Britain's top diplomat in Estonia, Ambassador David Smith, has become the first ambassador in recent history to join military reserves, swapping his suit for combat fatigues, as reported by The Times. This development occurs as President Donald Trump reiterated his threat to impose significant sanctions on Russia if NATO countries cease purchasing Russian oil. Smith's move was confirmed via X by journalist Larisa Brown at 11:53 AM UTC. President Trump stated his readiness to "start" sanctions measures once NATO allies signal their agreement, asserting this action would lead to a swift conclusion of the ongoing conflict. This statement follows earlier reports this morning on social media indicating gasoline lines across Russia. In parallel, earlier today, two Russian Pantsir-S1 air defense systems were reportedly destroyed in Ukrainian strikes. The Dosye Sphiona channel stated one system was hit around 02:00 on an airfield in occupied Luhansk by a RAM-2x drone, and another was eliminated in Snizhne, Donetsk region. Separately, footage shared today shows Belarusian-Russian Zapad-2025 exercises near the Polish border, featuring a Kamaz-based 9S552 command vehicle and two 9P78-1 TELs carrying 9K720 Iskander-M missiles. The deployment of Russian operational-tactical missile complexes (OTRK) near Kaliningrad, bordering Poland, was also claimed on X by @Maks_NAFO_FELLA. These events follow previous reports of Ukrainian drone strikes on Russia's Primorsk port on September 9th, which damaged two tankers and temporarily halted operations. Poland launched Operation "Eastern Sentinel" earlier this week, bolstered by French A-400M aircraft delivering arms for Rafale jets stationed in Poland. India's Adani Group has banned Western-sanctioned tankers from its ports, potentially impacting Russian oil supplies. The European Union Council recently extended its sanctions against Russia for another six months. Additionally, BAE Systems is investing up to $300 million to increase its CV90 Infantry Fighting Vehicle production capacity to 250 units annually by 2026, anticipating a large-scale joint order from multiple European nations.
