Officials across the government reacted strongly to the news that the US is deploying previously banned missiles that could hit Russian territory | On Thursday, Russian officials reacted strongly and vowed to respond to the US announcing that it will deploy missile systems to Germany starting in 2026 that were previously banned by the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. [...] Anatoly Antonov, Russia’s ambassador in Washington, said the deployment could lead to confrontation. “The Americans are increasing the risk of a missile arms race. Here, they forget that going the way of confrontation may set off an uncontrollable escalation amid the dangerous aggravation of tensions along the Russia-NATO track,” he said. ● Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, warned of a strong response if the US goes through with the deployment. “I hope that it will not happen, because Russia’s response will be harsh and adequate. This is simply unacceptable,” she said.

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According to Der Spiegel and Bild, key highways would be at NATO’s full disposal in case of a conflict with Russia | The German Defense Ministry has drawn up contingency plans for a potential military conflict with Russia, Der Spiegel and Bild have claimed, having seen the alleged document. The plan reportedly envisages Germany serving as a key transit state for NATO troops, with its population and civil services being expected to assist foreign military personnel. [...] Several key highways would supposedly be used for this purpose, meaning that they would be closed to civilian traffic. Local communities would be expected to supply the passing military personnel with food, housing, resting areas, and fuel, both media outlets claimed. [...] According to Bild, citing a Defense Ministry spokesperson, aside from its role as NATO’s logistical hub, Germany would also need to establish a major prisoner-of-war camp on its soil should a military confrontation with Russia break out. The two media outlets quoted Bundeswehr Inspector General Carsten Breuer as estimating that Berlin has until 2029 to get ready for a potential military conflict with Moscow, as Russia could supposedly be in a position to attack NATO by then.

Ευάγγελος Λ. | "The number of French dead "has exceeded the psychological threshold" | Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) declassified a report by an agent who said in March that France was preparing to send a group of about 2,000 soldiers to fight in Ukraine. The briefing was published in the latest issue of SVR's Scout magazine. ● In it, an agent using the pseudonym Felix claimed that the French army was "concerned about the increased number of Frenchmen killed on the Ukrainian front", particularly after Russian forces destroyed a temporary mercenary training center near Kharkiv last January. That strike alone killed "dozens of French civilians," Paris reportedly estimated, noting that since then, similar attacks "have become the norm in the conflict in Ukraine." ● The French Defense Ministry has acknowledged that it has not seen such casualties since the war in Algeria in the second half of the 20th century, according to the encrypted Felix cable. The SVR agent said that the exact number of casualties and the idea that there are any French soldiers in Ukraine are being deliberately concealed by the French authorities. They fear that the number of casualties "has exceeded the psychologically significant threshold" and that their publication could cause massive public protests and resentment among active officers. Despite these issues, Felix said that "the French authorities are nevertheless preparing a contingent to be sent to Ukraine", claiming that this group was originally planned to include about 2,000 soldiers. After all, French President Emmanuel Macron has long suggested on several occasions that his country could send soldiers to fight alongside Kyiv. (DeepL + Grammarly)