Tuesday, September 9, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Finland prepares for NATO’s largest-ever artillery drills in November

The new cold war

Published 20 October 2024
– By Ivana Bratovanova
2 minute read

Finland will host NATO’s Lightning Strike 24 artillery exercises in Finnish Lapland from November 4 to 28, 2024, marking the country’s first time hosting a major NATO drill since joining the alliance in 2023.

This large-scale exercise, part of a series of US-led military drills across Europe, is seen as a significant step in strengthening Finland’s role within NATO and enhancing its defense capabilities amidst growing geopolitical tensions in Europe.

This upcoming November will be Finland’s first time hosting a major NATO exercise since joining the alliance in 2023. More than 5,000 troops from 28 nations, including Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, and Turkey, will take part across multiple countries. With the participation of 3,600 personnel, including 1,250 international troops, the artillery drills are being touted as NATO’s largest-ever of its kind in Europe.

The 56th Artillery Command’s Major General John Rafferty commented: “We are particularly excited that Finland is hosting Dynamic Front for the first time… This exercise will stretch from Finland to Romania, involving artillery, air, and naval gunfire with over 130 different weapon systems”.

The exercises coincide with shifting military dynamics in Europe, as Finland’s Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen warned of growing “war fatigue” among Western countries amid ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East.

A core objective of Lightning Strike 24 is to improve Finland’s joint fire interoperability with NATO allies. The exercise will focus on command and control, logistics, and the sharing of situational awareness, with artillery units operating across multiple territories.

“Finland already has a good level of interoperability within NATO, and this exercise will further enhance it”, said the exercise’s director colonel Mäkitalo. Increased military traffic, particularly at night, will affect services in the Rovaniemi-Kemijärvi area, where the drills will be held.

“Rovajärvi, the largest firing range in Northern Europe, provides an excellent setting for long-range fire exercises. We are thrilled to execute Lightning Strike 24 as part of a broader development framework”, said Colonel Janne Mäkitalo, director of Lightning Strike 24.

Alongside the artillery drills, an air defense exercise, ADEX 2/24 Mallet Strike, will take place at the Lohtaja Firing Range, involving 1,300 soldiers between November 12 and 21.

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

American special forces shot dead North Korean fishermen during secret mission

The new cold war

Published yesterday 8:37
– By Editorial Staff
The SEAL team was forced to hastily leave North Korea without having completed their mission.
3 minute read

A top-secret military operation to wiretap Kim Jong-un went wrong when American elite soldiers shot and killed a group of unarmed fishermen.

To cover their tracks, the soldiers punctured the victims’ lungs with knives so the bodies would sink to the ocean floor.

Navy SEALs from the US elite forces secretly entered North Korea in early 2019 to plant surveillance equipment targeting the country’s leader. But the mission ended in disaster when the soldiers were surprised by – and opened fire on civilian fishermen who were diving for shellfish, reveals the New York Times.

The top-secret mission was carried out by SEAL Team 6’s Red Squadron – the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden in 2011. President Donald Trump personally approved the operation during his first term in office.

The mission was so sensitive that it required direct presidential approval. If the American soldiers had been captured on North Korean soil, it could have torpedoed ongoing nuclear weapons negotiations or led to a hostage crisis.

— I don’t know anything about it. I’d have to, I could look, but I know nothing about it. I’m hearing it now for the first time, Trump responded when confronted with the information on Friday.

Months of preparation

The New York Times bases its investigation on interviews with two dozen people, including government officials, members of the Trump administration, and current and former military personnel with insight into the operation.

The elite soldiers trained for months under extreme conditions in ice-cold water. The plan was to deploy from a nuclear-powered American submarine and then reach the North Korean coast in two silent smaller submarines.

A team of approximately eight soldiers would swim for hours through four-degree Celsius seawater wearing diving equipment and heated suits. Once at the coast, they would plant the surveillance equipment and then disappear unnoticed – without any support from overhead drones.

Everything went wrong on the beach

In February 2019, the mission got the green light. Trump was scheduled to meet Kim Jong-un in Vietnam later that month, and the intelligence information could be crucial for the negotiations.

But when the soldiers reached the North Korean shore, everything went wrong. A fishing boat unexpectedly appeared in the darkness. Without the ability to communicate with mission command, and fearing discovery, a group leader in the SEAL team opened fire. The others followed suit and all unarmed civilians aboard the boat were killed.

To cover their tracks, the soldiers dragged the bodies down into the water. With knives, they punctured the victims’ lungs so the bodies would sink to the bottom. The surveillance equipment was never planted and the mission was immediately aborted.

American spy satellites shortly thereafter registered increased military activity from North Korea in the area. However, it remains unclear whether North Korean authorities ever actually understood what had happened to the shellfish divers.

Trump met Kim in Hanoi, February 2019. Photo: White House

Congress was not informed

The summit between Trump and Kim was conducted as planned in Vietnam, but did not lead to any agreement. In May of the same year, North Korea resumed its missile tests.

The secret mission has never been publicly acknowledged before. According to experts the newspaper spoke with, the fact that Congress was not informed – either before or after the operation – may constitute a violation of federal law.

— The point is to ensure that Congress isn’t kept in the dark when major stuff is going on, argues Matthew Waxman, law professor at Columbia University and former security advisor under President George W. Bush.

— This is exactly the kind of thing that would normally be briefed to the committees and something the committees would expect to be told about.

Those involved were promoted

When Joe Biden succeeded Trump as president, the North Korea mission was reviewed again. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III ordered an investigation led by a lieutenant general from the Army’s Inspector General’s office.

In 2021, leading members of Congress were informed about the investigation’s results, but this report remains classified.

Many of those involved in the failed mission have since been promoted, according to the newspaper’s sources.

US withdraws military support to Europe’s eastern border

The new cold war

Published 5 September 2025
– By Editorial Staff
A group of Estonian soldiers during a US-led military exercise.
2 minute read

The US is phasing out its military security support programs for European countries on the border with Russia. The decision is part of President Donald Trump’s stated strategy to make Europe take greater responsibility for its own defense.

Pentagon representatives informed European diplomats last week that the Americans will no longer finance programs that train and equip soldiers in several Eastern European countries.

The current program, known as “section 333”, has a global budget of over one billion dollars and the cuts are expected to eliminate military support worth hundreds of millions of dollars to countries on Russia’s border.

Between 2018 and 2022, 1.6 billion dollars from the program went to Europe. The main recipients have been the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Already approved funds remain until September 2026, but the Trump administration has not requested new appropriations.

“Europe must take more responsibility”

A White House official tells the Financial Times that the decision aligns with Trump’s ambitions to “reassess and redistribute” foreign aid.

— This action has been co-ordinated with European countries in line with the executive order and the president’s long-standing emphasis on ensuring Europe takes more responsibility for its own defense.

Under pressure from the Trump administration, Europe’s NATO countries also agreed in June to aim to increase their defense spending to 5 percent of GDP.

Several European governments were surprised by the announcement and are now trying to get more information from Washington, according to diplomats with insight into the discussions.

— If they are being brutal then it will have big implications, says one diplomat, adding that the military alliance will definitely be affected since parts of the funding are channeled through the alliance.

— It’s causing a lot of concern and uncertainty, states another diplomat.

Increased presence in Poland?

Senator Jeanne Shaheen, leading Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is very upset about the announcement and describes the cuts as a “misguided move that sends exactly the wrong signal as we try to force Putin to the negotiating table and deter Russian aggression”.

The future of the Baltic Security Initiative, created in 2020 to strengthen NATO countries in the Baltic region, is also uncertain. The White House has not requested continued funding for the program in next year’s budget.

— The loss of US security assistance would be very tough for the Baltic states. The whole idea here is making them capable of defending themselves, argues retired Admiral Mark Montgomery at the think tank Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.

While the administration reviews US troop deployments worldwide, Trump assured Polish President Karol Nawrocki on Wednesday that American troops will remain in Poland going forward.

— I am very pleased with the arrangement. We’ll put more there if they want, Trump said about the approximately 10,000 American soldiers stationed in Poland.

Putin and Trump agree on “major points” after summit

The new cold war

Published 16 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
The two presidents during the joint press conference following the summit shortly after midnight Nordic time.
2 minute read

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin met overnight into Friday for a summit in Alaska, where the situation in Ukraine was at the center of discussions. No concrete ceasefire agreement was reached, but both leaders described the meeting as constructive and indicated that dialogue will continue.

At a joint press conference following the meeting, Trump described the talks as “extremely productive” and explained that the parties had agreed on “several major points,” although no final agreement was signed.

– So just to put it very quickly, I’m going to start making a few phone calls and tell them what happened. But we had an extremely productive meeting, and many points were agreed to. There are just a very few that are left. Some are not that significant. One is probably the most significant, but we have a very good chance of getting there, said the American president.

Putin emphasizes bilateral relations

Putin opened the press conference by focusing on the relationship between the US and Russia. The Russian president expressed confidence that Trump will contribute to improved relations between the two superpowers.

– In general, me and President Trump have very good direct contact. We’ve spoken multiple times. We spoke frankly on the phone … Our advisers and heads of foreign ministries kept in touch all the time, and we know fully well that one of the central issues was the situation around Ukraine, Putin explained during the press conference.

Despite the ongoing war, Putin described Ukraine as a “brotherly nation,” which can be seen as an attempt to signal openness to diplomatic solutions.

Meeting concluded after midnight

The summit, which lasted just over two and a half hours, concluded shortly after midnight local time. Around 2 AM Central European Time, Putin headed to his plane for the return journey to Moscow.

Although no concrete results were presented, both leaders hinted that negotiations may continue. Trump’s statement that he will “start making some calls” suggests that diplomatic efforts will continue.

Greene: Ukraine support a betrayal of the American people

The war in Ukraine

Published 6 August 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Greene is highly critical of the neoconservative "war hawks" within the Republican Party - and their influence.
2 minute read

Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene directs harsh criticism at party colleagues and other politicians who continue to want to send American aid to Ukraine.

In a post on X, she describes the support as a “complete betrayal” of the American people – and argues that voters have already said no to financing foreign conflicts.

“Funding, fueling, and ultimately fighting Russia in Ukraine would be a complete betrayal to the majority of Americans”, she writes, referring to the recent presidential election where Trump defeated Joe Biden and returned to the White House.

According to Greene, one of the voters’ clearest signals was to put a stop to US involvement in foreign wars.

“America voted to end funding and fighting foreign wars”, the Republican adds.

Her statement came the day after a new bill was presented in the Senate, where $54.6 billion is proposed to be earmarked for Ukraine for budget years 2026 and 2027.

“Don’t want to pay to murder people”

Greene accuses politicians on both sides of the aisle of ignoring the message voters conveyed in the election. She argues that young Americans in particular feel betrayed:

“Republicans supporting such policies could lose the younger generation of voters and may never get them back”.

She argues that people under 50 increasingly feel unrepresented by both Republicans and Democrats, not least because of how tax money is used:

“Various taxpayer-funded initiatives have made life unaffordable and the future bleak for the vast majority of average American”, she continued.

In the same post, Greene criticizes the moral foundation for American Ukraine support:

“American taxpayers do not want to pay to murder people in some foreign land over a foreign conflict that has absolutely zero effect on our lives”.

Corrupt leadership?

She also supports the president’s line, where European countries are expected to bear greater responsibility for the war in Ukraine. Trump has since his return to the White House opposed continued economic support to Kyiv and has repeatedly questioned how the money is used and warned that billions from the Biden administration’s previous aid packages may have been embezzled.

Trump’s former advisor Steve Cortes has also expressed harsh criticism. He has called Ukraine “corrupt” and warned that its leadership “cannot be trusted,” referring to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy acting against independent anti-corruption bodies.

Greene has in previous statements called Zelensky a “dictator” and accused him of blocking all peace initiatives.

The Russian government has in turn repeatedly warned that the Western world’s military and economic support to Ukraine only prolongs the war and leads to more bloodshed. According to Moscow, every new aid package is an obstacle to peace negotiations.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.