The Kremlin has vowed to exact an “extremely painful” retaliation after the G7 group of countries agreed to provide Ukraine with a $50bn (USD) loan to help the country in its war with Russia. The move followed the announcement by President Joe Biden that the US has signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement with Ukraine. Most of the money would be provided in the form of a loan from the US government that would be backed by windfall profits being earned on roughly $300 billion in immobilised Russian assets. The vast majority of the money is being held in EU…

Leaked documents indicate alternative peace plans from other countries will be promoted that will be diluting Ukraine’s peace formula.

The development of the uMkhonto we Sizwe Party (MKP), at least in terms of their political rhetoric and the touch points they use for their political message, matches almost dot for dot the development of the MAGA movement in the United States.

The Paris Olympics is facing a dual threat of attacks by the ISIS terrorist group and a Russian disinformation campaign, intelligence chiefs have claimed. The disclosure follows an announcement by the terror group which has called on “lone wolves” to carry out drone strikes on Paris during the 2024 Olympics. The terror group made an apparent bomb threat on the French capital, releasing a mock-up image of a drone being flown at the Eiffel Tower on a website linked to the militant Islamist group. “Lone wolves’ Olympics have begun with the Will of Allah,” the post read. Last week Russia…

A British former military intelligence officer has said that the high civilian death toll in the Israeli hostage rescue operation would have been difficult to avoid. Colonel Philip Ingram, a former member of the Intelligence Corps and a NATO planner, said the involvement of civilians in the detention of the hostages meant that they had become legitimate targets. He spoke out amid the growing international criticism surrounding the rescue operation. Hamas claimed that over 200 Palestinians were killed and wounded in the military operation but did not distinguish between civilians and terrorists in this figure, while the Israeli Government said…

A deepfake video of former President Donald Trump advocating for antisemitism has appeared online, National Security News can reveal. While the signs of manipulation are evident, with some users flagging mismatched lip movements, the video has still managed to fuel antisemitic comments among some viewers, highlighting the ongoing battle against digital disinformation and the concerning trend of increasing hate speech online. The video, styled as a “Fox News” broadcast with a breaking news banner, falsely shows Trump saying: “If we want to make America great, we’ve got to make antisemitism great again.” The post containing the video has amassed over…

Russia is still able to generate 30,000 recruits a month to fight on the frontline in Ukraine despite suffering in excess of 500,000 casualties, western officials have said. The Russian summer offensive has cost Moscow a record 1,200 personnel killed or wounded daily, raising questions over whether the country’s population can sustain the war.Russian forces have suffered a total of 500,000 casualties, of whom more than 150,000 were killed in action, since their 2022 invasion, western officials have reported. The high casualty rate appears to have been confirmed by President Vladimir Putin, who inadvertently stated last week that Russia was…

We have a breakaway group that is quite substantial, the uMkhonto we Sizwe party, which is essentially ANC members that left the organisation and this provides for President Ramaphosa the opportunity actually to go forward in a way that he thinks would be best for the country.

Opinion Piece, NSN Colonel Nikolai Tsybulia, ostensibly the Defence Attaché at the Russian Embassy in South Africa, at first glance appears to be every bit an officer of the Russian Naval Infantry, often called the Russian Marines by Westen military observers, when he fulfills his diplomatic duties in his smart naval dress uniform. The Russian Naval Infantry is an elite unit in the Russian Armed Forces with a proud military history that dates back to 1705. The Naval Infantry also contains the Russian special forces unit that is the equivalent of the U.S. Navy Seals or the British Special Boat…

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) military mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), which was deployed on 15 July 2021 to fight the Islamic insurgents terrorising the northern Cabo Delgado province is scheduled to end by mid-July 2024. Mozambican security forces will then take full responsibility for security. In this article by the Institute for Strategic Studies in Africa, the authors question the wisdom of regional governments turning away from ISIS a global terrorist group on their doorstep. Jasmine Opperman and Piers Pigou state that SAMIM’s withdrawal to be completed by mid-July has allowed the insurgency to regain momentum.This article is republished…

Four Russian warships and a nuclear-powered submarine will enter Cuban waters next week as part of a preplanned set of military exercises between the two countries.The disclosure immediately drew comparisons with the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 when the then Communist state secretly unloaded nuclear missiles onto the Caribbean Island.The nuclear submarine Kazan and three other Russian naval vessels, including the missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov, an oil tanker and a salvage tug, will dock in Havana, Cuban capital from 12-17 June, the country’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces said in a statement.A ministry spokesman said: “None of the vessels…

As the world eagerly anticipates the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics next month, a darker shadow looms over the festivities. The Microsoft Threat Analysis Centre (MTAC) has sounded the alarm on a significant uptick in malign influence campaigns orchestrated by Russia. These campaigns, employing a mix of fake news, bogus websites, deepfake interviews, and AI-augmented content, are part of a broader strategy to undermine the International Olympic Committee (IOC), French President Emmanuel Macron, and the integrity of the Paris Games. Russia’s embassy in France has hit back calling the allegations “Russophobic”. “The Embassy declares that the Russian Federation has…

SRF survey found strong support among ANC and DA voters for a coalition between the two parties.

I don’t see any reason for panic about South Africa’s political stability after the ANC lost its majority.

DA did not want to be in a situation where “the ANC, because of our unwillingness, is driven into the arms of the EFF and MK.”

Since the death of Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, political uncertainty has run riot in Iran. In this article, which we are republishing with The Conversation’s permission, Afshin Shahi, Associate Professor in Middle East Politics & International Relations at Keele University, details how the new power vacuum has triggered a tense power struggle between hardliners at a time when Iran is facing severe internal and external challenges. Iran: president’s death has set hardliners jostling for position to replace ageing supreme leader

With Iran continuing its sabre-rattling in the Middle East, NSN speaks with Henry Jackson Society Senior Research Fellow Barak Seener, at the launch of his new report, Restoring Deterrence: Destabilising the Iranian Regime, where Seener calls for a new Iran policy of disproportionate response to Iranian aggression, including military strikes in Iranian territory, to destabilise the regime and scupper Iran’s nuclear weapons programme. In this interview, Barak takes us through the complexities of Iran’s machinations in the Middle East, how they are using proxies to foster regional instability, and how a more robust and aggressive response to Iran and its…

Former members of the Chinese Army are fighting for Russia in Ukraine as part of an international force of mercenaries recruited by the Kremlin.Videos on social media have allegedly shown two former members of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recalling their experience of fighting for Russia in Ukraine.In one post on X(Twitter), a person who is named as Li Jianwei claims to have served in the PLA for two years and is now a Chinese mercenary fighting for Russia in Ukraine.In a 17 minute video, Jianwei, who comes from Zhengzhou, Henan, appears dressed in military uniform and provides a vivid…

South Africa is entering uncharted waters as the ruling African National Congress, following its historic loss of a parliamentary majority, has to decide within the next fortnight on who it will choose as a coalition partner to lead the country. It faces a binary choice between the market-oriented Democratic Alliance and the umKhonto weSizwe( MK Party) of former President Jacob Zuma, which has threatened violence and is spreading the narrative online that the election has been rigged. President Cyril Ramaphosa is reported to be advocating a unity government. The elections in South Africa were a moment of reckoning for the African National…

In a significant showdown marking the first face-to-face meeting between US and Chinese defence chiefs in two years, the hot-button issue of Taiwan took centre stage. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and China’s defence minister, Admiral Dong Jun, convened in Singapore on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier security summit.  During the 75-minute meeting, Secretary Austin voiced concern over recent intensified military activities by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) around the Taiwan Strait following the inauguration of President Lai Ching-te. Austin called China’s military exercises “provocative” and insisted that Beijing not use Taiwan’s “political transition… as a pretext for coercive measures”.…

With counting underway in South Africa’s watershed elections, predictions point to the ANC suffering a 15% collapse in support, plunging the country into uncertainty for the next two weeks. The party still remains the dominant force in South Africa; however, it would need the support of another party or political parties to cross the 50% threshold required to stay in government. Final results for the election are expected to be announced on Sunday. Former President Jacob Zuma, who was a wrecking ball within the ANC and hollowed out the country’s state-owned enterprises including Eskom proved to be the man who also dealt significant…

In light of the upcoming UK election, the threat of AI-driven disinformation, like deepfakes, is a growing concern. The UK’s Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy emphasised the urgency, stating “It is more important than ever that the UK Government equips the public with the information necessary for spotting a deepfake.” In a recent letter, the committee urged that this is “a matter of priority now that an election has been called,” recognising that a comprehensive approach should include public education efforts.   India’s proactive battle against disinformation, focusing on empowering informed online users, offers crucial lessons for the…

In a landmark case under the Beijing-imposed National Security Law (NSL), Hong Kong has convicted 14 pro-democracy activists and former lawmakers on charges of subversion. This mass trial, the most severe application yet of the NSL, highlights the Chinese government’s intensifying crackdown on dissent and erosion of civil liberties in the territory. The same law is currently being used to prosecute media tycoon Jimmy Lai. The Trial and Convictions The National Security Law, enacted in 2020, has been a controversial tool for curbing freedom of speech and dismantling the pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong. On 30 May 2024, three judges,…

OP-ED Early results of South Africa’s national election point to the ruling party, the ANC losing its majority after being in power for 30 years. The final result is expected this weekend and it will be followed by two weeks of intense negotiations before a final picture will emerge. – Linda van Tilburg who has been reporting on South African politics for 30 years. The sight of millions of South Africans queuing patiently to cast their votes on 29 May in the country’s provincial and national elections evoked memories of the 1994 election, marking the end of apartheid. This election…