ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

On November 25 th , US authorities shut the country’s busiest border crossing, the one to Mexico and fired tear gas to repel Central American migrants. “Border Patrol agents deployed tear gas to dispel the group because of the risk to agents’ safety,” a statement by US Customs and Border Protection said. This follows President Donald Trump’s vow that asylum-seekers would not be allowed to easily enter the country. The closing was caused by a group of migrants who rushed the border area. About 500 migrants on the Mexican side of the border overwhelmed police blockades near the San Ysidro Port of Entry Sunday afternoon, according to two journalists in Tijuana, cited by CNN. Video of the scene showed a cloud of tear gas that sent people running and screaming, including families with young children. Footage from the Associated Press show the way the situation devolved and how US authorities shot tear gas at the migrants who were trying to rush past. Mexico’s Milenio TV sho...

In this file photo taken Aug.15, 2017 in Warsaw, Poland, Polish Army tank troops salute as their tanks roll on one of the city’s main streets during a yearly military parade celebrating the Polish Army Day. Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak says Poland will boost its military presence in the east with the formation of a new division of the armed forces. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz, file) In early November, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak approved the schedule for the formation of the fourth regular division of the Polish Army, according to Polish media. The new division is to be deployed in the the eastern part of the country near the borders with Belarus and Ukraine – the 18th Iron Mechanized Division (18. “Żelazna” Dywizji Zmechanizowanej). At present, the Polish ground forces include three divisions (the 11th armored cavalry and the 12th and 16th mechanized), consisting of a total of ten brigades, as well as six separate brigades. The fourth existing division (1st Wa...

The Ukrainian capital of Kiev in 2014. ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE: ZURAB KURTSIKIDZE / EPA According to Ukraine’s State Statistics Agency (Gossstat), Ukraine’s population consisted of 42,216,766 permanent inhabitants and 42,386,403 total inhabitants as of January 1, 2018. The last census took place in 2001. Which means the most recent fact-based statistics are over 17 years old. That census established that Ukraine’s population consisted of 48,216,766 permanent inhabitants and 48,457,102 total inhabitants. Ukraine’s Gosstat calculates current population numbers on the basis of that 2001 census. It also accounts for the annual documented population changes, or the difference between total birth and deaths, and the difference between the number of people who became Ukrainian citizens and those who emigrated. Unlike Google, Gosstat accounts for the loss of population due to the de-facto loss of Crimea. But it doesn’t consider the de-facto population loss in those parts of Donetsk and ...

A brief look at the current military situation in Yemen. It appears that recent declarations of the Saudi-UAE-led coalition about a ceasefire regime and a push towards a peaceful solution of the situation, at least in the area of al-Hudaydah were just a propaganda. Clashes between Ansar Allah and forces loyal to the coalition are ongoing across entire western Yemen. Click to see the full-size image

Up to 290,000 people have been displaced as a result of the violence in Afghanistan since the start of 2018, according to a report by United Nations Offier for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affaris. The Kabul governemnt, backed up by the US-led coalition, is not capable of keeping the country under its control. Despite all efforts by the US-led coalition and US-backed forces, the Taliban has been continuing to expand its influence across Afghanistan. Click to see the full-size image

Yevgeny Prigozhin, a businessman who is portrayed in mainstream media as Putin’s “chef” and owner of the mythical “Wagner Group” is reportedly to invest in numerous African countries. According to Bloomberg ,  Russia is looking to rekindle its Cold War-era ties across Africa.  However, according to the outlet,  Russia does not posses the financial resources that the US, Europe or China have, so it is attempting to subdue the countries by sending in mercenaries in “unstable but potentially rich states who have a taste for Russian weaponry.” Prigozhin and his supposed entourage of “contract soldiers and political operatives” are to offer security, arms training and electioneering services. In exchange they supposedly require mining rights and other opportunities , according to two unnamed individuals who are familiar with the matter. According to Bloomberg he is already active or is currently moving into 10 countries that have military relations with Russia:  th...

A screenshot from the video The Russian Military has received a first batch of Iskander tactical ballistic missile systems, which were produced in 2018, according to the Russian state media. The systems were produced under the deal reached by the Defense Ministry and the KB Mashinostroyeniya company. These very systems are produced for the 448th missile brigade of the 20th Guards Army. This brigade is deployed in Kursk. Military experts already noted that the newly-produced missile systems have an expanded hull, which means that they will be capable of using the 9M729 ( SSC – X – 8)  long-range ground-based cruise missile. This missile has the range of 480–5,470 km. The deployment of such missiles is banned by the INF Treaty, which the US administration has recently decided to ignore. So, Russia is already preparing for the US official withdrawal from the INF.

Saudi troops at their base in Yemen’s southern port city of Aden in 2015. IMAGE: Reuters Germany banned all weapon sales to Saudi Arabia the Economic Ministry announced on November 19 th . This follows Germany’s decision to halt any new arms sales,  however old ones were to still continue.  This could possibly be significant, since Saudi Arabia imported more weapons than any other country in 2017.  However, it is questionable how significant, since 84% of the Kingdom’s weapons purchases were from the US and the UK. Furthermore, Germany’s foreign minister said Berlin banned 18 Saudi nationals from entering Europe’s border-free Schengen zone because they are believed connected to Khashoggi’s killing. Heiko Maas said there are still “more questions than answers.” It is unclear who the 18 individuals are, but Maas said they are allegedly connected to the incident. According to Maas, Germany made the decision to ban the individuals in “close coordination” with Fran...