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Home › Podcasts › Defence Uncut › Is Russia’s Air Defence Deal With the Taliban a Threat to Pakistan? Defence Uncut Russia has signed a military deal to supply the Taliban with air defence and MANPADS. The real threat to Pakistan isn’t its fighter jets — it’s proliferation, and a decade of misjudging Russia. On May 27, 2026, Russia and the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan signed a military-technical cooperation agreement at a security forum outside Moscow, following talks between Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and the Afghan defence minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid. The specific terms were not made…

The Delhi Police Special Cell has uncovered that Pakistan’s ISI-backed underworld module in India was attempting to channel funds through cryptocurrency networks, linking operatives to Dawood Ibrahim’s syndicate and foreign handlers.Eight arrests have been made, and investigators are now scrutinising crypto hubs in Delhi and Maharashtra while tracing recruitment networks across multiple states.The alleged network was exposed after a human intelligence tip-off, which revealed a wider conspiracy involving foreign handlers, local operatives, and criminal associates. Investigators believe the planning began nearly two months before the arrests, with the module attempting to expand its footprint by recruiting more agents within India.…

General Upendra Dwivedi has confirmed that Operation Sindoor remains active despite a pause in hostilities, with the tri-services preparing for “Operation Sindoor 2.0.”The Indian military is expanding into new domains such as space, cyber, and cognitive warfare, while emphasising synergy, caution in deployments, and national unity in the face of information warfare.Operation Sindoor, launched in May 2025 as a retaliatory strike against Pakistan-backed terrorism, continues to shape India’s military posture. General Dwivedi, speaking in Pune, stressed that although there is a temporary cessation of hostilities, the armed forces are actively preparing for the next phase. He underlined that the Army, Navy,…

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has underlined the decisive role played by the Indian Navy during Operation Sindoor, stating that the force compelled the entire Pakistan Navy to remain confined to its ports.Speaking at the inauguration of the Nausena Shaurya Vatika in Lucknow, an open-air naval museum, Singh emphasised that the Navy’s deployment in the Arabian Sea with full preparedness and strength maintained constant pressure on Pakistan, ensuring its naval units did not venture out during the conflict.Operation Sindoor, launched on 7 May 2025 in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, saw Indian forces conduct precision strikes on multiple terror infrastructures…

The ratification paves way for a €90bn European Union support mechanism for Ukraine covering 2026–2027. Credit: Alexandros Michailidis/Shutterstock.com.s The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, has ratified both the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and the Agreement with the European Union on a €90bn ($104bn) Ukraine Support Loan, according to official statements published on the legislature’s website.   The vote, which saw 298 deputies supporting the motion, enables a major EU assistance mechanism for Ukraine covering the years 2026 and 2027.  Of the entire €90bn package, €60bn is earmarked for defence-related expenditure.   The remainder is directed towards budget support, with the stated aim of maintaining macro-financial stability and…

Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has underlined that India’s security environment is increasingly shaped by developments far beyond its borders, with maritime security now inseparable from economic and energy resilience.He noted that geographical distance no longer provides insulation from the consequences of conflicts, citing the crises in West Asia and Ukraine as examples of how turbulence in distant regions can directly affect India’s national interests.He stressed that Operation Sindoor reaffirmed the Indian Navy’s readiness, operational reach and deterrence capability, demonstrating its ability to respond decisively to cross‑border threats.In an interview with PTI, Admiral Tripathi explained that maritime…

The Narvik Agreement was signed in Paris on 28 May by Norwegian Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik (bottom left) and French Minister for the Armed Forces and Veterans Catherine Vautrin (bottom right). Credit: Norway Ministry of Defence. Norway has signed a mutual defence agreement with France yesterday (28 May) In doing so, the Nordic nation is pursuing a “hedging strategy” This will secure the country under the nuclear umbrellas of France and the United States In Paris, Norway signed a mutual defence agreement with France, which the Nordic nation has described as a “hedging strategy.” The bilateral move is…

India’s semiconductor import bill has surged to nearly $150 billion between FY17 and FY25, with NITI Aayog warning that costs could rise to $240 billion annually by 2035 if self-reliance is not achieved. The think tank stresses that chip independence is vital for national security, economic resilience, and India’s Viksit Bharat 2047 vision.India’s semiconductor ecosystem remains at a nascent stage despite government initiatives such as the India Semiconductor Mission. The NITI Aayog report highlights that India currently meets only 5–10% of its semiconductor demand domestically, with 90–95% fulfilled through imports.This dependence exposes the country to geopolitical risks, particularly given the concentration…

Russia’s decision to sign a landmark military cooperation agreement with the Taliban has triggered a profound shift in South Asia’s strategic landscape.This pact, finalised during the International Security Forum in Moscow, is the first formal defence treaty the Taliban regime has entered into with any foreign nation.It goes far beyond symbolism, laying out structural cooperation in arms exchanges, technology transfers, licensing agreements, and joint development projects. For Kabul, this provides legitimacy and access to advanced military hardware, while for Moscow, it secures influence in Afghanistan and strengthens its buffer against extremist spill over into Central Asia.The irony of this alignment…

SINGAPORE — Japan’s defense minister has pushed back against Chinese allegations that Japan’s push to broaden regional defense cooperation was “new militarism,” saying that Tokyo’s increased defense spending and broader regional footprint has been conducted in a transparent fashion with regional security in mind.  Speaking on Sunday at the Shangri-la Dialogue security conference in Singapore, Shinjiro Koizumi noted that Japan did not possess nuclear weapons or strategic bombers like a “country with a huge arsenal” of these weapons, in an obvious reference to China.  He therefore found the allegation “strange,” further adding that Japan had consistently adhered to international law…