A change in the war

According to the [Russian] defence ministry, a Ukrainian drone was shot down on the approach to Engels base early on Monday morning but falling debris killed three soldiers.

The strike was the second recent attack on the Engels airbase, located about 300 miles away from the Ukrainian border and more than 450 miles south-east of Moscow.

Earlier this month, three servicemen were killed and two aircraft were damaged during an apparent Ukrainian drone attack on the Engels airbase.

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The Soviet-era Engels airbase, named after the communist philosopher Friedrich Engels, is a crucial site for Russian air force operations against Ukraine and for the country’s strategic nuclear forces.

It is home to Russia’s 121st heavy bomber aviation regiment, which includes the Tu-95 and Tu-160 strategic bomber squadrons whose missiles have devastated Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

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The attack on the Engels airbase once again exposed Russian air defence gaps and demonstrated Kyiv’s ability to penetrate hundreds of miles into Russian airspace.

  Guardian

A notable difference between Ukrainian and Russian drone attacks is that the Ukrainian attacks are on a military target, not civilian ones.

Meanwhile, despotic sabers are rattling in China and North Korea.

Seventy-one Chinese air force aircraft including fighter jets and drones entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone in the past 24 hours, the island’s government said on Monday, the largest reported incursion to date.

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China said it had conducted “strike drills” in the sea and airspace around Taiwan on Sunday in response to what it said was provocation from the democratically governed island and the US.

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[A Chinese spokesperson said they are] referring to the US defence spending bill, which calls China a strategic challenge. With regard to the Indo-Pacific region, the legislation authorises increased security cooperation with Taiwan and requires expanded cooperation with India on emerging defence technologies, readiness and logistics.

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Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing-wen, speaking at a military ceremony on Monday, reiterated the need for Taiwan to boost its defence capacity due to “the continuous expansion of authoritarianism.”

  Guardian

South Korea scrambled warplanes and attack helicopters and fired warning shots on Monday after North Korean drones violated its airspace, the South Korean military said.

South Korea tracked the drones crossing from North Korea over what is known as the military demarcation line between the two countries after detecting them in the skies of the western city of Gimpo at about 10.25am (0125 GMT), the military said.

  Guardian