By Sean Rayment Russian cyber hackers have breached security at some of the country’s most sensitive military bases, including an RAF station where US nuclear weapons are stored. The Russian group known as Lynx has targeted numerous RAF and Royal Navy bases using a tactic called a “gateway attack”. The bases whose security was breached include RAF Lakenheath, where the US B61-12 thermonuclear gravity bombs are believed to be housed. Other bases penetrated include RAF Portreath, a top-secret radar station that forms part of NATO’s air defence network, and RAF Predannack, now home to the UK’s National Drone Hub. Last…

By Sean Rayment Britain’s financial institutions are not prepared “tactically or strategically” for the way modern conflict threats could target them, it has been claimed. The UK has left itself vulnerable to security risks by failing to put finance at the centre of its national defences, the head of the City regulator has warned. Nikhil Rathi, chief executive of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), told leading financial figures at Mansion House that the UK was “not prepared, tactically or strategically” for the way modern conflict and other threats such as cyberattacks could hit companies and markets. In an unusual intervention…

By Staff Writer Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Vladimir Putin of abandoning planned peace talks after the United States decided against sending long-range Tomahawk cruise missiles to Kyiv, suggesting Moscow’s interest in diplomacy evaporated the moment the missile threat was taken off the table. The move has led to claims that Vladimir Putin used the prospect of talks with Donald Trump as a ruse to buy time and halt the possible delivery of Tomahawks, which Kyiv has described as a crucial deterrent against Russian strikes. After Russia abruptly pulled out of the talks, Zelensky said Moscow’s behaviour showed its…

By Sean Rayment The EU has agreed to move forward with plans for a drone wall at the heart of its eastern defences as momentum grows for a €140bn loan to Ukraine based on Russian frozen assets. After a meeting with ministers from ten mostly Central and Eastern European member states plus Ukraine, the EU’s defence commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, said a drone wall to protect against incursions from the skies was an immediate priority and a core element of the bloc’s eastern flank defences. With the Russian threat growing through both drone and fighter incursions in recent weeks, Europe is…

By Sean Rayment One of the Royal Marines’ most senior officers has made a direct appeal to elite female athletes to consider a career as a commando. Colonel Innes Catton, the Commandant of the Commando Training Centre, wants women to attempt one of the armed forces’ toughest selection courses, but he has warned that they will probably have to be elite athletes. Women have been allowed to join the Royal Marines and serve in front-line combat units since 2018, but so far no officers or recruits have managed to complete the arduous 32-week commando training course. The Royal Marines training…

By Ben Farmer An army commander has been sworn in as Madagascar’s new president after weeks of “Gen Z” youth protests ended in a military takeover. Colonel Michael Randrianirina formally took charge of the Indian Ocean nation only four days after his predecessor, President Andry Rajoelina, fled the country on a French military plane. The rapid power grab has been condemned by the African Union and the United Nations and is the latest in a string of coups to befall former French colonies in Africa in recent years. Colonel Randrianirina has pledged to uphold the constitutional order and abide by…

By Sean Rayment Britain is at risk from a “catastrophic” attack on its undersea cables that could trigger a complete civil collapse, a former defence chief has warned. The scale of the threat facing the UK emerged during an investigation by Parliament’s Joint Committee on National Security. Committee members were shocked to discover just how vulnerable the cables remain after a nine-month inquiry, according to one former defence chief. The cables carry 95 per cent of Britain’s global data traffic and form the backbone of the digital economy. However, MPs and peers were so concerned about alerting Russia to the…

By Sean Rayment Hundreds of young people gathered in St Petersburg to sing an outlawed song calling for Vladimir Putin to be overthrown. In a rare moment of public dissent, the crowd joined street musicians in a central square on Tuesday night to shout anti-war lyrics that have been branded “extremist” under new Russian censorship laws. “Where have you been for eight years, you f—— monsters? I want to watch ballet, let the swans dance,” the crowd chanted in Russian in the busy thoroughfare. “Let your grandpa tremble with excitement for Swan Lake.” The song, titled Co-operative Swan Lake by Noize MC, a…

By Staff Writer Israel and Hamas have agreed to a major deal that could see the release of all remaining hostages held in Gaza within days, alongside a large-scale prisoner exchange and a temporary ceasefire. The framework, based on US President Donald Trump’s 20-point plan to end the Gaza war, was finalised during talks in Sharm el-Sheikh and represents the most significant diplomatic breakthrough since the war began. According to senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, the agreement includes the release of roughly 20 living hostages in exchange for nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners, including around 250 serving life sentences. The handover…

By Sean Rayment Islamist-inspired terrorist attacks in the UK could increase in the coming months, intelligence chiefs have warned the government. Britain’s intelligence services believe the two-year anniversary of the Hamas attack in Israel could lead to a series of attacks similar to the Manchester Synagogue stabbing last week in which an Islamist-inspired terrorist was shot dead. Human intelligence personnel at MI5 and GCHQ believe it can take between 18 months and two years for individuals to become radicalised, which is often kick-started by a significant event such as the 9/11 attacks, the Iraq War and more recently the Hamas…

By Andre Pienaar The attackThe Syrian Popular Resistance (SPR) announced that it and “allied forces” had targeted US positions south of Hasakah City with unspecified weapons. Syrian social media channels circulated videos showing air defence systems activating over al Shaddadi Base in Hasakah Province, suggesting US troops engaged in defensive fire. The United States has not confirmed the incident. Analysts caution that neither the SPR’s claim nor the footage can yet be independently verified. Militia’s evolutionFormed in December 2024, immediately after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, the SPR emerged to oppose the Syrian transitional government. Until now, its operations had…

By Andre Pienaar When the United States announced its new reciprocal tariff framework earlier this year, critics rushed to focus on the headline numbers: 30 per cent tariffs on South Africa, 40 per cent on Mauritius, 47 per cent on Madagascar, even 50 per cent on Lesotho. Yet beneath the noise lies a far more consequential fact: the majority of African nations have been anchored at the minimum tariff rate of 10 per cent. This is not a bureaucratic accident. It is a deliberate policy choice by Washington that reflects both pragmatism and partnership. By granting more than thirty African…