Northern_Sentry

Bad news for Russia. Good news for Ukraine and Europe. The European company Destinus has ramped up serial production of its "Ruta Block 1" cruise missile. According to the company, 1,750 units have been completed, with a monthly production rate approaching 300 units (as of late October 2026). 📍 Production: Primarily in the Netherlands (including proprietary T150 engines, airframes, and avionics). An expansion in collaboration with Rheinmetall in Unterlüß (Germany) is planned. 🇺🇦 Ukraine: Confirmed—the missiles are being supplied and are currently in service. President Zelenskyy confirmed their use in combat operations in 2025 (with ranges exceeding 250 km). The Netherlands is funding approximately 700 units. Debris has been reported in Russia. 🚀 Block 1 Specifications: Range >300 km, payload ~150 kg. Features low-altitude flight, terrain-following capabilities, and operates independently of GNSS. Future variants: Block 2 (>700 km) and a planned Block 3 (up to 2,000 km). European-scale production, free from Chinese components—with a monthly output now exceeding what Europe produced annually prior to 2022.

Russia’s most powerful nuclear-powered cruiser, the Pyotr Velikiy, is to be scrapped It is the flagship of Russia’s Northern Fleet and the only operational nuclear-powered vessel of the Orlan-class project. A commission has deemed the cruiser’s repair and modernisation unfeasible. The ship has completely exhausted its service life and is beyond restoration. The cruiser was originally scheduled for modernisation after work on the Admiral Nakhimov was completed. However, repairs to the latter dragged on for eight years, during which time the Pyotr Velikiy became completely obsolete. Two other cruisers of the same class, the Admiral Ushakov and Admiral Lazarev, have already been decommissioned and are awaiting scrapping. Earlier, reports emerged that repairs to the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov had effectively been halted. The ship has been undergoing repairs since 2017, but work has virtually ground to a halt in recent months.

The outline for peace in Ukraine is surprisingly simple! Just do it! The horrible war in Ukraine is in its fifth year. Hundreds of thousands are dead. Many more are molested. Economic losses are astronomical. The war also distorts attention from critical global issues like climate change and the fight against poverty. Putin started the war believing Russia would take Kyiv in three days. As nearly all war mongers in modern times, Russia completely underestimated the will to resist. Think Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan. Europe on the other hand seems to be ready to fight the war to the last Ukrainian. There is no real plan for peace, no fantasy to do anything but continue a war on autopilot, a war which currently leads nowhere. The chance that either side will truly prevail is very slim! Nearly all wars stop with a negotiated end. Surprisingly the contours of a solution are there for everyone to see. Russia and Ukraine, and outsiders like Europe, must accept that a messy peace is better than forever war. This brilliant piece by Jeffrey Sachs outlines what a deal can look like. Grab it! lnkd.in/gGCwYgiv

BIG | 🇺🇦🇳🇴‼️ Ukraine and Norway plan to test the new FREYJA missile defense system before the end of 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced following talks with Norwegian Defense Minister Tore Sandvik and executives from Kongsberg, the company behind NASAMS. Zelensky said the two countries have already achieved initial results in developing components of the European air defense system and identified areas where work needs to move faster. Ukraine also expects additional Norwegian defense assistance packages in November. The talks covered another critical issue for Kyiv, developing new satellite communication capabilities for the Ukrainian Armed Forces with support from international partners. 🔥 Ukraine is working to reduce two major vulnerabilities at once. Russia’s continued missile attacks have exposed the need for more reliable air defenses, while recent uncertainty surrounding satellite services has shown the risks of depending too heavily on individual providers. Developing FREYJA alongside alternative military communications would give Kyiv greater control over capabilities essential to its defense. Norway’s involvement, particularly through Kongsberg’s experience with NASAMS, makes this cooperation strategically significant. See the latest updates with us: @NSTRIKE1231

Trump has again refused to call putin an aggressive dictator, while turning around to label a democratic leader like Ukraine's President Zelenskyy a dictator. Journalist: “You don't see eye to eye on one issue in particular Mr President and that is the issue of Russia and president putin, Senator Sullivan has called president putin a dictator, an authoritarian, a mafia regime leader. He's against that diesel deal that you announced last week. Why Mr. President are you right and Senator Sullivan is wrong on this.? Trump: “Well look, I have to make deals with people. So I don't go around calling them names. I'm a deal maker. I've always been as. Very good deal maker. I became very rich because of deals. So I don't go around mocking people, you know, part of the reason….”. Trump bends over backward to defend his friendly approach toward putin, dismissing brutal authoritarianism as mere 'business' and boasting about being a 'deal maker’. Yet, this hollow excuse completely unravels when you look at the double standard: Why is he then calling Zelenskyy a dictator?

FT Interview: Nik Storonsky, Russian-born founder and CEO of Revolut talks to the FT about building Europe’s most valuable start-up. ft.trib.al/sCNKAn0

Canada applies to join UK-led military coalition reut.rs/4j85msb reut.rs/4j85msb

After Canada, which is inexorably moving closer to the EU, Australia announces that it intends to follow the same path. Europe is becoming the center of gravity of the Western world once again. 🇪🇺🇨🇦🇦🇺