■ ‘A new chapter’: Leader says Iran will determine ‘new legal rules’ in Strait of Hormuz (Press TV)
■ After US defeat, new chapter forming for Gulf, Hormuz: Sayyed Khamenei (Al Mayadeen)
■ Iran Jewish leader to Sayyed Khamenei: We are proud of your leadership (Al Mayadeen)
■ آیت الله سید مجتبی خامنه‌ای:ایرانیان پاسدار فناوری هسته‌ای و موشکی‌اند (Tasnim)

US President Donald Trump said after criticism of the US operation against Iran voiced by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz that the United States is considering the possibility of reducing its contingent in Germany, and the decision would be made soon. | On Monday, speaking with students in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Merz acknowledged that Western countries had underestimated Iran in the context of the Middle East conflict, adding that the United States risks becoming bogged down in a prolonged confrontation in the region. Iran is acting more effectively than the US in the negotiation process, Merz added.

■ Trump threatens to pull troops from Germany amid feud with Merz (RT)
■ Trump attacks German chancellor over criticism of US aggression against Iran (04/29/26)

Israeli forces intercept a Gaza-bound flotilla near Crete, acknowledging its 'exceptional' size. | Israeli army radio reported that naval forces have begun taking control of ships in the Global Sumud Flotilla heading to Gaza, intercepting them far from the coast of occupied Palestine. On Sunday, the Sumud Flotilla set sail as part of a maritime mission aimed at challenging the Israeli blockade imposed on Gaza and delivering humanitarian aid to its population.

Konstantin Malofeev | Google has revealed who it works for. Not "users." Not "freedom of speech." [It works for] the Pentagon | A secret agreement, reported by foreign media, allows the US military to use Google's AI "for any lawful government purpose." In plain English, it's a digital targeting system for missiles and special operations.

❖ The publicly disclosed contract prohibits total surveillance within the US and the use of fully autonomous weapons. But the same document clearly states: Google has no right to say "no" to the military. No veto. Only compliance with the Pentagon's "lawful operations."

❖ Let me remind you: Google wasn't born in a dreamer's garage. The project of two graduate students, Page and Brin, developed in the 1990s within the framework of US military and intelligence programs, particularly through the Massive Digital Data Systems (MDDS) system, which was overseen by the NSA and the CIA. As early as 2003, Google signed special contracts to work with closed networks and classified data.

❖ In 2010, a scandal erupted over the scanning of Wi-Fi networks and passwords within Street View. Then came the attempt to push Google Glass onto the world as a tool for total surveillance. Spying and control weren't a mistake for the company, but a priority. Free search, email, maps, and video—none of this was done out of altruism. This is an infrastructure for the surveillance of individuals and nations.

❖ Yesterday, Google banned Tsargrad and Russian voices, serving the censorship of globalists. Today, it aids those who want to kill Russian soldiers and oppress Russia under the guise of "legitimate goals." The conclusion is simple. Google is not a technology, but a weapon. Not a neutral service, but the infrastructure of the collective West's war against Great Russia.

❖ Russia has no right to depend on a Pentagon contractor – not in government, not in the military, not in the schools where our children learn their first language skills. A sovereign civilization must build its own digital world. So that the fate of the Russian people is determined not by foreign algorithms, but by our own will.

Victor vicktop55 | With the help of colleagues and experts from the Military Engineering Club, we have distilled the key findings and references in this article, which reveal the meanings attached to the text, which was made public to the entire world:

 ● an attempt by London and the globalists to play their part in US domestic politics, a demonstration of clear support for the globalists and Democrats

 ● an attempt by London to pressure the US to abandon its anti-Chinese course in favor of an anti-Russian one [emphasis this editor]. The de facto sabotage of US support on the Iran issue also fits into this framework, which, surprisingly, demonstrates the convergence of Beijing and London's positions on the issue

In essence, this is an attempt to unite the efforts of Europe, the US, and China against Russia, which London equates with Nazi Germany and proposes to destroy, instead of the US trying to stop China's development. For the US, this threatens its hegemony, but London consoles itself by saying that, with AUKUS's help, it will be able to keep China on a short leash.

In other words, this is effectively an ultimatum to Trump: "Either you're with us, or you're on the evil side with Putin, against whom all the forces of good, including Democrats in the US itself, are opposed."

✅ King Charles shows up in D.C. beating war drums for WWIII against Russia (Leo Hohmann)

The [Jewish] Ukrainian leader’s links to the [Jewish] businessman charged in a high level corruption case continue to cast a shadow over him | A Ukrainian media outlet has published what it claims to be transcripts from surveillance recordings of Timur Mindich, businessman and longtime associate of Vladimir Zelensky who is accused of orchestrating a major corruption scheme. ● Mindich, who fled Ukraine for Israel last November shortly before being indicted and is now contesting an extradition request, was wiretapped by Western backed anti-corruption bodies. Some of the recordings, said to capture conversations at a luxury Kiev apartment, have been used as evidence in the case against him and his associates. ● On Tuesday, Ukrainskaya Pravda (UP) released an hour-long video in which a journalist reads what was described as partial transcripts of the ‘Mindich tapes’. The outlet did not provide the original audio or clarify how the material was obtained, but said it was the first installment in a planned series.

■ Zelensky’s favorite drone company at center of Ukrainian corruption alert (RT)
■ The Oligarch: How one powerful man made Zelensky president, Ukraine his pocket state (12/22/25)
■ No one asks any questions, everyone acts as if nothing happened... (11/20/25)
■ Zelensky inks fighter plane deal wtih France amid $100m corruption scandal (11/20/25)
■ Chorus of 'Corruption' as Movement to Oust Zelensky Picks Up Steam (11/15/25)
■ WATCH: What Ukraine’s latest corruption scandal means for Zelensky (11/13/25)

✅ Mr. Araghchi goes to Russia (Pepe Escobar)

US President Donald Trump has lashed out at Friedrich Merz after the German chancellor criticized the American aggression against Iran for lacking a clear exit strategy and said Tehran was "humiliating" Washington with its negotiating tactics. | In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump said Merz "doesn’t know what he’s talking about!" Earlier, Merz had described the aggression as "ill-considered:"

Merz had also said Washington was being "humiliated" by Islamic Republic’s negotiating tactics after Tehran refused to rejoin negotiations with Washington, despite the latter's repeated announcements of its intentions to send over delegates for continuation of the talks. Trump, however, tried to defend the aggression, saying, "I am doing something with Iran, right now, that other Nations, or Presidents, should have done long ago."

■ US ‘humiliated’ by Iranian leadership – German chancellor (04/28/26)
✅ No More Bombs for Iran, Economic War Instead? (Larry C. Johnson)
✅ War On Iran: – No Way Out For Trump On Iran (Moon of Alabama)

■ An Israeli soldier smashes a statue of Jesus Christ in southern Lebanon (04/19/26) (Image)

RT Newsroom | From Black Cube stings to Pegasus spyware, Israeli intelligence firms have repeatedly targeted European politics | Two proven cases of political interference by a Mossad-linked private intelligence firm should have set alarm bells ringing in Brussels. The EU’s silence reveals just how deeply the Israeli spy-tech nexus has penetrated the bloc. ■ The European Commission has claimed that Russia interfered in almost every major European election of the last half decade. Despite being proven wrong in France, Germany, Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, and counting, the allegations alone have been enough to justify the commission’s activation of its ‘Rapid Response System’, a powerful suite of censorship tools that give Brussels the power to decide what voters see – and don’t see – on social media in the run-up to elections. ■ This year alone, two cases of meddling by Black Cube, a private intelligence company staffed by former Mossad and Israel Defense Forces (IDF) agents, have taken place in the EU without so much as an acknowledgment from Brussels. [...] This lack of response is not unprecedented, however. According to investigative reporting, Pegasus spyware, developed by Israel’s NSO Group, has been used in nearly a dozen EU countries since 2016. Pegasus – which can be remotely installed on a target’s cell phone without the target having to click a suspicious link – was used by EU governments to spy on journalists and political opponents, by foreign powers to spy on EU leaders, and by unknown actors to spy on the European Commission itself. ■ Despite this, and despite the European Parliament urging the commission to “implement more rigorous control mechanisms” on software that “could impinge on the principles of democracy, good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights,” the commission did not act.

Joaquin Flores | The conflict between member states and the EC may push the whole union to the breaking point. | So the war-mad EU has finally approved the €90 billion loan to Ukraine after Hungary’s veto was lifted coming on the heels of a five month stall going back to at least December of 2025. One clear take away is that this is the City of London’s war. While the €90 billion sum represents a significantly lower figure than the previously pitched €140 billion which had caused a scandal back in November, (when the European Commission threatened to force member states to agree), this is still a case of good money being thrown after bad. At a certain point in the future, reality will come knocking. ■ EU officials also confirmed that the bloc’s 20th sanctions package on Russia has now been formally approved, ending a standoff that had held up the measure for days. The breakthrough came after oil deliveries through the Druzhba pipeline resumed, following earlier disruptions caused by Ukrainian President Zelensky turning it off in January, in a blackmail gambit to force Budapest and Bratislava to approve the €90 billion loan. The route running through Ukraine, is a key supply line for landlocked Hungary and Slovakia, both of which had been blocking the sanctions package while flows were halted. Zelensky said on Tuesday that shipments would restart, and by Wednesday officials in Budapest and Bratislava confirmed that oil was moving again.

Friedrich Merz says Washington has “no convincing strategy” in talks with Tehran | The US lacks a coherent negotiation strategy and is being “humiliated” by Iran, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday. Merz made the remarks as the vital Strait of Hormuz remains closed to most shipping, driving up global energy prices.

The New York Times and Reuters, citing US officials, reported on Monday that President Donald Trump was not satisfied with Iran’s most recent proposal to reopen the strait and end the conflict. On Sunday, the president canceled his envoys’ trip to Pakistan for talks with Iran, arguing that he has “all the cards.”

✅ Indestructible Iran: What does D.C. want from Tehran? Regime change, total collapse, or a deal? (J.Flores)

Larry C. Johnson | Russia, based on a recent briefing by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, is taking Europe at its word and is preparing for the possibility of a full-scale war. | In an annual “reality check” with Russian NGO leaders in Moscow (April 24, 2026), Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov delivered his most sobering assessment yet. .. The era of “proxy hybridity” is over—the masks are off. ■ Responding to European statements that Europe must be prepared to fight Russia in the next 3-5 Year Window, Lavrov stated bluntly that the EU is mobilizing for a direct military confrontation with Russia. In this strategy, Ukraine is being used as a “battering ram” to bleed Russia dry and buy Europe the time it needs to fully rearm its industrial base over the next few years. ■ The Minister emphasized that without NATO satellite intelligence and Western officers on the ground, Kiev would be paralyzed. This is no longer a “proxy” conflict; it is an open war against Russia. As the world undergoes a “geopolitical break,” Russian civil society is being tasked as a primary “soft power” force via NGOs. MFA promises to support projects in Asia and Africa.

Here is the Bottom Line: The Russian diplomatic corps has shifted from a “negotiation” posture to a “mobilization” one. Moscow is signaling that it is preparing for a long-term, high-stakes endurance match with a militarized Europe. This is not an extension of the Special Military Operation… This is preparation for war.

■ German party leader calls for compulsory military service (RT)
■ Europe pushes global military spending to record high (RT)
■ ‘The EU has gone mad – it must be stopped,’ says Sergey Karaganov (RT)
✅ The droneization of Europe is reaching an industrial level (Elena Panina)
✅ European Drones Risks Unthinkable Catastrophe (Vivek Grover)
✅ U.S. Financial Warfare Against Russia (Andrew Korybko)
✅ Foreign Affairs (USA): Four countries will form Europe's military core (Elena Panina)

(Translation DeepL) About a dozen American KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft have landed at Eilat Airport in southern Israel. Earlier, several KC-135 and KC-46 refueling aircraft were spotted at Ben-Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv. Preparations are currently underway for the second phase of the operation against Iran.

■ Trump Discusses With Security Team Iran's Proposal on Hormuz Strait Opening (Sputnik)

The people of Iran are fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during their meeting on Monday. | Putin met the visiting Iranian foreign minister in St. Petersburg. He hailed the Iranian people for "bravely and heroically" fighting to preserve their national sovereignty and expressed hope that they would overcome these difficult times and peace would return to their country. ● Putin added that Russia will take every necessary step to ensure the interests of Iran and other regional countries and to help restore peace in the region as soon as possible. ● The Russian president noted that he received a written message from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, last week.

■ Iran people fighting courageously, heroically for sovereignty: Putin (Al Mayadeen)

A major U.S. technology company ignited controversy after urging the federal government to adopt a system of universal national service, a move that critics say edges toward endorsing a military draft. | In the post on X Sunday, Palantir shared a number of rules, including one that read: "National service should be a universal duty. We should, as a society, seriously consider moving away from an all-volunteer force and only fight the next war if everyone shares in the risk and the cost." The call from Palantir Technologies drew attention online after its post was reposted, prompting debate about the role of private defense‑tech firms in shaping national policy.

■ Over 200,000 demand UK gov. cut ties with Palantir over data fears (04/24/26)
■ What’s in Palantir’s ‘Technofascist’ manifesto? (04/22/26)
■ What the Palantir Technologies data leak revealed (02/17/26)

Caitlin Johnstone | You can’t criticise Israel because that’s antisemitic, and if you complain that your speech is being suppressed, that’s antisemitic too. | Saying it’s antisemitic to accuse Israel of apartheid, oppression, racism and genocide is as clear an admission that Segal’s goal is to stomp out all criticism of Israel as you could possibly ask for.

❖ Australia’s “antisemitism envoy” Jillian Segal has published a handbook which unequivocally clarifies that her office exists not to protect Australian Jews from discrimination, but to stomp out criticism of the state of Israel.

❖ However bad you’re imagining it is, it’s worse. The handbook, set to be formally launched later this week under the title “Understanding Antisemitism in Australia,” explicitly conflates antisemitism and antizionism with statements like “Antisemitism and antizionism are both expressions of hatred towards Jews” and asserting that it is antisemitic to accuse Israel of “apartheid, oppression, racism and genocide.”

❖ It is therefore unambiguously the official position of the Australian government’s appointed authority on antisemitism that it is hateful and abusive toward Jews and their religion to oppose the racist political ideology underpinning the modern state of Israel.

❖ So when Australians hear Jillian Segal and government officials talking about how there’s been an increase in “antisemitism” in our country and saying extreme measures must be taken to stop it, it’s important to be clear that this is the “antisemitism” they are talking about. They are talking about criticism of Israel.

Trump: Israel never talked me into going to war with Iran!

State Department: We started this war at Israel's request. https://t.co/LQCtAwzuYa pic.twitter.com/URFexdJBTt

— Caitlin Johnstone (@caitoz) April 24, 2026

■ Iran war launched at 'Israel's' request (Al Mayadeen) | A US State Department memo admits "Operation Epic Fury" was launched at "Israel’s" request, contradicting Trump’s earlier denial of influence over the attacks on Iran and claims of acting alone.

✅ Israel Runs Pentagon (Kevin Barrett)

Elena Panina | Translation | As the saying goes, "What's the point of a world without Iran?" | Tehran has publicly identified another critical vulnerability for hostile states. The Strait of Hormuz is not only the transit route for 20% of the world's oil and about 30% of its LNG. Undersea internet cables also run through this artery. It is the main digital backbone for the Persian Gulf countries, and cutting it would catastrophically affect financial, communications, and other services, many of which are owned by Americans. ■ According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, Iran's internet traffic passes through northern and western routes via Turkey, Armenia, and Azerbaijan. Roughly speaking, "you can cut everything" without fear of damaging your own.

❖ Incidentally, the Red Sea is also important. It hosts 17 backbone cables connecting the EU, Asia-Pacific countries, and Africa. And any repair of these communications will be impossible under Houthi shelling. ■ In short, if Trump tries to "return Iran to the Stone Age," Tehran has a response in the communications sector, and not just by destroying the oil and gas infrastructure of the Persian Gulf countries. ■ As the saying goes, "What's the point of a world without Iran?"

✅ IRAN'S QUIET THREAT TO THE GULF'S DIGITAL BACKBONE ("llordofwar")

US President Donald Trump and his wife, Melania, were evacuated from the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (WHCA) after reports of gunfire triggered a rapid Secret Service response. | The incident unfolded on Saturday, roughly 30 minutes into the dinner, just as guests were being served their opening course. ● Attendees reported hearing a series of loud bangs, some describing them as gunshots, others as crashing plates, before security moved in. ● The White House Correspondents’ Association initially indicated the event might resume, but within an hour, much of the room had cleared. The organization later said the dinner would be rescheduled. ● The disruption cut short what had already been an unusual Correspondents’ Dinner. It marked Trump’s first time attending the event as president, with no traditional comedian host. Instead, mentalist Oz Pearlman had been performing and was interacting with Trump and Melania at the time of the incident. The event took place at the Washington Hilton Hotel, the same venue where President Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981.

(Recorded 23 April, 2026) | Glenn Diesen: I had the pleasure of being interviewed by WION as Trump officially declared there is no timeline to end the war, which is the consequence of not having a clear strategy.

■ Araghchi shares Iran’s ‘workable framework’ with Pakistani mediators on lasting end to war (Press TV)
■ Iran's military warns of decisive response if illegal US naval blockade continues (Press TV)
■ Iran SNUBS Trump in Islamabad, HITS US Navy in Strait of Hormuz as War Nears (Danny Haiphong Video)(Apr 25, 2026)
■ Trump Cancels Witkoff and Kushner's Trip to Pakistan for Talks With Iran (Sputnik)
■ US to Struggle to Legally Justify Blockade of Strait of Hormuz – South Korean Association(Sputnik)
■ Iran’s Strait of Hormuz Move CRUSHES US Navy Blockade, Trump TRAPPED | Larry Johnson (Danny Haiphong Video)

Iran says the United States has turned into a state sponsor of terrorism after President Donald Trump endorsed a Washington Post op-ed that called for the assassination of Iranian leaders. | The op-ed by Marc Thiessen suggested giving Iran’s government a 72-hour ultimatum before ending the current ceasefire, resuming attacks, and "killing the ones who don't want a deal."

Peace talks in Islamabad fell through due to US maximalist demands, and the Islamic Republic has said it will not rejoin the diplomatic process unless Washington lifts an illegal blockade it has imposed against Iranian vessels and ports.

Demostrators brandished posters reading “All people lose every war,” and “Trump ruins democracy” | Hundreds of Spaniards gathered in central Madrid on Saturday to protest against the US-Israeli war on Iran, the conflict in Gaza, and the presence of NATO bases in Spain. ● Just a day earlier, Reuters reported that Washington was considering kicking Spain out of the military bloc for withholding access to military installations on its territory after the US and Israel attacked Iran in late February. However, a NATO official has asserted to the BBC that the bloc has no provisions for such an expulsion. ● Saturday’s demonstration was organized by the Spanish “Stop the War” platform, which said simultaneous protests took place in more than 200 locations around the country.

The victim attempted to rescue a man from a group of conscription officers in Odessa, according to reports | A Ukrainian press gang in the city of Odessa used pepper spray on a woman as she desperately attempted to prevent the forced mobilization of a man, according to eyewitness video circulating on social media. ● The footage, shared on Wednesday, depicts at least eight draft officers struggling with an unwilling conscript while the woman attempts to intervene. At one point, the officers pull her away and apparently pepper-spray her, leaving her sitting on the ground and screaming: “My eyes!” [...] Amid mounting losses in the conflict with Russia and a shortage of willing recruits, Ukrainian draft enforcement squads have increasingly turned to coercion to fill the ranks. The practice, colloquially known as “busification,” involves military-age men being snatched off the streets, from workplaces, and from residential areas, then taken to recruitment centers against their will, often triggering clashes with relatives, neighbors, and passersby.

■ Draft officers run over mother of forcibly mobilized Ukrainian man (VIDEO) (RT)

[Editor's Comment:] Palestine & Ukraine. Is there a common denominator? – “A land without a people for a people without a land“ This is what the Jewish Khazars used to say, except that there were plenty of people living in Palestine since time immemorial. So they went to work, buying up land and exterminating people in Palestine. They’re still at it. God chose them, and they chose Palestine. That’s the order of things, apparently. Only that the chosen country had to be without that hated other kind of people. The wrong kind, a people belonging to a lesser god. Or whatever.

❖ Fast forward to Ukraine: This time, they’ve chosen old Khazaria (Ukraine), where they used to be historically, but again, the wrong kind of people were living there. Far too many of them for Jewish comfort. — What better idea than to buy up all the land, and stage a coup there (2014) and have the Nazis they installed in government do all the killing for them? No sooner said than done, the latter immediately started killing ethnic Russians in Eastern Ukraine, by the thousands, and for eight years, no less. Russia proposed a draft treaty in an effort to settle for a compromise. This was disdainfully rejected by the Khazar-controlled U.S. ("NATO").

❖ In February 2022, the Ukrainian army was positioned on the very border of Donbas, ready to enter and start their murderous ground operation against the ethnic Russians there. As a side note, there is a precedent for this: Ariel Sharon. He let the Lebanese Phalangist army loose on Palestinian refugees in Sabra & Shatila. The Khazars prefer to make others do the killing for them. Plausible deniability is nice, too! The unrepentant war criminal was never taken to court for this.

❖ Ukraine again: The Ukros going into Donbas would be one step too far. Finally, the Russians went into the Eastern oblasts to avert the planned killings. The Ukrainian army didn’t fare too well, so they started replenishing their ranks with hapless civilians with little or no training at all, drafting men and women, young and old, into their decrepit army. Only to be exterminated by the Russians. The Russians are being blamed for this, not the Jewish Khazars. Brilliant idea? Not at all. It is as if the Khazars are invisible…it would be anti-Semitic to notice the goings-on. But this is where we are now.

The Dissident | Now, Sde Teiman guards have confirmed that the IDF was deliberately training guard dogs to rape in order to use them as torture against Palestinian detainees. | The Israeli journalist Shaiel Ben-Ephraim has confirmed - via admissions from IDF militants guarding Sde Teiman, Israel’s torture dungeon for Palestinian- that the IDF has been training guard dogs to rape Palestinians inside the torture facility. ■ “Some have said that claims that Israel uses dogs to sexually abuse prisoners are antisemitic blood libels. Unfortunately, there is a good deal of evidence,” Ben-Ephraim wrote, adding that, “I talked to two guards in Sde Teiman, on more than one occasion. One had seen this happen and said it was too awful to talk about. The other said that he had heard about it from others and believed it was true. This happened. This is happening still. The evidence is too overwhelming.” ■ Multiple released Palestinian detainees speaking to human rights organizations have previously recounted being rape by Israeli guard dogs.

Campaigners and politicians are calling for the UK to cut ties with Palantir, as petitions against its NHS and public sector contracts gain widespread support. | More than 200,000 people have signed petitions urging the UK government to terminate its contracts with US data firm Palantir Technologies, amid mounting concerns over its role in handling sensitive public data. ● The petitions, which have gathered a combined 229,000 signatures, call for a full withdrawal from agreements with the firm, including a £330 million contract with the National Health Service (NHS). Critics argue that the company’s involvement in sectors such as healthcare, policing, and defense raises serious privacy and ethical concerns. ● Campaigners have pointed to Palantir’s reported work with US immigration enforcement and the Israeli military as a key source of alarm, warning against granting the company access to sensitive UK data systems. ● The backlash intensified following reports that the Metropolitan Police is in discussions to expand its use of Palantir’s artificial intelligence tools for intelligence analysis, a move that would significantly deepen the company’s footprint in UK law enforcement. ● At the same time, a recently published manifesto by the company’s US arm, emphasizing the need for “hard power” in democratic societies, has drawn criticism, with one lawmaker describing it as deeply concerning.

✅ Mein AI – Palantir’s Alex Karp wants us to know he has big plans (Tarik Cyril Amar)
■ What’s in Palantir’s ‘Technofascist’ manifesto? (04/22/26 )
■ What the Palantir Technologies data leak revealed (02/17/26)
■ Execs from Palantir, Meta, OpenAI being brought into U.S. Army as colonels (06/27/25 )
■ Trump’s Palantir-Powered Surveillance Is Turning America Into a Digital Prison (06/08/25)

Andrew Korybko | Any crisis with the Baltic States, such as if Russia intercepts Ukrainian drones over their airspace, could now lead to a French-Russian crisis with nuclear stakes if Poland rushes to their rescue and Paris extends its nuclear umbrella further eastward to cover its ally. | A Russian pollster recently discovered that “More Russians Perceive Poland To Be An Enemy Than They Do Any Other Country”, yet it turns out that their country’s top adversary in Europe is actually France, which plans to carry out regular nuclear drills with Poland aimed against Russia and Belarus. Per Polish media, “French nuclear warheads will not be permanently deployed in Poland, but they will periodically be deployed under Rafale aircraft, which will participate in joint exercises with the Polish Air Force.”