ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Alleged photos of Boshirov from various documents. Source: bellingcat.com Bellingcat and The Insider continue releasing new speculations and allegations on identities and activities of Skripal poisoning suspects, Russian citizens Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov. [ previous part ] In a report released on September 26 , Bellingcat and The Insider claim that they “have established conclusively the identity” of Ruslan Boshirov. They claim that he’s in fact GRU Colonel Anatoliy Chepiga, who also has with the highest Russian state award – Hero of the Russian Federation. “Following Bellingcat’s own identification, multiple sources familiar with the person and/or the investigation have confirmed the suspect’s identity. This finding eliminates any remaining doubt that the two suspects in the Novichok poisonings were in fact Russian officers operating on a clandestine government mission,” Bellingcat’s article claims. The article says futher: “Anato...

Sergei Bobylev/TASS The upgdraded Syrian air defense system will be centralized and controlled by one controller,  according to Viktor Bondarev , the chairman of the Russian parliament’s upper house Defense and Security Committee. Bondarev added that the united Syrian air defense system will be established after the S-300 system will be delivered to the country’s military. This, according to Bondarev, will allow to boost security of Russian troops in the war-torn country and to prevent  IL-20-like incidents . On September 30, the Russian Defense Ministry’s TV channel Zvezda reported that Sparta 3 heavy-lift cargo ship had reached the Russian naval facility in Syria’s Tartus. Sparta 3 is one of the biggest ships employed by Russia to provide the Syrian military with military supplies. It’s interesting to note that Sparta 3 arrived Tartus after the decision to supply S-300 systems to Syria.

Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Adam K. Thomas/U.S. Navy China is developing a satellite with a powerful laser for anti-submarine warfare, according to Song Xiaoquan, a researcher involved in the project, cited by South China Morning Post (SCMP). According to the outlet, China’s new satellite might become the “Death Star” for submarines. Researchers reportedly hope that the device will be able to pinpoint a target up to 500 meters below the water surface. Aside from targeting submarines – most operate at a depth of less than 500 meters – it could also be used to collect data on the world’s oceans. Project Guanlan, meaning “watching the big waves”, was officially launched in May at the Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology in Qingdao, Shandong. It aims to strengthen China’s surveillance activities in the world’s oceans, according to the laboratory’s website. Scientists are working on the design in the laboratory, however its key compon...