New imagery from @vantortech confirms that the China-Nepal Rasuwagadhi border crossing has been completely destroyed, with the glacial flood completely scouring the valley floor. At least 359 people are dead and nearly 1,000 missing, according to local authorities.

A NATO RQ-4D Phoenix drone has conducted a night reconaissance flight over the Black Sea. The ISR drone is currently landing at Sigonella Air Base after flying for several hours.

European countries are facing a significant shortage of U.S. Patriot interceptor missiles, largely due to the war in Iran, which has rapidly depleted their stockpiles, the Associated Press reports. This is hardly news, it was already known that several countries in Europe would face serious challenges in ensuring air defense for their territories, but now American officials have confirmed the situation. According to them, in the event of a Russian missile attack, NATO countries would find themselves in a position similar to Ukraine's, forced "to take punch after punch in the mouth." Furthermore, the issue is compounded by the fact that Russia has recently been rapidly ramping up ballistic missile production, improving its technologies, and even importing additional missiles from North Korea. In the event of a conventional war between Europe and Russia, this would be the most critical problem of all, there is currently a substantial gap between defensive and offensive weaponry, as producing any type of defense system is far more costly than manufacturing offensive weapons.

Sentinel-2 satellite images taken today show a Kuwaiti Aframax oil tanker stationary in the Strait of Hormuz after being struck by Iran. Coordinates: 26.39496, 56.51009 Contributed by @MoloWarMonitor

Of course, this does not mean that Russia will launch missiles or drones at the UK in the coming days. It is not the first time Russia has openly threatened other NATO countries, while they could potentially follow through on these threats, the most likely targets are all located within Ukrainian territory. The most plausible scenario would be an attack on the new assembly lines for Storm Shadow/SCALP missile components, facilities set to be built in the coming months with French assistance.

NEW: 🇲🇩 Moldova’s airspace was violated by five drones overnight on the country’s Independence Day. According to Moldova’s Ministry of Defence, five drones entered Moldovan airspace during the night of August 27, Moldova’s Independence Day, amid ongoing Russian drone attacks against Ukraine. Most of the incursions were recorded around Ștefan Vodă, near Moldova’s border with Ukraine. Several drones briefly entered Moldovan airspace before returning to Ukraine, while another crossed deeper into Moldova before disappearing from monitoring systems near the Transnistrian region. This comes only hours after another unauthorized airspace incursion near Palanca on August 26.

The Ukrainian PATRIOT SAM battery in Kyiv appears to have finally received a limited number of interceptors. Seen here, one smashes into an incoming Russian ballistic missile over the Ukrainian capital tonight, destroying it.

Now we know what the message was, and also why the visit lasted only a few hours. According to the WSJ, citing people briefed on the matter, CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Moscow to warn Putin not to attack NATO countries. Obviously, there's no official confirmation yet, as neither the Russian nor the U.S. government will ever provide further details regarding this visit. What is certain is that Western intelligence information is correct, there's a real risk that Russia will attempt to conduct provocations or mini-attacks against NATO countries to test the alliance. We don't know when this will happen, though.

A few minutes ago, Ansarallah Yemeni Armed Forces launched several ballistic missiles towards the port of Al-Mokha. The target of the attack are Saudi-backed militants, currently stationed there.

Secretary of War Hegseth, Joint Chiefs of Staff General Caine, and CIA Director Ratcliffe leave the West Wing following a meeting at the White House. Ratcliffe returned from Russia late last night.

Tomorrow, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will hold a private meeting with the U.S. Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby, the last such meeting took place on February 12, shortly before the start of attacks on Iran. Meetings of this kind usually serve to discuss critical decisions, in this instance, the U.S. military presence in Europe will likely be a primary topic of discussion. Indeed, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth had previously announced a "NATO 3.0" plan, a reform of the Atlantic alliance intended to have Europe take primary responsibility for its own defense, thereby reducing its reliance on the United States. This certainly does not mean the U.S. will abandon Europe, but a decision to reduce the number of troops deployed in European countries is possible. To prevent this, ambassadors will seek to reassure Colby regarding the increase in military spending by NATO members.

No visible confirmed passage via the southern corridor in the past 24 hours. One attempt, an Oil Tanker, Indian-managed "HAANA" that was turned around a few minutes ago, likely by the IRGC Navy.

Tensions continue to rise along NATO's eastern flank. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko ordered a rapid combat readiness inspection of the country's armed forces, specifically, the 51st Guards Artillery Brigade was placed on full alert. Furthermore, personnel have been recalled, and the unit is currently expected to leave its permanent base for unspecified tasks. It is not yet known what prompted Belarus to make this decision, but the timing is certainly noteworthy, given CIA Director John Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow yesterday. One possibility is that the Belarusian armed forces are preparing to enter the conflict in Ukraine, opening a new northern front alongside the Russian army, however, there is currently no confirmation of this.

Belarus has confirmed a surprise combat-readiness inspection ordered by Lukashenko. The 51st Guards Artillery Brigade is being brought to full readiness, with personnel called up and the unit expected to leave its permanent base for unspecified tasks. There’s no confirmed link to the CIA director’s visit to Moscow, but the timing is worth noting.

At the moment, two E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft are conducting reconnaissance along NATO's southern flank. The first is flying over the Adriatic Sea in a highly unusual position off the Italian coast, while the second is operating over southern Turkey. Additionally, the RC-135W Rivet Joint is currently conducting a SIGINT mission around Kaliningrad.

NATO air activity in Europe is intensifying, several aerial refueling tankers are taking off right now. Currently, two E-3 Sentry AWACS aircraft are airborne, one took off recently from Germany heading toward Italy, while the second operated over Romania for a few hours and is now heading south. Notably, a Royal Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint is flying towards Polish airspace, likely to conduct reconnaissance over the Baltic states. Meanwhile, a Swedish ISR aircraft is conducting routine surveillance operations along the border between Finland and Russia.