Deadly Storm Ciarán Brings 100-Plus-mph Winds To Northwest Europe, Knocks Out Power To Millions

"Record-breaking winds in France and across much of Western Europe left at least seven people dead and several others injured as Storm Ciarán swept through the continent overnight, plunging vast numbers into darkness, devastating homes and causing travel

mayhem in several countries. Winds of more than 118 mph slammed the northern tip of France’s Atlantic coast, uprooting trees and blowing out windows. Huge waves slammed into French ports and shorelines, as wind flattened street signs and ripped off roofing. 1.2 million French households were left without electricity. Local trains were canceled across a swath of western France, and all roads in the Finistère region of Brittany were closed. In Spain, where the storm battered much of the country with heavy rains and gale force winds, emergency services in Madrid said a woman died. Parks in the capital and other cities in Spain were closed, and several trains and flights were canceled. Two people were killed by falling branches in central Ghent, Belgium, including a five-year-old child who was taken to hospital but died a few hours later. A storm warning was issued for the North Sea coast in Germany, and a warning of high winds for part of the Baltic Sea coast. Thousands were also without power in the United Kingdom. Sharp gusts blew roofs off buildings and toppled trees. Britain’s Environment Agency urged people to prepare for inland flooding, as some river levels remain high, together with ground that is saturated. By just after midday, there were 82 flood warnings, meaning flooding is expected, and 197 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, in place across England. Dutch media reported that several people had been hit by falling trees in different parts of the Netherlands, one person killed in the southern town of Venray." WeatherChannel

Russia shells Odesa region with Onyx missiles

"Russian Federation launched a missile strike on the Odesa region.... launched two Onyx type missiles, fired from the coastal missile system Bastion." AP

Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary group, may provide an air defense system to Hezbollah

"The Wall Street Journal published an alarming new report highlighting potential Russia-Hezbollah military cooperation. The two sides have already for years been in some degree of coordination in Syria while assisting the Assad government against foreign-backed jihadists.
But now Hezbollah could receive an advanced Russian anti-air system:
The U.S. has intelligence that the Wagner Group, the Russian paramilitary group, may provide an air defense system to Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia, U.S. officials say.
The system in question is the SA-22, which uses antiaircraft missiles and air defense guns, to intercept aircraft." ZH

Hezbollah Escalates Rocket Attacks

"Israel's northern border has suffered almost daily rocket attacks, mainly from Hezbollah out of south Lebanon. However, the conflict there has been by and large "contained" thus far, despite limited daily exchanges of fire. Hamas units also appear to be operating out of Lebanon, with its Al-Qassam brigades at the same time announcing it has shelled Israel's Kiryat Shmona with a dozen rockets." ZH

Italian PM discussed fatigue over Ukraine in prank call with Russian comedians

"Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of "a lot of tiredness" over the war in Ukraine

during a prank call with two Russian comedians posing as African leaders that took place on Sept. 18. Meloni reportedly suggested that she had some ideas about how to "find a way out.” AP

Ukraine Sent Its Surviving Leopard 2A6 Tanks To Help Save Avdiivka—And Quickly Lost One Of Them

"Ukrainian army lost one of its rare, and precious, Leopard 2A6 tanks outside Avdiivka in

eastern Ukraine apparently sometime this week.
The loss—which may have been the result of a malfunction that compelled the German-made Leopard 2A6’s four crew to bail out—is notable for two reasons.
First, it extends Ukraine’s unfortunate streak of Leopard 2 losses. In a little over a week, Kyiv’s army has written off at least a dozen, and perhaps 13, of its Leopard 2A4s, Leopard 2A6s and Strv 122s. The latter are super-armored Swedish variants of the Leopard 2A5.
Add the six Leopard 2s the Ukrainians lost before last week, and the army is down a quarter of its best German-made tanks. Kyiv’s foreign allies have pledged 85 Leopard 2s and, so far, delivered 71 of them.
What’s also notable is where the most recent Leopard 2A6 loss occured, and what that says about Ukraine’s war plans. The army’s 47th Mechanized Brigade is the sole user of Ukraine’s Leopard 2A6s. That a Leopard 2A6 has showed up around Avdiivka, just northwest of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, means all or much of the 47th Mechanized Brigade is there, too." Forbes

Ukraine’s top general admits Russia has the advantage

"Ukraine will not make any progress in its fight against Russia unless some new technology

emerges to give it a decisive advantage, the country’s top military commander, General Valery Zaluzny, told The Economist this week.
He conceded, without the appearance of a 'wunderwaffe,' that Moscow is in the better position, given its larger population and greater resources. The situational awareness that both sides have thanks to the use of drones makes surprise concentration of forces impossible, Zaluzhny believes. NATO textbooks and predictive models, which were used to plan the summer counteroffensive, have been proven wrong." S

Myanmar (Burma) rebels seize vital border town as China calls for ceasefire

"Myanmar’s military government says it has lost control of an important town on the border

with China after days of fierce fighting with armed groups.
The loss is a major blow to the generals who seized power from Myanmar’s elected government in February 2021 and have since struggled to contain opposition to their rule. The town, bordering China’s Yunnan province, is central to the flow of trade from Myanmar to China. More than a quarter of Myanmar’s $1.8bn border trade with China passed through Chinshwehaw from April to September. The development follows days of fighting throughout Myanmar’s northern Shan state between the army and a coalition of three ethnic rebel groups known as the Brotherhood Alliance – the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, the Arakan Army and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). ....the three armed groups of “blowing up power stations, blowing up bridges, destroying transportation routes”." AP