s new left-wing leader Jeremy Corbyn, is opposed to airstrikes against ISIS in all circumstances, although several dozen Labour MPs are reported to take a different view.

   Russia maintains that its mission in Syria is legal since it is there at the invitation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – whereas, it says, the U.S.-coalition are operating in Syria in violation of that country’s sovereignty.

   The situation is different in Iraq, as Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has requested the coalition’s help in the fight against the ISIS jihadists who control territory in both Iraq and Syria.

   According to U.S. Central Command, coalition partners that have joined the U.S. in carrying out airstrikes against ISIS are:

   --In Iraq:  Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Jordan and the Netherlands;

   --In Syria: Australia, Bahrain, Canada, France, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and United Arab Emirates.

NATO says will help Turkey against Russia if needed

   STAVANGER, Norway (Reuters) --- NATO will help member country Turkey if needed, the alliance's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, days after Russian jets bombing Syria violated Turkish airspace.

   Asked whether NATO would be prepared to defend ally Turkey against Russia, Stoltenberg said: "Turkey is a strong ally and they have the second-largest army," he told Reuters.

   "They have a capable air force, so the Turkish armed forces are the first responders, but NATO is there to help and assist them if they need."

U.S. Naval Patrols in South China Sea

Head of the United States Pacific Command,

 Adm. Harry B. Harris Jr.

   BEIJING — The United States has been briefing its allies in Asia on plans to conduct “freedom of navigation” naval patrols near artificial islands built by China in the disputed South China Sea, a move that could escalate tensions with Beijing after President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Washington, American and Asian officials have said.

   The patrols, which would come within 12 nautical miles of at least one of the islands, are intended to challenge China’s efforts to claim large parts of the strategic waterway by enlarging rocks and submerged reefs into islands big enough for military airstrips, radar equipment and lodging for soldiers, the officials said.

   Though China claims much of the South China Sea as sovereign territory, the 12-mile zone around the new islands is particularly delicate because international law says such artificial islands do not have sovereign rights up to the 12-mile limit.

   The United States has refrained from venturing that close to Chinese-occupied islands in the South China Sea since at least 2012. In May, a United States Navy P8-A Poseidon aircraft, with a CNN correspondent on board, flew near three of China’s five artificial islands but did not go within their 12-mile territorial zones. The Americans were warned eight times to leave the area by Chinese Navy radio operators.

RAF given all clear to SHOOT DOWN Russian aircraft if under attack

   (Express) --- RAF fighter pilots have been given the all clear SHOOT DOWN Russian planes if they come under attack while carrying out missions over Iraq.

   The order has been given as it emerges British ministers have warned Russia is making the situation in the Middle East “much more dangerous”. 

   RAF jets will be armed with advanced short range air-to-air missiles and British and Nato pilots have been told to fight for their lives if they are fired upon by Vladimir Putin’s air force. 

RAF Tornado pilots have been told to shoot down
Russian planes

   Senior defence sources said British fighters are likely to be involved in a deadly air battle with Russian aircraft sooner rather than later. 

   Speaking to the Daily Star Sunday, a source said: “We need to protect our pilots but at the same time we’re taking a step closer to war. It will only take one plane to be shot down in an air-to-air battle and the whole landscape will change.”

   The RAF Tornados will each carry up to four supersonic weapons that cost £200,000 each and are capable of blasting any aircraft out of the sky.

   The missiles can fly at three times the speed of sound – 2,300 miles an hour – and lock onto their targets using an infrared heat seeker.

   The missiles will lock onto their targets using infrared heat sensors

   Each one is filled with 22lb of high explosives and can be programmed to blow up upon impact or a certain distance from its target. 

   Defence chiefs believe there is a real possibility a British jet could be attacked or shot down in a dogfight with a Russian pilot. 

   No one knows what the Russians will do next. We don’t know how they will respond if they come into contact with a Western jet.

Senior defence source

   RAF pilots have reportedly been told to avoid contact with Russian jets but have been warned to be prepared to fight back if fired upon. 

   A second source said: “No one knows what the Russians will do next. We don’t know how they will respond if they come into contact with a Western jet.

   “When planes are flying at supersonic speeds the airspace gets crowded very quickly. There could be a collision or a Russian pilot might be mistakenly shot down.”

   RAF crews have dropped more than 250 bombs on Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Iraq. 

   Defence chief Michael Fallon has said the government will try to convince Parliament to extend the bombing campaign into Syria.

   He said it was “illogical” to attack Islamic State fighters in Iraq but not in Syria.

Kim Jong-Un: N. Korea ready for war with US

   Pyongyang (AFP) --- North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said he was ready for war with the United States as the nuclear-armed nation celebrated its ruling party's 70th birthday Saturday with a spectacular, mass military parade.

   Tens of thousands of troops, followed by waves of tanks, armoured vehicles and ballistic missiles, goose-stepped their way through Pyongyang's Kim Il-Sung Square in one of the largest ceremonial displays of military muscle the country had ever organised.

   In his first public speech for three years, Kim struck a far more belligerent tone than in previous addresses, with a special message for the North's traditional enemy.

   "Our party dauntlessly declares that our revolutionary armed forces are capable of fighting any kind of war provoked by the US," the young leader proclaimed to rapturous applause from thousands of top military officers and party officials assembled below his viewing platform.

   The cheers were echoed by tens of thousands of flag and flower-waving participants gathered in the square named after Kim's grandfather, over which a large banner slung from a gas-filled balloon read: "Long live the invincible Workers' Party of Korea."

   North Korean threats to wipe out the US and neighbouring South Korea are common-place, but this was a particularly pointed message of defiance, given in the most public of forums before the cameras of the invited international media.

-- Holding hands with China --

   Kim also seized what amounted to a rare photo opportunity to underline his country's traditional alliance with China, which has shows signs of strain since he took power following the death of his father, Kim Jong-Il, in 2011.

   China had sent one of its top officials, politburo standing committee member Liu Yunshan, to the parade, and when Kim saluted the crowds at the end, he did so with Liu -- their hands raised and joined together.

   China remains North Korea's main diplomatic protector and economic partner, but relations have soured in recent years with Beijing becoming increasing wary of Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.

   Saturday's parade had been expected to start in the morning, but heavy overnight rain and overcast skies saw it delayed until 3:00pm (0630 GMT) when the weather broke in a blaze of sunshine and blue skies.

   After Kim's 20-minute speech, the vast march-past began, headed by floats carrying the smiling images of his grandfather and father.

   The overriding theme of the parade was the glorification of the ruling Workers' Party that has served at the whim of the three generations of the Kim family for the last seven decades.

-- Missiles, or mock-ups? --

   After the hard-marching troops and massed bands came the military hardware -- always a focus of attention for foreign observers looking for evidence of any forward technological step in the North's military arsenal.

   The display included long-range ballistic missiles the North has shown off at two previous parades in 2012 and 2013, each time triggering debate over whether they were working models or -- as more widely believed -- mere mock-ups.

   The official commentary on state television, suggested the missiles -- known as KN-08s -- were "powerful tactical rockets loaded with diversified and miniaturised nuclear warheads."

   North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests and threatened a fourth as part of a nuclear weapons and missile programme that it has pursued through a barrage of international sanctions.

   The country has long claimed it has technology capable of launching nuclear bombs at its distant enemies, but experts are sceptical whether it has acquired the sophisticated expertise needed to produce such weapons.

   An exhaustively researched report published this week by the US-based Institute for Science and International Security estimated that North Korea had between 10 and 16 nuclear bombs as of the end of 2014.

   The report argued it was likely the country could already build a warhead to fit atop a Nodong missile -- with a range of less than 800 miles (1,300 kilometres) -- but questioned the weapon's reliability.

-- Pyongyang facelift --

   Months of planning and preparation have gone into Saturday's celebrations, involving a mass mobilisation of state personnel and resources to ensure its success.

   The capital was given a comprehensive makeover -- its streets lined and decorated with giant posters, red banners and national flags, many of them displaying the numerals "10-10" in reference to the ruling party's official October 10 birthday.

   At the height of the parade, a squadron of antique, Soviet-made biplanes flew over the parade ground in formation, outlining the numerals "70" in another nod to the anniversary.

   The North excels at choreographed displays of military muscle, but such events also highlight its diplomatic isolation.

   China's Liu was the only foreign dignitary of standing at Saturday's spectacle.

   Minutes after the parade ended, the square was drenched in a heavy downpour which dampened the next event -- a torchlight procession by hundreds of thousands of students.

Poland seeks missiles for its MiG-29 fighters

The Polish military is reportedly seeking to procure 

air-to-air radar-guided missiles for its fleet of 

MiG-29 fighters.

   WARSAW, Poland, Oct. 9 (UPI) --- Poland has reportedly begun the process to obtain 40 radar-guided R-27R1 missiles, the main armament on Poland 's Soviet-era MiG-29 fighters.

   Polish news site Defence24 says the acquisition process is being conducted by the Ministry of National Defense's Armament Inspectorate.

   The missiles obtained should be guaranteed by the manufacturer to be usable for at least 96 months if delivered in a hermetically sealed condition and for another 60 months once unpacked.

   According to the news site, the missiles will be acquired in line with Poland's Public Procurement Law, which means the missiles must come from companies located within the European Union, European Economic Area or within the territory of a country with which the Polish, or the EU authorities, concluded an agreement regarding defense and security equipment procurement.

   The Armament Inspectorate said contractors from Ukraine may also submit offers.

   Ukraine offers R-27R1 missiles and derivative missiles.

   The R-27R1 is a semi-active, radar-guided weapon used against airborne targets. It requires the launch aircraft to track the target with its radar once the missile is fired.

   No information was given as to a planned procurement date.

Putin’s Missiles Take Out Terrorist Iranian Cows

Putin’s Missiles Take Out Crazed Iranian
Terrorist Cows

   A new and disturbing danger has apparently arisen in the Middle East, and the Russian military is on it. It appears that cows have begun aligning themselves with terrorist organizations, and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s forces are taking the steps necessary to shut down this bovine threat before things get any worse.

   How else to translate the events of the past several days?

   Shortly after Russian warships in the Caspian Sea launched a reported 26 cruise missiles toward Syria on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu appeared on television to celebrate the success of the attack.

   Shoigu announced that all 26 of the missiles struck within three meters of their intended targets, and he claimed that no civilian buildings were damaged.

   In televised comments, Putin added, “The fact that we have launched precision-guided weapons from the Caspian at a range of around 1,500 km and hit all the targets indicates the good status of defense industry and the good skills of the personnel.”

   However, reports began to trickle out on Thursday that perhaps not all of the Russian missiles had actually made it into Syria. A report from the town of Takab, which is directly under the flight path of the Russian missiles as revealed by maps released by the Kremlin, detailed how a massive explosion at around 6 a.m. rocked the rural area on Wednesday.

   The “unidentified flying object” exploded several hundred meters outside Takab, close enough to shake buildings and frighten residents.

   It also killed “several head of cattle,” according to the report.

   On Thursday, U.S. intelligence officials told reporters that as many as four of the Russian  missiles had crash landed in rural Iran. However, there was immediate pushback from both Russia and from Iran, which has joined the Kremlin in backing Assad with troops and weapons.

   Iranian General Musa Kamali told the Kremlin-run News site Sputnik that reports of Russian missiles going off-target were “blatant lies” and part of a Western propaganda campaign.

   The Kremlin stuck to its claim that all 26-missile attacks were successful.

   “No matter how unpleasant and unexpected for our colleagues in the Pentagon and Langley was yesterday's high-precision strike on Islamic State infrastructure in Syria, the fact remains that all missiles launched from our ships have found their targets,” said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov.

   So if Russia is indeed only targeting terrorists, as it has said, and if no missiles went off target, that can lead to only one conclusion: the cows were terrorists.

   The U.S. and its allies haven’t many kind words for Vladimir Putin these days, but he should at least be thanked for identifying this new threat and taking prompt and decisive action to neutralize it.

Russian air force 'hits 60 terror targets' in new Syria strikes

A Russian Air Force Su-25 SM attack plane

   Moscow (AFP) --- Russia's air force hit more than 60 "terrorist targets" in Syria over the past 24 hours, Moscow's military said Friday, significantly ramping up its bombing campaign in the war-torn country.

   "Sixty-seven sorties have been carried out from the Hmeimim air base" in Syria, the deputy head of the Russian General Staff, Lieutenant General Igor Makushev, told reporters.

   "Su-34M and Su-24SM warplanes hit 60 terrorist targets," he added.

   According to intercepted radio communications, two high-ranking Islamic State field commanders and several hundred militants were killed, the Russian military said.

   Last week, Moscow made a dramatic entry in the multi-front conflict in its Soviet-era ally Syria, saying it needed to stop Islamic State jihadists before they cross into Russia, which has a large Muslim minority.

   Washington and its allies have said Moscow has also been targeting Western-backed moderate rebel groups as it supports an offensive by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad.

   Makushev said militants "have sustained significant casualties and been forced to change their tactics," seeking refuge in towns and villages, stressing that Moscow would increase the intensity of the strikes.

   The defence ministry had said earlier that 27 "terrorist" targets have been hit on Thursday.

   On Wednesday, Russian warships from the Caspian Sea fleet joined in the strikes with a volley of cruise missiles, the first time Moscow has used cruise missiles.

   Makushev said Russia has been bombing command posts and communication centres, ammunition depots as well as training camps in Raqa, Latakia, Hama, Idlib and Aleppo.

   Russia said its warplanes also dropped precision guided bombs on a command post in IS stronghold Raqa, killing two senior IS field commanders and some 200 fighters.

   The strikes also destroyed six command posts and communication centres, six ammunition depots, 17 training camps, three underground targets in Latakia, two multiple artillery rocket systems and 17 vehicles and armoured vehicles, among other targets, the military said.

   "In the vicinity of Aleppo, a strike hit a militants' base and ammunition depot set up in the building of a former prison," Makushev.

   "As a result, some 100 militants and an ammunition depot have been destroyed."

   Despite the Russian action, the Islamic State group advanced Friday to the outskirts of Aleppo in an offensive that also took the jihadists to within a few kilometres (miles) of regime troops defending the city, said Rami Abdel Rahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Belarus’ president says he doesn't want Russian air base

   MINSK, Belarus — Belarus doesn’t want to host a Russian military air base, President Alexander Lukashenko said Tuesday, a statement that highlighted a strain between the two neighbors and allies.

   Lukashenko said that he knows nothing about plans to set up a Russian air base in Belarus and added that his nation doesn’t need it, according to state news agency Belta.

   “I feel surprised and, to some extent, angry and annoyed by that,” he said.

   The Belarusian leader’s statement follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s order to his government last month to sign an agreement on a Russian military base in Belarus. The two countries have close political, economic and military ties, and Belarus depends on Russian energy and other subsidies.

   The Russian military already has an early warning radar and a navy communications facility in Belarus, but setting up an air base would mark a significantly bigger military presence.

   The Russian move comes at a time when Lukashenko has moved to improve Belarus ties with the West, which long were strained over his crackdown on dissent and free media.

   The Belarusian leader hinted Tuesday that Moscow might want to establish the base to try to hamper Belarus’ efforts to warm up ties with the West.

   “Maybe they are worried that we are going to go to the West, and they raised the issue so that the West starts asking us about it and having doubts whether we really want to normalize ties,” he said.

   The Kremlin had no immediate comment on the statement by Lukashenko, who has ruled Belarus since 1994 and is certain to win a fifth term in Sunday’s election against token challengers.

   On Sunday, about 1,000 opposition activists in the Belarusian capital protested Russia’s plans to set up the base, voicing fear that it would add to regional tensions already heightened by the conflict in Ukraine, and make it impossible for Belarus to maintain neutrality between Russia and the West.

   Alexander Klaskovsky, a Minsk-based independent political analyst, said that Lukashenko has always tried to maneuver between Russia and the West during more than two decades in power, and he now fears that the Russian base would limit his freedom of action.

   “He’s trying to avoid isolation and total dependence from the Kremlin, and the air base in Belarus would make him a Russian vassal,” Klaskovsky said.

Turkey's President warns Russia on nuclear project and natural gas

   ISTANBUL (Reuters) --- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan told Russia there were other places Turkey could get natural gas and other countries that could build its first nuclear plant, in the wake of Russian incursions into Turkish air space during its air campaign in Syria.

   Russian aircraft twice entered Turkish air space at the weekend. Turkish F-16 jets have also been harassed by Syrian-based missile systems and unidentified planes since then.

   "We can't accept the current situation. Russia's explanations on the air space violations are not convincing," the Turkish daily Sabah and others quoted Erdogan as telling reporters as he flew to Japan for an official visit.

   He said he was resentful over what had happened but did not currently plan to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

   "These are matters for Russia to think about. If the Russians don't build the Akkuyu (nuclear plant in southern Turkey) another will come and build it," he said.

   Turkey in 2013 commissioned Russia's state-owned Rosatom to build four 1,200-megawatt reactors, but a start date for what is Turkey's first nuclear power plant project has not yet been set.

   "We are Russia's number one natural gas consumer. Losing Turkey would be a serious loss for Russia. If necessary, Turkey can get its natural gas from many different places," he said.

   Around 28-30 billion cubic meters (bcm) of Turkey's 50 bcm annual natural gas needs are met by Russia.

Russian Navy Launches Cruise Missiles Against ‘ISIS Targets’

Dagestan missile ship and other vessels from the Russian 

Navy’s Caspian Flotilla. (Russian Defense Ministry)

   Russia’s military campaign in Syria took a new turn Wednesday when four warships fired 26 cruise missiles at what the defense ministry said were Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS/ISIL) targets including three training camps in northern Syria.

   The development came amid continuing allegations that the majority of targets hit during Russia’s week-old airstrike campaign are associated with rebels groups other than ISIS.

   NATO commented Tuesday on an increase of Russian naval assets in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, but when the Russian Navy entered the campaign it did so from the south-western part of the landlocked Caspian Sea, some 1,000 miles to the north-east.

   Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin that all 11 “ISIS targets” had been destroyed, and that no civilian facilities had been hit, according to a transcript released by the Kremlin.

   Putin said, “The fact that these strikes were carried out using high-precision weapons launched from the Caspian Sea’s waters, around 1,500 kilometers away, and all of the planned targets were destroyed is evidence of our defense industry’s good preparation and the service personnel’s good professional skills.”

   Briefing reporters, Colonel General Andrei Kartapolov of the Russian armed forces general staff said the decision to use long-range cruise missiles was made after reconnaissance identified important targets.

   He said they included terrorist training camps in the Aleppo, Idlib and Raqqa regions, as well as command posts and ammunition manufacturing and storage sites. Each target had been carefully analyzed, based on aerial and satellite reconnaissance, communications intercepts and data collected by Syria, Iran and Iraq.

   (Russia, Iran, Iraq and the Assad regime recently established an intelligence-sharing center in Baghdad.)

   Kartapolov said Russia’s “partners” had given the go-ahead in advance for the use of the weaponry. He did not elaborate, but missiles traveling from the south-western Caspian Sea to Syria would overfly Iran and Iraq.

   The ministry said the missiles launched from the four Caspian Flotilla vessels – Dagestan, Grad Sviyazhsk, Uglich and Veliky Ustyug – were Kalibr NK cruise missiles, accurate to within nine feet of their target. They fly at low altitudes, about 160 feet, following the terrain.

   The Russian general also said flight paths were chosen to avoid populated areas.

   The U.S. and NATO have both expressed concern about civilian casualties in the Russian airstrikes. On Wednesday, Physicians for Human Rights reported that three medical facilities in Syria were hit in Russian airstrikes on Friday and Saturday.

   It said the three – a field hospital in northern Hama governorate, an ambulance depot and emergency response center in rural Idlib, and a hospital in northern Latakia – were each more than 30 miles away from the nearest ISIS-controlled territory.

   “Regardless of location or who the medical staff treat, targeting a medical facility is a war crime,” said PHR. The advocacy group says it has documented more than 300 attacks on medical facilities and the deaths of 670 medical personnel since the civil war began – 90 percent of them attributed to Syrian government forces.

   Russia denies hitting civilian targets.

   “Not a single civilian facility has been hit by our aviation in Syria,” Aerospace Forces commander-in-chief Colonel General Viktor Bondarev told a briefing Wednesday.

   The air group reported that 112 airstrikes had been carried out between Sept. 30 and Wednesday – and that they had targeted ISIS facilities. In his report to Putin Wednesday, Shoigu referred to the targets as “ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra, and other terrorist groups present on Syrian territory.”

   But State Department spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that “greater than 90 percent of the strikes that we’ve seen them take to date have not been against ISIL or al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists.”

   “They’ve been largely against opposition groups that want a better future for Syria and don’t want to see the Assad regime stay in power,” he told a daily briefing.

   Also Wednesday, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutolu said that only two out of 57 Russian airstrikes had targeted ISIS, while the rest had been against opposition groups which are themselves fighting ISIS in northwestern Syria.

Turkey 'intercepts' Russian jet violating its air space

Turkey says Russian jets infringed its airspace
in southern Hatay province (AFP Photo/)

   Ankara (AFP) --- Turkey said on Monday its F-16 jets had at the weekend intercepted a Russian fighter plane which violated Turkish air space near the Syrian border, forcing the aircraft to turn back.

   Turkey summoned the Russian ambassador in Ankara to the foreign ministry and "strongly protested" the violation, the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

   It demanded that "any such violation not be repeated," otherwise Russia "will be responsible for any undesired incident that may occur."

   The Russian jet infringed Turkish airspace at 12:08 pm (0908 GMT) on Saturday south of the Yayladagi region in Turkey's southern Hatay province, according to the foreign ministry.

   "The Russian aircraft exited Turkish airspace into Syria after it was intercepted by two F-16s from the Turkish Air Force, which were conducting patrols in the region," it added.

   Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu called his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov to convey Ankara's unease, the statement said.

   He also held telephone talks with counterparts from the United States, France, Italy and Britain and was due to speak with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss the situation.

   NATO head Jens Stoltenberg will meet Sinirlioglu on Monday to discuss the situation in Syria at Ankara's request, a NATO official said.

   Russia and Turkey have long been at odds over the crisis in Syria, with Moscow emerging as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's key international backer and Ankara urging his ouster as the only solution to the conflict.

   In 2012, Turkey intercepted and then grounded at Ankara airport a Syrian aircraft en route from Moscow to Damascus, saying it was carrying Russian military equipment bound for Syria.

   Turkey has labelled Russia's bombing campaign in Syria as "unacceptable" with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan warning that Moscow was making a "grave mistake."

   Russia's strikes in Syria began just a week after Erdogan visited Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin and attend the opening of a new mosque.

   It is still unclear if Putin gave Erdogan any advance warning of Russia's plan for the air strikes at the talks.

   Britain's ambassador to Ankara Richard Moore said Russia's incursion into Turkish airspace was "reckless and worrying."

   "UK, and its other NATO Allies, stand shoulder to shoulder with Turkey," he wrote on Twitter.

   Western and regional countries including Saudi Arabia and Turkey on Friday expressed in a joint declaration on Friday "deep concern" over Russian military build-up in Syria.

Spain, Morocco arrest suspected Islamic State recruiters

   MADRID (Reuters) --- Spain said it and Morocco arrested 10 people on Sunday suspected of recruiting fighters for Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.

   Suspects were detained in the Spanish cities of Toledo and Badalona, the small coastal town of Xeraco in Spain's Valencia region and the Moroccan city of Casablanca, Spain's interior ministry said.

   "Those arrested belong to a network of people that recruited, indoctrinated and sent foreign fighters to join Daesh," it added, using a name for Islamic State.

   Spain and Morocco, as well as other countries in Europe and North Africa, have been stepping up efforts to stop citizens joining Islamic State, fearing they could return to launch attacks at home.

   By the end of September, Spain had been involved in the arrest of 71 suspected Islamic militants at home and abroad, up from 46 in the whole of 2014, according to interior ministry figures. 

Russia launches new wave of air raids in Syria

   DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Russian warplanes have attacked the Islamic State group and other insurgents in central and northern Syria with a wave of new airstrikes, Syrian and Russian military officials said Saturday.

   Russian military spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said the warplanes flew 20 missions in Syria over the past day, hitting nine IS targets. He said an IS command post and a weapons storage bunker were destroyed in the area of Raqqa, the extremists' de facto capital.

   In Damascus, an unnamed Syrian military official was quoted by state TV as saying that the "concentrated and precise" airstrikes destroyed a command center in the central town of Latamneh in Hama province and targeted positions in the northwestern areas of Jisr al-Shughour and Maaret al-Numan.

   Konashenkov said equipment and weapons storage facilities were destroyed in a strike near Jisr al-Shughour and an ammunition depot was destroyed in Maaret al-Numan.

   The IS group has no presence in the northwestern province of Idlib, which includes Jisr al-Shughour and Maaret al-Numan.

   The Russian airstrikes that began Wednesday have mainly targeted central and northwestern Syria, strategic regions that are the gateway to President Bashar Assad's strongholds in the capital, Damascus, and the coast.

   Russia says it is targeting the IS group and al-Qaida's Syrian affiliate, but at least some of the strikes appear to have hit Western-backed rebel factions.

NATO launches biggest military exercise since 2002

   BRUSSELS: --- NATO launches its biggest military exercise since 2002 on Saturday, putting 36,000 alliance soldiers through their paces in Italy, Spain and Portugal to boost preparedness against the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis.

   “Trident Juncture” runs from Saturday through to November 6 and involves personnel from more than 30 countries, the NATO Allied Joint Force Command center based in the Dutch city of Brunssum says on its website.

   The exercise will also involve Canada, Norway, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, together with operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.

   “Trident Juncture 2015 will demonstrate NATO’s new increased level of ambition in joint modern warfare and will showcase a capable, forward-leading alliance equipped with the appropriate capability and capacity to meet present and future security challenges,” the command center said.

   The long-planned exercise has taken on a new significance after Russia’s annexation of Crimea last year and its support of pro-Moscow rebels in eastern Ukraine.

   In response, NATO has rotated forces through newer east European members such as the Baltic states and Poland who fear Russia wants to restore its influence over the Cold War-era satellites.

   The 28-nation alliance, led by the United States, has also increased its preparedness levels in the face of a whole series of evolving threats exemplified by events in the Ukraine and conflict and upheaval across the Middle East and North Africa.

   In September last year, NATO leaders agreed to set up a new, very rapid response force able to put boots on the ground within days.

   The Brunssum command center said the Trident Juncture exercise would allow NATO to certify the staff as ready to lead this rapid response force if it is formally activated as expected next year.

   NATO officials stress that the exercises, including Trident Juncture, are not aimed at any country.

   For its part, Russia has also staged a series of large military exercises, citing increased security concerns on its western borders and to the south.