East Front News #111: Poland's new US deal and MSPO 2026

Strengthening the eastern flank: Poland's new US deal

Poland is set to receive access to another tranche of US Foreign Military Financing worth around $4 billion. The funding is expected to support further purchases of American military equipment, including potentially additional F-35 fighter aircraft.

Poland is already the largest beneficiary of the FMF programme, with access to $15 billion in loans. The additional package would bring the total available financing close to $20 billion and further deepen Polish-US defence cooperation.

Authors: Aleksander Olech, Kamil Sikora

Kim is nuclearising North Korea's navy

North Korea has commissioned the 5,000-tonne missile destroyer Kang Kon, the second vessel of its new class. Kim Jong Un says the ship will become part of Pyongyang’s nuclear response system.

North Korea is moving beyond individual prestige projects and attempting to create a maritime component of its nuclear deterrent. New destroyers, cruise missiles and a nuclear-powered submarine programme point towards a significant transformation of the country’s navy.

Author: Aleksander Olech

F-35s and new missiles: US strengthens its nuclear response [INTERVIEW]

The United States is considering ways to expand its options for limited nuclear deterrence as Russia and China continue to develop their nuclear forces. New weapons and the growing nuclear role of the F-35 are important elements of this debate.

Artur Kacprzyk of PISM notes that Washington appears increasingly open to certifying Polish F-35As for nuclear missions, while remaining opposed to permanently stationing American nuclear bombs on NATO’s eastern flank.

Author: Michał Górski

How extensive was NATO military aid to Ukraine?

NATO members and partner countries have supplied Ukraine with enormous quantities of military equipment, including tanks, armoured vehicles, artillery and multiple-launch rocket systems.

The article estimates that Ukraine received at least around 9,800 medium and heavy armoured vehicles, more than 8,500 light armoured vehicles, 446 towed howitzers and 1,120 self-propelled howitzers.

Author: Damian Ratka

Europe's €200 million counter to Trump's Greenland bid

The European Union has announced a €200 million package for Greenland covering critical minerals, satellite connectivity, subsea cables, renewable energy and infrastructure.

The initiative was presented during Ursula von der Leyen’s visit to Nuuk and comes amid renewed US interest in gaining greater control over Greenland. Brussels is also strengthening cooperation with Denmark and Greenland on cybersecurity and hybrid threats.

Author: Jakub Bielamowicz

The migration crisis in Ceuta as a tool of hybrid warfare?

Tens of thousands of migrants crossed from Morocco into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta during a sudden border crisis. The incident has raised questions about whether migration pressure was deliberately used for political purposes.

Morocco continues to dispute Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla. The scale and timing of the border crossings have therefore revived the European debate about the instrumentalisation of migration as a form of hybrid pressure.

Author: Julia Makurat

Race for the skies: the evolution of interceptor drones and Russia's adaptation

Interceptor drones have become an increasingly important part of Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s rapidly expanding UAV arsenal. Kyiv is developing automated interception, artificial intelligence and navigation systems resistant to electronic warfare.

Russia is simultaneously adapting by mass-producing faster jet-powered strike drones. Their speed significantly shortens the time available for detection and interception, creating a new technological challenge for Ukraine and NATO countries.

Polish 'little Shahed'

The Air Force Institute of Technology unveiled the Hornet unmanned aircraft at MSPO 2026. Its configuration resembles the Iranian Shahed family, although it is smaller and designed for a different class of missions.

The combat PL-OWA-1 version has a range of around 400 kilometres and carries a 16-kilogram warhead. The system has already secured a military customer and is being developed jointly by ITWL and Boryszew.

Author: Maciej Szopa

Nordic air force drills begin in Lapland

Finland, Sweden and Norway have launched joint air exercises at Rovaniemi Air Base in Finnish Lapland. Norwegian F-35s are being used to prepare Finnish infrastructure for the arrival of Finland’s own aircraft.

Finland has ordered 64 F-35As, while Norway operates 52 aircraft and Denmark plans to field 43. Together with Sweden’s Gripens, the Nordic countries are building an increasingly integrated air power structure.

Author: Patryk Jagnieża

WB Group presents major premieres at MSPO

WB Group unveiled four major new products at MSPO, including the X-Lifter, Warmate 8X and the long-awaited Gladius 2, also designated Warmate 30.

Gladius 2 has a range exceeding 250 kilometres, reduced radar signature and onboard artificial intelligence allowing it to operate without satellite navigation. WB Group also unveiled the Polish-made Star 8×8 Hyperion vehicle.

Author: Maciej Szopa

New Rosomak-L and RSK variants unveiled at MSPO 2026

A new export configuration of the Rosomak-L was presented at MSPO with Slovakia’s Turra 30 V10 turret. The project is intended to increase the vehicle’s attractiveness on foreign markets, including Saudi Arabia and Vietnam.

The exhibition also marked the debut of the Rosomak-RSK, designed for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear reconnaissance.

Record number of Russian diplomats expelled

Hungary has ordered ten Russian diplomats to leave the country, the largest simultaneous expulsion of Russian diplomatic personnel in Hungarian history.

Budapest stated that the diplomats had conducted activities incompatible with their diplomatic status under the Vienna Convention. The decision represents a notable change in a country that has maintained unusually close political relations with Moscow.

Author: Patryk Jagnieża

Estonia changes its defence minister

Estonia is preparing for a change at the Ministry of Defence after Hanno Pevkur resigned following controversy surrounding a €70 million ammunition procurement programme for Ukraine.

Former Estonian Defence Forces commander General Martin Herem is expected to replace him. The change comes as Tallinn increases defence expenditure, supports Ukraine and prepares for a sustained Russian military threat.

Author: Aleksander Olech

Gradually drawing closer: Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar's visit to Poland

Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Warsaw as Poland and India continue to intensify political contacts. His meetings were also intended to prepare the ground for Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s planned visit to India.

Relations have accelerated significantly after decades of limited high-level engagement. Direct air links, ministerial visits and Narendra Modi’s 2024 trip to Warsaw demonstrate growing political and economic interest on both sides.

Author: Adam Burakowski

He tried to enter the MSPO with a loaded magazine. A Ukrainian man has been detained

Security personnel at MSPO in Kielce detained a 44-year-old Ukrainian citizen carrying a magazine filled with live ammunition while attempting to enter the exhibition grounds.

No firearm was found on the man or in the vehicle in which he had travelled to Poland with two Ukrainian businessmen. Police are investigating illegal possession of ammunition and the reasons why he brought it to the defence exhibition.

Author: Bartłomiej Wypartowicz