East Front News #89: Ukraine has real assets; France fears drones from Belarus

What drives Tallinn's unyielding stand on Russia?

Estonia is often portrayed as one of the European countries most exposed to a potential future Russian attack. But Tallinn maintains an unyelding stance towards Moscow, arguing that only a unified allied response, robust defence, and credible security guarantees for Ukraine can ensure Europe’s security.

In his interview with Margus Tsahkna, Estonia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aleksander Olech examines Tallinn’s defence planning and its approach to defeating Russia.

How does modern air defence work? Ukrainian officer explains

The war in Ukraine has already taken four years. Means of air defence have changed over time. In an interview with Defence24, Senior Lieutenant Oleksandr Vorobiov, Air Defence Deputy Chief and Training Officer, discusses what does and does not work on a modern battlefield.

Author: Jędrzej Graf

France fears drones from Belarus

Russian drones in Belarus are no longer a problem exclusively for Ukraine and NATO’s eastern flank. At the Élysée Palace and within the General Staff, concerns are increasingly being voiced that modern warfare may reach France itself faster than previously assumed.

Author: Dr Aleksander Olech

Ukraine is much more capable than Trump has assumed

Is Ukraine a broken state desperately begging the West for scraps? That’s what the narrative has been for months. But President Volodymyr Zelenskyy just proved something far more interesting: Kyiv has assets. Real ones. And it knows exactly how to monetise them.

Starting Thursday, March 26, Ukraine embarked on a whirlwind tour across the Gulf, signing defense cooperation agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the UAE in consecutive days. These weren’t charity visits. This was Ukraine cashing in on four years of hard-earned, blood-soaked expertise that no NATO ally has yet acquired.

Author: Sylwia Kubica

Can AGILE make Europe's defence ecosystem agile at last?

The EU wants to deliver disruptive military innovation to armed forces faster than ever before. But AGILE’s real significance may lie less in money than in the systemic and cultural shift it represents.

With each passing day of Russia’s war against Ukraine, disruptive defence innovation and its rapid mass deployment on the battlefield continue to prove decisive. Yet while both belligerents continue to adapt at speed, the EU defence ecosystem is falling increasingly, and dangerously, behind, widely viewed as too slow, too bureaucratic, and too rigid to keep pace with the realities of modern warfare.

Experience – a Ukrainian export commodity

After years of the Russo-Ukrainian war, both sides of the conflict have gained considerable experience in employing new technologies under combat conditions. Today, we can observe how this experience is being used as a unique advantage in relations with other countries.

Author: Patryk Jagnieża

Rest of the East Front NEWS:

• Irregularities in the Serbian elections

The conduct of Serbia’s local elections has been criticised by international observers from the Council of Europe, who pointed to incidents of violence and irregularities.

• Wreck of an unidentified drone in Latvia

Local police have found the wreckage of a drone of unknown origin near Rēzekne in the southeastern part of Latvia.

• Two Russian planes crashed in Ukraine

Russia has lost two important aircraft. The cause of the crashes remains unclear.