ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Illustrative image: Reuters/Marko Djurica The Armed Forces of Ukraine reactivated in Donetsk by opening fire at Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) army positions and towns near the front on November 5, according to  Anna-news . Two children and one adult were injured, one child killed. A high number of civilians was evacuated. 82mm and 120mm mortars, 122mm and 152mm howitzers, and BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launchers are reported to have been used.  “2126 shots have been fired by Armed Forces of Ukraine at Donetsk People’s Republic in 24 hours,” DPR representative in the Joint Control and Coordination Center, Ruslan Yakubov, said. DPR forces have retaliated, destroying two howitzer batteries,  according  to DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko. He also added that Ukraine may have attacked because of a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam this week. The ...

Just hours after the death of Prince Mansour bin Muqrin in a helicopter “crash” in the Saudi province of Asir , the Saudi Royal Court announced the death of Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd. The second prince was reportedly killed during a firefight with security forces, which were attempting to arrest him. 44-year-old Prince Aziz was the youngest son of King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Fahd died in 2005. The death of Prince Aziz was the latest incident in a series of  arrests and crackdowns started by King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and his Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. According to experts, the Saudi economic and political elite is in a disarray as 32-year-old Bin Salman is destroying the vestiges internal stabiltiy in the country to supress the growing opposition to himself and his father.

Illustrative image The Russian state-run media has accused the United States of evacuating ISIS commanders from the city of Mayadin before  it was liberated by the Syrian Army in October. According to RIA Novosti (a Russian version of Sputnik), US helicopters have evacuated ISIS commanders from the citiy before the launch of the Syrian army’s operation. The outlet  cited an alleged eyewitness to confirm this statement: “American military aviation first made a maneuver in the area […] near a Mayadin farm. Then [ the aviation] launched an airstrike, we tried to hide and saw several US helicopters. There were foreign Daesh [ISIS] commanders on the ground, who were waiting for them next to their headquarters… The helicopters took them outside of Mayadin.” “US aviation… first a sound from it, then a massive strike that was followed by the US helicopters’ flight and transportation of Daesh leaders after which the airstrikes ceased,” the outlet quot...