Author: BlackMask Financial

Posted on

Chinese drone experts worked with sanctioned Russian arms maker

  • Chinese experts visited Russia for drone development, documents show
  • Russian state-owned arms maker Kupol received Chinese military drones via sanctioned intermediary
  • China denies providing lethal weapons to conflict parties
Chinese drone experts have flown to Russia to conduct technical development work on military drones at a state-owned weapons manufacturer that is under Western sanctions, according to two European security officials and documents seen by Reuters. The Chinese experts have visited arms maker IEMZ Kupol on more than half a dozen occasions since the second quarter of last year. During that time, Kupol also received shipments of Chinese-made attack and surveillance drones via a Russian intermediary, according to the documents and two officials. In September last year, Reuters documented that Kupol had developed a new drone, the Garpiya-3, in China with the help of local specialists.  The officials, who asked that neither they nor their organisation be identified due to the sensitivity of the information, said the collaboration suggested a deepening relationship between Kupol and Chinese companies in developing drones – which have proven to be critically important to Russia’s war in Ukraine.  The drones were supplied by Russian defence procurement company TSK Vektor, which is under U.S. and EU sanctions, according to the officials and documents. TSK Vektor and Sichuan AEE did not respond to requests for comment. The U.S. and European governments have repeatedly expressed concern at Chinese companies supplying Russian arms makers, and have imposed sanctions on some of them. In July it was reported that Kupol was producing thousands of Garpiya one-way attack drones using Chinese parts, including engines. Garpiyas – which are modelled on Iran’s Shahed drone – can fly hundreds of miles to pre-programmed targets before diving out of the sky and exploding on impact. Kyiv has said around 500 are being used each month in Ukraine. A group of Chinese experts visited Kupol’s facilities in the city of Izhevsk to assemble the drones and train Kupol staff to use them, a Kupol document said. The experts then visited Chebarkul, it added. Airline bookings seen by Reuters showed the Chinese experts were due to fly out of Chelyabinsk the day after the tests.
The letter and flight reports described the Chinese experts as employees of TSK Vektor, the Russian procurement company. However, the European officials said they assessed that the individuals were AEE staff.
They cited AEE’s response to feedback from the test flights of the A200 drones, reviewed by Reuters, which said it was drawing on information from AEE technicians.
Subsequently, AEE billed TSK Vektor more than 5 million yuan ($700,000) for several A200s fitted with anti-jamming equipment as well as other goods in the second quarter of 2025, according to an invoice and an account statement.
Posted on

Drones spotted over four airports in Denmark….. Putin has a plan

Unidentified drones were spotted over four airports in Denmark late Wednesday and early Thursday, police told the media. According to the AFP News Agency, the sightings took place at Aalborg, Esbjerg, Sonderborg and the Skrydstrup airbase. Police confirmed the drones left on their own but stressed they were “taking the situation seriously” as investigations continue. “We cannot yet comment on the purpose of the drones flying in the area, nor can we say anything about who the actor behind it is,” BBC cited Chief inspector Jesper Bojgaard Madsen as saying. The information comes after one of the airports had to close for several hours before flights resumed.

Minister: No direct military threat to Denmark…. NN: Putin will attack soon

Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said on Thursday that the drone incursion at four Danish airports “certainly does not look like a coincidence,” but insisted that the country is not under direct military threat. He also said it is currently unclear who is behind the incident, which he characterized as a “hybrid attack.” Poulsen said Denmark is in an “arms race against time” due to rapidly evolving technology, noting that the country’s air drone detection and neutralization capabilities must be improved.

He called for closer cooperation with NATO and the European Union, including on creating a “drone wall” to protect the EU’s member states. HA HA  HA HA HA…. Ask Ukraine how that has worked out for them

Posted on

N. Korea seen holding 2,000 kilograms of enriched uranium…… US holds firm on N. Korea denuclearization policy

North Korea may hold as much as 2,000 kilograms of highly enriched uranium, Yonhap News Agency reported, citing South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young. Chung pointed to figures released by outside experts. He warned that uranium centrifuges in four locations are currently operating to build up nuclear material. “It is urgent to stop it,” he said, adding that renewed dialogue between the United States and North Korea could serve as a “breakthrough” in efforts toward denuclearization.

US holds firm on N. Korea denuclearization policy

The United States State Department reaffirmed Washington’s policy of seeking the “complete denuclearization of North Korea,” according to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency. A department spokesperson gave the comment in response to a Yonhap inquiry, underscoring that the US remains committed to its long-standing position, even as Pyongyang resisted such demands. “(We can) confirm the US policy of the complete denuclearization of North Korea,” the spokesperson was cited as saying.

NN: Another mad dog that the world is standing by doing nothing as he arms to the teeth with the deadliest weapons known to mankind. 

Posted on

Kremlin: Idea of Ukraine winning anything back ‘mistaken’

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov rejected United States President Donald Trump’s claims that Ukraine can recover all its territories taken by Russia during the ongoing war, labeling them as “mistaken.” Speaking at a press briefing on Wednesday, Peskov underlined that Ukraine is now in a worse position than it was at the beginning of the war. “The fact that they are trying by all means to encourage Ukraine to continue military operations and the idea that Ukraine can regain something is, in our opinion, a mistaken approach,” he noted. The official emphasized that the war against Ukraine is not “aimless,” as Trump previously claimed. “This war is meant to ensure our security and our interests and to eliminate the root causes of the conflict that currently exists between Russia and Ukraine, and which exists in the area of ​​European security in general,” he said.

NN: Reality for Russia to in this war is conquering Ukraine and occupying its territory. A win for Ukraine is to drive the Russian invaders out. It can go either way.
Posted on

Iran starts rebuilding missile sites hit by Israel

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran has begun rebuilding missile-production sites targeted by Israel during its 12-day war in June, satellite images analyzed by The Associated Press show, but a key component is likely still missing — the large mixers needed to produce solid fuel for the weapons. Reconstituting the missile program is crucial for the Islamic Republic, which believes another round of war with Israel may happen. The missiles are one of Iran’s few military deterrents after the war decimated its air defense systems — something that Tehran long has insisted will never be included in negotiations with the West. Missile experts told AP that obtaining the mixers is a goal for Tehran, particularly as it prepares for possible United Nations sanctions to be reimposed on the country later this month. The sanctions would penalize any development of the missile program, among other measures. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian is due to address the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday. “If they’re able to reacquire some key things like planetary mixers, then that infrastructure is still there and ready to get rolling again,” said Sam Lair, a research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies who studied Iranian missile sites. Solid-fuel missiles can be fired faster than those using liquid fuel, which must be loaded just before launch. That speed can make the difference between launching a missile and having it destroyed in a launcher — something that happened during the war with Israel.Iran has solid-fuel missile manufacturing bases at Khojir and Parchin, two sites just outside Tehran, as well as at Shahroud, some 350 kilometers (215 miles) northeast of the capital. Even before the most recent war, all of those sites came under Israeli attack in October 2024 during hostilities between the countries.

Attacks during the war in June appeared aimed at destroying buildings that housed the mixers, which are needed to ensure the missile fuel is evenly combined, according to experts. Other sites struck by Israel included manufacturing facilities that likely could be used to make the mixers. Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC taken this month and analyzed by AP show construction at both the Parchin and Shahroud facilities. At Parchin, mixing buildings appear to be under repair, Lair said, and similar rebuilding is happening at Shahroud involving mixing buildings and other structures.

The speed at which Iran is rebuilding shows the importance Tehran puts on its missile program. Iran’s bombed nuclear sites so far have not seen the same level of activity. During the war, Iran fired 574 ballistic missiles at Israel, according to the Washington-based Jewish Institute for National Security of America, which has a close relationship with the Israeli military. In two exchanges of fire before the war, Iran launched another 330 missiles, the think tank said. The Israeli military had estimated Iran’s total arsenal at around 2,500 missiles, meaning that over a third of its missiles were fired. Before the war, Iran was on track to be able to produce more than 200 solid-fuel missiles a month, said Carl Parkin, a summer fellow at the James Martin Center. That drew Israeli strikes to missile-building facilities. “Israel’s targeting indicates that they believed mixing was a bottleneck in Iran’s missile production,” he said. “If Iran is able to overcome their mixing limitations, they’ll have all the casting capacity that they need to start producing at high volumes again.” The Israeli military declined to respond to questions over its strategy. Iran’s defense minister, Gen. Aziz Nasirzadeh, recently claimed Tehran now has new missiles with more advanced warheads. “The 12-day war with Israel has altered some of our priorities,” he said on Aug. 22. “We are now focused on producing military equipment with higher precision and greater operational capabilities.”

Chinese mixers seen at Syria missile site affiliated with Iran

Continue reading “Iran starts rebuilding missile sites hit by Israel”

Posted on

Oil Rises on Russian Supply Risks

Oil rose  as traders assess mounting threats to Russian supply flows, from Ukrainian strikes on its enemy’s energy assets to a potential diesel-export ban. . Russia is mulling banning diesel exports for some companies amid a spate of attacks by Ukrainian drones on Moscow’s oil refineries, including two latest overnight attacks on oil pipeline that caused gasoline and diesel futures to spiral on the nation’s key Spimex commodities exchange. “If products are not able to be exported from Russia, there may be a short-term increase in crude exports as they refine less,” said Rebecca Babin, a senior energy trader at CIBC Private Wealth Group. “But that can only last so long before we see shut-ins.” WTI’s prompt spread — the difference between its two closest contracts — closed at its strongest level in about two weeks, reflecting fears of a tightening global supply outlook. Russian flows have been in the spotlight over the past few weeks amid global efforts to pressure Moscow to make peace in Ukraine by targeting its energy assets. Leaders including President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Tuesday reiterated calls for Western allies to limit their intake of Moscow’s crude. Capping the rally, Iraq may shortly resume exports via Kurdistan after a two-year halt over a payment dispute. That could see about 230,000 barrels a day return to international markets, according to people familiar with the matter. A rapid return of shuttered barrels by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies, as well as increased production from outside the group has prompted market watchers including the International Energy Agency warn that supplies are set to top demand by a record margin.

NN: I am betting on sanctions.
Posted on

G7 FMs discuss further sanctions on Russia

Foreign Ministers of the G7 countries issued a joint statement on Wednesday and addressed global issues, including the war in Ukraine, the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the question of nuclear energy in Iran. The ministers met at the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York and expressed concerns over the alleged Russian airspace violations in Estonia,  Poland and Romania. Further economic sanctions on Russia were discussed, as well as action against “third-country enablers.” The statement urged Iran to respect the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), continue its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and engage in talks with the United States, aiming to reach a nuclear agreement. The ministers also condemned Hamas and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The statement further opposed using “force or coercion” across the Taiwan Strait and called for denuclearization of North Korea.

NN: While these G7  pompous pricks have been in  an endless  circle jerk. They have let and did nothing  as Russia  slaughtered the  Chechen’s, took the Crimea, Invaded Ukraine. And more recently attacking Poland and Finland. They did nothin as they failed to stop N.Korea becoming a nuclear  power. They had endless meetings and did nothing as Iran has become the defacto Father and banker of worldwide terrorism. Including the Houthis, Hamas, Hezbollah Islamic Brother Hood to name a few. And for good measure allowed Iran to become the supplier of ICBM”s and soon nuclear war heads to terrorists states and drug lords word wide.

Posted on

Trump: NATO should shoot down Russian jets in their airspace…… Trump, in rhetorical shift, says Ukraine can retake all its land

UNITED NATIONS, Sept 23  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he believed Ukraine could retake all its land occupied by Russia and that Kyiv should act now with Moscow facing “big” economic problems, in a sudden and striking rhetorical shift in Ukraine’s favor. But there was no sign that Trump’s words would be matched by a change in U.S. policy, such as a decision to impose the heavy new sanctions on Moscow sought by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as he traveled to New York this week. Make sense of the latest ESG trends affecting companies and governments with the Reuters Sustainable Switch newsletter. Sign up here.
 “Putin and Russia are in BIG Economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, shortly after meeting Zelenskiy on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in New York. “After seeing the Economic trouble (the war) is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and WIN all of Ukraine back in its original form,” he said. That would ostensibly require Kyiv to expel Russian forces from 20% of its territory, including the Crimean peninsula Moscow has held since 2014, in what would be an extraordinary reversal.
Europe’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, praised Trump’s statements, saying: “These have been very strong statements that we haven’t heard before in such formats, so it is really good that we are in the same understanding now.”
The U.S. president’s tone was in stark contrast to his red-carpet treatment for Russian President Vladimir Putin at a summit in Alaska last month, part of an ostensible push to expedite an end to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Zelenskiy told reporters at a briefing that he had a “good, constructive” meeting with Trump, declining to go into detail, while praising Trump’s statement on Truth Social as a “big shift.” Zelenskiy later told Fox News that he thought the positions of the Ukrainian and U.S. teams were “closer than any time before,” and that he thought Trump’s position had changed. The U.S. statement criticized Russia, saying it had been fighting “aimlessly” in a war that a “real military power” would have won in less than a week. That, Trump added, made Russia look very much like a “paper tiger”. Addressing the General Assembly earlier, Trump said he was ready to impose strong economic measures if Russia did not end its war, but that allies would have to do the same. He also derided some European powers for continuing to buy Russian oil.
NN: Sanctions on Russian oil are coming With Eurowokes scratching their pink nail polish…. As hey are dragged into this kicking and screaming along the way
Posted on

Iran: Discussing nuclear issues with US ‘absolute deadlock’

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei addressed the nation on Tuesday, stating that negotiating with the United States on nuclear and other issues “is an absolute deadlock.” “The US … reneges on its promises whenever it can, bombs our nuclear sites, kills our commanders. You can’t sit for talks with such a party,” Khamenei commented, adding that talks are “useful for [United States President Donald] Trump, as he boasts about bringing Iran to the table.” He went on to say that holding discussions with Washington will bring Tehran “no benefits,” and will only “cause irreparable damage.”

NN: Another do nothing stale mate. Their is only one way to stop Iran. Regime chane.
Posted on

Trump urges EU to stop buying Russian energy

United States President Donald Trump used his address before the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday to put pressure on European nations to stop buying Russian energy, saying that it is “embarrassing” and accusing them of “funding the war against themselves.” He said the US is ready to impose a “very strong round of powerful tariffs” on Russia, but that Europe must do the same, and added that he will discuss the issue with European leaders on the sidelines of the assembly.

Trump also spoke about the Israel-Hamas conflict, stressing that Hamas has “repeatedly rejected reasonable offers to make peace” and insisted that the world should not forget the October 7, 2023, terror attack carried out by Hamas that started the conflict. He criticized countries that have recognized the Palestinian state in recent days, stating that they did it “as if to encourage continued conflict” and claiming it would be a reward for “atrocities” committed by Hamas.