East Front News #117: France deploys troops to the streets and Ukraine will buy weapons through NATO

France deploys troops to the streets. Elite units, gendarmes and armoured vehicles on standby

France is preparing a major security mobilisation ahead of another wave of protests. Around 1,000 soldiers are expected to be available in Paris, alongside CRS, Gendarmerie, GIGN, RAID, BRI and other specialised formations.

Centaure armoured vehicles, helicopters and water cannon will also be placed on standby after violent unrest left thousands of shops damaged or looted and hundreds of members of the security services injured.

Author: Aleksander Olech

Russia 'is boiling the frog.' Minister on attacks on NATO countries

Polish Minister-Coordinator of Special Services Tomasz Siemoniak warns that Russia is deliberately testing NATO through increasingly serious hybrid incidents while attempting to blur the threshold between peace and open conflict.

He argues that the Alliance cannot simply wait for a major war before responding. At the same time, Polish services currently see no indication that Russia is preparing an imminent full-scale invasion of Poland or the Baltic states.

Author: Michał Górski

Russia is building a huge radar near the border with Poland

Russia is constructing a massive over-the-horizon radar in the Kaliningrad region, only around 37 kilometres from Poland. Satellite imagery shows significant progress on the installation.

The system’s potential range could reach approximately 3,000 kilometres, placing most of Europe within Russia’s early-warning coverage and strengthening Moscow’s ability to monitor NATO aviation.

Author: Mariusz Marszałkowski

Ukraine will buy weapons through NATO. A groundbreaking decision

Ukraine will be allowed to purchase ammunition and military equipment directly through the NATO Support and Procurement Agency, significantly simplifying access to Western defence supplies.

Instead of negotiating numerous bilateral contracts, Kyiv will be able to use NATO’s centralised procurement system and benefit from economies of scale. Ukrainian defence companies have also gained greater access to NSPA tenders.

Author: Michał Górski

Kaja Kallas accuses the US of pushing Ukraine towards surrender. Estonia knows what is at stake

Kaja Kallas has openly accused American negotiators of pressuring Ukraine to accept Russian conditions for ending the war. Her remarks reveal increasingly visible differences between Washington and Europe over potential concessions to Moscow.

For Estonia and other eastern-flank states, an agreement rewarding territorial aggression would have consequences far beyond Ukraine. Tallinn sees the outcome of the war as directly connected to the future security of the Baltic states and Poland.

Author: Aleksander Olech

Russian satellite approaches ICEYE-X36. Crisis in orbit

Russia’s Cosmos 2612 satellite has carried out a series of manoeuvres bringing it extremely close to ICEYE-X36, operated by the Finnish-Polish satellite company ICEYE.

Estimates suggest that the satellites may have passed within only a few dozen metres of each other. The Russian platform could potentially conduct close-range intelligence collection or prepare other forms of interference with the Western satellite.

Author: Kacper Kremiec

Ukrainian energy sector ahead of winter. Russian drones and ballistic attacks are wearing down defences

Russia is intensifying strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure as winter approaches. Recent attacks involving hundreds of drones and missiles have damaged substations and other critical facilities across the country.

Ukraine is increasingly forced to divide limited air-defence resources between cities, infrastructure and military targets. The shortage of Patriot interceptors could make the coming winter particularly difficult.

Author: Bartłomiej Wypartowicz

Putin proposes summit with Trump and Xi on Ukraine. Zelenskyy excluded

Vladimir Putin has reportedly proposed a trilateral summit with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping to discuss the future of the war in Ukraine — without Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the table.

For Moscow, such a format would restore Russia’s position as a great power negotiating directly with Washington and Beijing. For Ukraine and NATO’s eastern flank, it risks allowing major powers to discuss regional security over the heads of the countries most directly affected.

Authors: Aleksander Olech, Jakub Radaszkiewicz

Another Russian aircraft crashed. Production can't keep up with the losses

A Russian Su-30 multirole fighter crashed in the Kaliningrad region during a training flight. Both crew members ejected, but the aircraft was destroyed.

Russia has already lost 21 combat aircraft in 2026, while domestic production is struggling to replace them. Only two new Su-30SM2 aircraft have reportedly been delivered this year.

Author: Maciej Szopa

Ukrainian drone in Lithuania. It 'flew in from Poland'

Lithuanian authorities say they possess evidence that a Ukrainian FP-1 drone entered Lithuanian airspace from Poland before crashing in the north of the country.

Warsaw says Polish radar data does not confirm that version. Lithuania has proposed a joint investigation, while Kyiv believes the drone may have been diverted during an attack on Russia by Russian electronic warfare systems.

Author: Wojciech Kozioł

Ukraine was not warned about another ballistic missile attack. President confirms

Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine once again received no advance warning from Western partners before a major Russian ballistic missile attack.

Russia launched 16 ballistic missiles in a multi-wave strike primarily targeting Kyiv and the surrounding region. Energy infrastructure, residential buildings, a school, a clinic and a metro station were among the sites damaged.

Author: Patryk Jagnieża

Sikorski: Poland does not have Patriot missiles to give to Ukraine

Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski says Poland does not have surplus Patriot interceptor missiles that could be transferred to Ukraine.

Warsaw is calling on NATO countries with larger reserves to provide additional ammunition. The shortage is becoming increasingly serious as Russia expands missile production while Ukraine consumes interceptors at a very high rate.

Author: Artur Marciniak

Special Ukrainian operation. First underground counter-offensive conducted on such a scale?

Ukrainian forces carried out an unusual underground operation in the Kharkiv region, moving approximately 15 kilometres through gas pipelines before attacking Russian positions.

The operation combined underground movement with drone strikes and reportedly resulted in more than 100 Russian casualties and over 30 prisoners. Ukrainian troops used specialised navigation, communications and life-support systems underground.

Author: Patryk Jagnieża

A shake-up in the Russian treasury. Putin is selling gold to fund the war

Russia’s central bank has sold approximately 62 tonnes of gold over the past ten months as pressure on the federal budget continues to grow.

Russian reserves have fallen to their lowest level since 2019, while the 2026 budget deficit could reach 7.3 trillion roubles. Assets accumulated in the National Wealth Fund are increasingly being used to finance the war and cover state spending.

Author: Magdalena Melke

Vance: Ukraine shouldn't join NATO

US Vice President J.D. Vance has stated publicly that Ukraine should not become a member of NATO, reinforcing one of the key differences between Kyiv’s long-term security ambitions and the current US administration.

The declaration comes as negotiations over a possible settlement continue and as questions over future security guarantees for Ukraine remain unresolved.

Author: Artur Marciniak