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October 31, 2023

October 31, 2023

in

Middle East. Attacks on Israel were carried out with missiles and drones by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, launched from Yemen towards Israel, thousands of kilometers to the north. All were shot down by American ships in the Red Sea, by F-35s in flight, by Patriot

October 27, 2023

October 27, 2023

in

Gaza Strip. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is expanding its ground operations, launching columns of tanks, armored vehicles, and soldiers into the Gaza Strip, both from the north and the center. Within a few days, these forces will be able to reach the sea and

October 17, 2023

October 17, 2023

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Gaza Strip. An explosion occurs in the parking lot of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, causing numerous casualties and injuries. It is a horrific tragedy. Many children are also killed. The news is immediately reported that evening by major Western media, citing at

October 12, 2023

October 12, 2023

in

In the northeastern Gaza Strip, Israel, through leaflets and information on the media and social media, is urging civilians living in the northern part of the Strip to move south along two identified humanitarian corridors due to the impending military ground operation. Hamas, on the

October 7, 2023

October 7, 2023

in

Saturday. Hamas, from the Gaza Strip, suddenly attacks Israel with 5,000 missiles and ground troops. The attack is immediately publicly supported by Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. At a rave party near the border, Hamas storms in, rounds up the boys and girls, and mows

September 22, 2023

September 22, 2023

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Sevastopol, Crimea occupied by Russians. The headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, during a meeting of naval officers, was hit by at least two Ukrainian missiles. In a brief statement, the Ukrainian military said the attack left dozens of occupants dead and

September 19, 2023

September 19, 2023

in

Azerbaijan launches a lightning military offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh. One day after the offensive began, on September 20, an agreement was reached on the complete cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, brokered by the Russian peacekeeping command in Nagorno-Karabakh, three decades after a bloody conflict that left

August 23, 2023

August 23, 2023

in

Northwest Moscow, Russia. Exactly two months after his Wagner militiamen’s “march of justice” on Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s challenge to the Kremlin has come to an end. The former convict turned billionaire, a Russian hero for his battles in Ukraine and a later rebellion against Vladimir

August 4, 2023

August 4, 2023

in

Russia. Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory are intensifying, both by air against Moscow and by water against Russian navy ships in the Black Sea. On August 4, the Olenegorsky Gornyak in the port of Novorossiysk was hit. The ship was severely damaged, taking on

June 24, 2023

June 24, 2023

in

Russia. For a long night and day, the infamous Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin stages an apparent insurrection, first taking control of Rostov, then sending an armored convoy toward Moscow, raising questions about Vladimir Putin’s seizure of power. The Russian president accuses his former ally

June 8, 2023

June 8, 2023

in

Ukraine is launching a substantial counteroffensive against the Russian forces occupying its territory, breaching its front lines but advancing very slowly, albeit in several directions, including Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts, among others, clashing with Russian defenses that had been consolidated over several months of preparation.

April 15, 2023

April 15, 2023

in

A civil war has erupted between two rival factions of Sudan’s military government. The conflict involves the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), backed by the Russian-backed Wagner militia and commanded by Mohamed Hamdan

March 15, 2023

March 15, 2023

in

Black Sea. International waters off the Romanian coast. A Russian fighter jet downed a U.S. Air Force drone after damaging the propeller of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone. The Reaper drone and two Russian Su-27 aircraft were flying over international waters over the Black Sea

February 5, 2023

February 5, 2023

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Off the coast of South Carolina. On the orders of the US president, an F-22 Raptor shoots down a giant balloon carrying Chinese equipment with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile. The balloon had been under surveillance for several days, having been flying over US territory from

January 26, 2023

January 26, 2023

in

Somalia. In an operation conducted by US special forces, Bilal al-Sudani, one of the leaders of ISIS, was killed. The operation took place in a mountainous area in northern Somalia. No civilians or American soldiers were injured or killed during the helicopter raid. The primary

January 18, 2023

January 18, 2023

in

Ukraine. The three top officials of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry were killed in a helicopter crash near a kindergarten in an eastern suburb of the capital, Kiev. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, 42, died along with his first deputy minister and state secretary; a total of

January 14, 2023

January 14, 2023

in

Dnipro, Ukraine. A nine-story residential building was hit by a Russian missile attack. The death toll stands at 45, including 6 children; 39 people were rescued and 75 were injured, including 14 children. Another 19 residents of the building remained missing several days after the

January 2, 2023

January 2, 2023

in

Iran. Mehdi Zare Ashkezari dies after being released by police and subjected to torture. Mehdi had studied at the University of Bologna. Over 600 people have died in the ongoing protests in Iran over violations of women’s rights and demands for greater freedom. Over 19,000

January 1, 2023

January 1, 2023

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00:01 local time. Makiivka Massacre. Ukraine. The Ukrainian army destroys the entire building used by the Russian army to hold a New Year’s Eve party in occupied Makeevka (or Makiivka) in Donetsk, eliminating an entire battalion from Saratov with a single, precision HIMARS missile strike.

November 17, 2022

November 17, 2022

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The International Criminal Court in The Hague has convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian for the July 18, 2014, 2014, downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, carrying 298 people, over Donbass, Ukraine. All three men are believed to be living in Russia. Two days later,

November 15, 2022

November 15, 2022

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Ukraine. Russian missile strikes are intensifying. In one day, 90 missiles were launched at Ukrainian infrastructure, especially energy. The Ukrainians responded with 110 anti-aircraft missiles, downing 72 of the 90 Russian missiles and 10 suicide drones.

November 11, 2022

November 11, 2022

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Kherson, southern Ukraine. Ukraine has almost fully secured Kherson. Cheering crowds greeted Ukrainian troops as they arrived in the only regional capital to be captured by Russian forces since their invasion in February. The day before, Ukrainian flags had already appeared in Kherson after Russia

November 2, 2022

November 2, 2022

in

Korea. North Korea launches a record number of missiles: 23 in a single day. This is merely the culmination of increased military activity in the area. One of North Korea’s ICBM tests fails upon detachment of the second stage. A few hours later, Washington and

October 29, 2022

October 29, 2022

in

Mogadishu, Somalia. Two nearly simultaneous explosions at two busy intersections in the city kill at least 100 people. President Sheikh Mohamud blames the militant group al-Shabab for the attack. The pro-jihadist website Somali Memo reports that the group claimed responsibility for the explosions. An al-Qaeda

October 29, 2022

October 29, 2022

in

Crimea. Four warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including a frigate and an amphibious assault ship, were targeted in Sevastopol Bay by nine naval drones. The minesweeper Ivan Golubets was hit and damaged, and the Kalibr cruise missile carrier “Admiral Makarov” was among the

October 23, 2022

October 23, 2022

in

Romania, NATO’s eastern border. The 101st Airborne Division, one of the U.S. Army’s most elite airborne assault divisions, is deployed to Europe, specifically to Romania, for the first time in 80 years (the first time since World War II), against the backdrop of rising tensions

October 8, 2022

October 8, 2022

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Crimea. The Kerch Bridge, the only bridge connecting the peninsula to Russia, explodes. The asphalt road partially collapses into the sea, and the railway is also heavily damaged: a train loaded with hydrocarbons was passing through, which ignited for hours. The bridge, the longest in

September 30, 2022

September 30, 2022

in

Donetsk, Ukraine. On the same day Moscow celebrated the annexation of this Ukrainian region, along with three others, to Russia, thousands of Russian soldiers were surrounded in a key city in Donetsk. The strategic town of Lyman, a key rail hub for Russian supplies and

September 30, 2022

September 30, 2022

in

Moscow, Russia. President Vladimir Putin has declared the annexation of the four Ukrainian regions of Kherson, Zaporizhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk, following a sham referendum held in the preceding days, without international observers, with transparent ballot boxes, pre-filled ballots, and soldiers forcing and escorting voters. Putin’s

September 25, 2022

September 25, 2022

in

Italy. The Brothers of Italy party, led by Giorgia Meloni, along with its right-wing allies, Matteo Salvini’s League and Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia, won a clear victory in the elections for the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate, obtaining an absolute majority.

September 23, 2022

September 23, 2022

in

Baltic Sea, off the southern tip of Sweden. The Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 gas pipelines, which supply gas from Russia to Europe, began leaking massive quantities of gas three times on the same day, causing it to rise violently to the surface.

September 20, 2022

September 20, 2022

in

In Russia, Vladimir Putin called for a partial national mobilization to recruit 300,000 conscripts for the war in Ukraine. The measure sparked street protests and a flight to neighboring countries, especially Finland (44,000 Russians crossed the border into Finland and 66,000 into EU countries in

September 17 – 27, 2022

September 17 – 27, 2022

in

Iran. Following the death in a police station of 22-year-old Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini, arrested by morality police for wearing a headscarf inappropriately, riots erupted in Tehran and then across the country. Over 1,200 people were arrested in the first few days alone, 76 were

September 8 – 9, 2022

September 8 – 9, 2022

in

Ukraine. After a series of targeted bombings of Russian command and control centers and ammunition depots, the Ukrainian army and air force began a counteroffensive in the south (Kherson area) and east (Izyum area) of the country. On September 9 and 10, the Ukrainians broke

August 25 – 27, 2022

August 25 – 27, 2022

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Der Eizor, Syria. Hatla, just west of the Euphrates River. The U.S. Air Force carried out several targeted airstrikes against Iranian-backed militia positions following a missile attack on coalition bases in the region that wounded three U.S. soldiers. The military carried out the strikes with

August 1, 2022

August 1, 2022

in

Kabul, Afghanistan. An American drone kills Al Zawahiri, the global leader of Al Qaeda, wanted for over twenty years. US President Joe Biden declares: “Justice has been done. Ayman Al-Zawahiri is dead. He was one of those responsible for 9/11; he left a trail of

July 8, 2022

July 8, 2022

in

Japan. Shinzo Abe, former prime minister and sitting member of the House of Representatives, is assassinated while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara, Nara Prefecture. While giving a campaign speech for a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate, Abe is shot from

July 1, 2022

July 1, 2022

in

Snake Island, Ukraine. Russian soldiers withdraw from the island, a small but important outpost in the Black Sea. The Ukrainian victory does not mark a major turning point in the war, but it does weaken the Kremlin’s blockade of the Black Sea.

June 25, 2022

June 25, 2022

in

Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine. The day after the Ukrainians ordered their forces to withdraw from the city, the Russian army took full control of the town of Sieverodonetsk after several weeks of fighting.

May 18, 2022

May 18, 2022

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Azovstal Steelworks, Mariupol, Ukraine. Nearly a thousand Ukrainian soldiers have left the besieged Azovstal steelworks, Russia said, marking the end of a long and fierce battle for Mariupol. Ukrainian forces have been holed up in the underground complex for more than 80 days, staging the

April 15, 2022

April 15, 2022

in

Black Sea, off the coast of Odessa. The flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, the Moskva, sinks. It is a 182-meter, 12,490-ton ship. The Russians claim it was due to a fire on board and bad weather, while the Ukrainians claim they hit it

April 8, 2022

April 8, 2022

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Kiev, Ukraine. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, travels by train to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky. She then goes to witness the massacre of defenseless civilians in Bucha. Just as a Russian missile hits civilians at the Kramatorsk station in eastern

April 3, 2022

April 3, 2022

in

Ukraine. Thanks to the partial withdrawal of the Russian army, Ukrainian forces managed to retake several towns and territories up to the Belarusian border, especially in the area around Kiev. In Bucha, a town just west of Kiev, dozens of bodies of civilians killed in

March 21, 2022

March 21, 2022

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Moscow. Komsomolskaya Pravda, the pro-Kremlin tabloid, claims that according to Russian Defense Ministry figures, 9,861 Russian soldiers have died in Ukraine and 16,153 have been wounded. (The Ukrainians estimate Russian losses at double these estimates, which are close to those estimated by the Americans.) These

March 15, 2022

March 15, 2022

in

Kiev. The leaders of Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic are taking a risky train journey to Kiev, besieged on three sides, to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky to demonstrate their support. Zelensky has been holding video conferences with several Western heads of state and

March 9, 2022

March 9, 2022

in

Mariupol, Ukraine. Yet another ceasefire called by the Russians for the evacuation of civilians has been violated by the Russians, this time targeting a pediatric hospital and maternity ward with high-explosive bombs, including wards containing pregnant women (one, captured in images that went around the

March 7, 2022

March 7, 2022

in

NATO is supplying Ukraine with 17,000 anti-tank missiles (including Javelins) and 7,000 Patriot anti-aircraft missiles. The supplies are mostly delivered via Poland, the Baltic States, and Romania, using gigantic cargo planes such as the Ukrainian Air Force’s Antonov AN-124.

March 5, 2022

March 5, 2022

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In southeastern Ukraine, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in the world with six reactors, was attacked directly by the Russian army, causing a fire. The incident sparked international protests. The plant has not recorded any radioactive leaks.

March 3, 2022

March 3, 2022

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Ukraine. Russian troops enter the city of Kherson, in the south of the country. After seven days of fighting, it is the first Ukrainian city captured by the Russians. The Russians are also just a few dozen kilometers from Kiev, where a 60-kilometer convoy of

February 27, 2022

February 27, 2022

in

Ukraine. Following the Russian invasion, increasingly impactful countermeasures are being taken. Major Russian investment banks are cut off from the SWIFT banking agreement for international payments. Turkey closes the Bosphorus to Russian naval vessels. In addition to the United States, Great Britain, and other countries,

February 26, 2022

February 26, 2022

in

Ukraine. Over 100,000 Ukrainian citizens have already fled the country, seeking refuge in Poland. The capital, Kyiv, is under siege by the Russian army, and thousands of submachine guns have been distributed to citizens. Sweden and Finland exceptionally attended the meeting urgently convened by NATO.

February 25, 2022

February 25, 2022

in

Ukraine. Snake Island. There’s audio in which a Russian officer’s voice can be heard: “This is a military warship. This is a Russian military warship. I advise you to lay down your weapons and surrender to avoid bloodshed and unnecessary losses. Otherwise, you will be

February 24, 2022

February 24, 2022

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Ukraine is hit by missile attacks and air raids, and is soon invaded by the Russian army from the north, east, and south, with over 100,000 soldiers, thousands of tanks, and hundreds of missiles and aircraft. NATO countries, Japan, and Australia impose heavy economic sanctions

February 21, 2022

February 21, 2022

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Moscow, Russia. Sudanese Hemedti entered into a partnership with the Russian Wagner Group, receiving training in exchange for trade agreements, including gold. He traveled to Moscow to formalize the agreement and was present the day Russia invaded Ukraine. After the war broke out in Sudan,

February 21, 2022

February 21, 2022

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The crisis in Ukraine escalates dramatically. In a surprise move, Russian President Vladimir Putin first announces, in a one-hour televised address, the recognition of the independence of the self-proclaimed breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (already partially occupied by pro-Russian separatists), before ordering the deployment

February 10, 2022

February 10, 2022

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Belarus. After more than two months of military exercises on Ukraine’s northern border with Russia, joint Russian-Belarusian military exercises have begun in Belarus. Russian troops on the Ukrainian border have now reached 100,000. Although Moscow denies any intention to invade Ukraine, international tensions are high.

February 2, 2022

February 2, 2022

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Northern Syria, near the Turkish border. A raid by US special forces surrounds the location of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi. He blows himself up along with his wife and children. The victims in total include, in addition to himself, six children and four

January 20-25, 2022

January 20-25, 2022

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Al-Sina Prison, northeastern Syria, territory controlled by the Kurdish SDF with American support. Battle of al-Hasakah: A coordinated attack by a large group of ISIS members leads to a revolt and the escape of hundreds of prisoners from the prison. The intervention of SDF forces

October 27, 2021

October 27, 2021

in

Guriel, Galmuduk region, Somalia. The Somali National Army regains control of the city, which had been taken by the ASWJ militia, a former ally in the war against Shabab and Al-Qaeda. The death toll stands at approximately 120, according to ASWJ, and 16 according to

September 17, 2021

September 17, 2021

in

Historic security pact between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. The agreement will see the United States and the United Kingdom provide Australia with the technology to build nuclear-powered submarines for the first time. It is widely seen as an effort to counter

September 16, 2021

September 16, 2021

in

The leader of the Islamic State in the Sahara group was killed by French troops. Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi founded the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) in 2015. The group is accused of numerous attacks in the region, including the targeted killing of

August 26, 2021

August 26, 2021

in

Kabul, Afghanistan. The airport, by agreement between the Americans and the Taliban, remains under NATO control to allow for evacuation. 80,000 Afghans have already been evacuated in the massive airlift organized by NATO forces. Among the crowds thronging to access the airport, two bombs suddenly

August 8, 2021

August 8, 2021

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Afghanistan. The Taliban also conquer Kunduz, in their rapid advance following the withdrawal of allied troops. A few days earlier, they had also conquered Sar-e-Pul and Taloqan.

July 4, 2021

July 4, 2021

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Bagram Air Base, Afghanistan. The Americans abandon the base during the night, slightly ahead of schedule. This marks the end of a 20-year military intervention, which began immediately after the events of September 11, 2001, following the Taliban’s proven involvement in providing cover for Al-Qaeda,

May 10 – 21, 2021

May 10 – 21, 2021

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Israel. Triggered by a local dispute in Jerusalem and the subsequent ultimatum to Israel issued by Hamas, an intense conflict erupts between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, fought primarily with rockets, drones, and aerial bombardments. A total of 4,360 rockets were fired by

April 29, 2021

April 29, 2021

in

Qamishli, Syrian Kurdistan, bordering Turkey. Asayish (Kurdish: Asayîş, Arabic: الْأَسَايِش), or Kurdish internal security forces, after a brief battle, took control of most of the city, which had previously been largely occupied by government troops and pro-government forces.

March 30, 2021

March 30, 2021

in

Rome. Walter Biot, an Italian Navy officer, is arrested for espionage. He handled classified documents aimed at state security. Biot was responsible, among other things, for the projection of Italian defense assets in foreign theaters of operations, as well as NATO, EU, and UN operations.

February 25, 2021

February 25, 2021

in

Al-Qa’im, Syria. Two American F-15s struck 11 targets, including buildings and trucks in Al-Qa’im, Syria, loaded with munitions and explosives, on the Iraqi border on the Euphrates River. These targets were linked to pro-Iranian militias. Ten days earlier, in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, pro-Iranian militias had

February 15, 2021

February 15, 2021

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Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan. Pro-Iranian militias strike a US base with missiles. A civilian contractor is killed and several soldiers, including an American, are wounded. After an investigation conducted with Iraqi support, ten days later the United States responds by bombing 11 targets, buildings, and trucks

December 19, 2020

December 19, 2020

in

United States. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo discloses a Russian cyberattack, ongoing for months, against the digital infrastructure operated by SolarWinds, the company that manages the US military’s nuclear program. It is being described as the worst case of cyberwarfare in US history. Other targets

November 10, 2020

November 10, 2020

in

Nagorno-Karabakh, Caucasus: Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a peace agreement, backed by Russian troops positioned on the current front line. Azerbaijani troops recently captured the historic city of Shusha, thus occupying the entire southern part of the region, and are now at the gates of the

November 2, 2020

November 2, 2020

in

Vienna. Terrorist attacks involving firearms and knives at six different locations in the city kill five people (including one of the attackers) and wound 14, including a police officer. The remaining attacker appears to have previously attempted unsuccessfully to reach Syria to fight alongside ISIS.

October 29, 2020

October 29, 2020

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Nice, France. A man armed with knives enters the Catholic Basilica of Notre Dame, repeatedly shouting “Allahu Akbar,” and kills three people: a 60-year-old woman praying, nearly decapitated; the 55-year-old sacristan, with a deep throat slash; and a 44-year-old woman who manages to escape with