News & Comment

Do you want… a Russian company providing critical materials into the food chain, especially [one run by someone]... funding the sort of activity he's funding? That's a question governments and companies have to answer."

This would need to be a multinational force to have the kind of enduring presence [in the Strait]. The interesting bit is the use here of various types of uncrewed vessels, drones, for a combination of sensing, for situational awareness - seeing what is out there, and potentially clearing mines...A lot of this technology is untested though. The Royal Navy is having to look at different ways of achieving what it tries to do because it is shrinking in terms of ships and people."

For Seskuria, the non-inclusion of defense equipment matters because it takes away from a central focus of the Victory Day celebrations, which have typically provided “powerful optics” and reinforced “Russia’s image as the heir to Soviet victory in World War II.” She stressed that “removing this important element weakens the propaganda value of the event, particularly for domestic audiences, as it reduces one of the most visible symbols of Russian power and military prestige.”