Assange
- A group of 63 members of Australia’s parliament have urged the US to drop the charges against WikiLeaks founder and Australian citizen Julian Assange, who faces up to 175 years in prison if extradited to the US and convicted for exposing US war crimes. AWC
Russia
- The New York Times reported Wednesday that Russia has been able to significantly ramp up its production of ammunition and other armaments despite Western sanctions meant to degrade the country’s military industry. AWC
- NATO Deputy-General Secretary Mircea Geoana said Monday that there was “no risk” NATO member Romania would be dragged into the Russia-Ukraine war after Bucharest said drone fragments were found on Romanian territory. AWC
- Ukraine launched a barrage of cruise missiles at a Russian shipyard in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Wednesday, damaging at least two warships and injuring 24 people. AWC
- Bucharest reported finding more fragments of what is believed to be a drone in a region of Romania bordering Ukraine. The Romanian government continues to assert that debris from the war in Ukraine does not pose a threat. The Institute
- North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and held talks aimed at deepening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. While leaders were tight-lipped on the details of the discussions, cooperation in the military and space area were on the table. The Institute
China
- The head of US Pacific Air Forces said Monday that the Air Force was clearing out jungles in the Pacific to build new airfields and restore old ones as part of the branch’s preparation for war with China in the region. AWC
Middle East
- Washington and Manama signed a strategic security and economic agreement, which furthers plans to build a US-backed military alliance eyeing Iran in the region, on Wednesday. Concurrently, protests against human rights abuses inside Bahrain are ongoing and the White House is striving to forge a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal. The Institute
- Israeli airstrikes hit targets near Syria’s Mediterranean Sea port city of Tartous on Wednesday, killing two Syrian soldiers, Syria’s SANA news agency reported. AWC
