In Germany the celebration of the liberation day 2025-5-8 change years of mixed feelings about what happened during the 2nd world war. In Berlin this day is a bank holiday now and more and more people subscribe to the view that the liberation from Nazi-terror was a blessing for German people. The “Neue Wache” is the room of silence in honor of all victims. We shall always remember. Fighting the early tendencies remains the most effective strategy to avoid extremism of fascist groups. It is the task of Germans born also long after the war to keep the memory of the atrocities alive and to care about prevention of new ones. 
War of drones
The use of drones in warfare is not new in 2025. However, the news reported in the WSJ 2025-05-05 that sea drones from Ukraine with U.S. adapted missiles downed 2 Russian jet fighters made headlines. Compared to jet fighters such drones carrying missiles are a rather cost-effective alternative in warfare. The speed of jets compared to drones made such successful attempts rather unlikely. The information that infrared technology can achieve such identification of targets and guiding missiles is another innovation of the Ukrainian military technology.
Technology is well known to be a game changer in warfare for centuries or across the whole military history. Adaptations of defense strategies will allow Ukraine to hold against the Russian aggression albeit limited financial resources. The defense of air space is one of the crucial elements for Ukraine to deter Russia from moving further ahead through the continuation to increase the costs of war to Russia.
Following a fast moving object and transforming it into a target is an astonishing accomplishment.
Lasting memory
On the 8th of May 2025 we celebrate 80 days of liberation from the Nazi regime in Germany. It is the liberation of all those who survived the horrors of oppression and war. The Nazi terror intensified after the power grip in 1933 and reached unprecedented levels throughout the ruling of the NSDAP until the Allied Forces managed to chase down the last fighting cells and Hitler hiding in a bunker before he killed himself. Liberation was the experience of survivors all across Europe. On this day and on many other commemorations it is important to remember the 60 millions of people who died due to the Nazi terror before and during the war. The “Stolperstein” initiative commemorates the millions of Jewish people who were deported or had to flee Germany and even neighboring countries to survive. In Berlin there are yearly activities to clean the “Stolpersteine” so that they are visible enough to remain a lasting memory of the horrors. (Image: Cleaning of Stolperstein in Berlin Schöneberg organised by Michael Biel on 2025-5-4).
Known Unknown
Many musicians and poets remain unknown to larger audiences. “A complete unknown“, young singer, musician and songwriter Bob Dylan has reached fame and fortune with his poetry and popular songs that marked a whole generation. He became the best known unknown of country music in the USA who found sympathy for his expression of protest across the world. „How many times must the canonballs fly, before …“. At the time of renewed militarization of the Western states to defend our way of life, the protest song is oriented towards Russia to stop its war in Ukraine.
The poster in Berlin to advertise the biographical movie on a „Litfaßsäule“ (round sign posting column) dating back to the 1920s in Berlin brings us back into the historical state of mind of crucial crossroads in history. Retreat from war, preventing war and aggression remain topics for us today as well. Peace might be the happy time in between wars marking history.
Berlin is a great place to walk through more than a century of war and aftermath. Rebuilding takes decades and is part of the Berlin state of mind. as well as a sign „to overcome“ conflicts.
Insecurity Council
The UN Security Council has been turned into the Insecurity Council. The UN Plenary Session voted with a 2/3 majority on 2025-2-24 the draft Resolution L.10 stating: “Three years after the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the General Assembly today adopted two resolutions reaffirming Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity …”. As part of this resolution the UN General Assembly claims “accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed on the territory of Ukraine …”.
The UN Insecurity Council (15 Members, China, USA Russia, F, UK as permanent Members) adopted almost in parallel with 10 votes in favor and 5 abstentions (Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia, United Kingdom) resolution 2774 (2025) calling for a swift end to conflict. The most notable change in international politics is the changed voting behavior of the USA, which has retreated from an outspoken condemnation of Russia as aggressor and occupant of foreign territory.
The “revealing of masks” in what appears to be a neo-imperialist period of time has come. The set-up of the post 1945 UN institution of the Security Council has lost a major function to prevent armed conflicts and early reaction potential. The force to aim for and guarantee international peace lies much more in the hand of the plenary of the UN rather than the small select Security Council dominated by previous superpowers largely due to their possession of nuclear weapons of mass destruction.
The voting of a resolution by the Insecurity Council, which is in contradiction with a resolution of the UN General Assembly concerning the spirit, if not the words, is a source of insecurity itself. A reform of the UN system, which risks to become a “shopping system” of lenient organizations, where you join and leave the organization (UNESCO, WHO, WTO …) will loose impact.
For many people and countries, the only hope for a guarantee of human rights lies with the United Nations Human Rights Charter, peace keeping missions and International Courts. The UN Security Council as an Insecurity Council is likely to let down many people truly seeking a peaceful life.
(Image: The Fall of Icarus, Pablo Picasso, at HQ UNESCO, Paris)
Holocaust Remembrance
The 80th anniversary of the liberation of the concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau marks a very special kind of remembrance. As the number of survivors of Nazi-terror and genocide is shrinking the testimony of survivors is becoming more rare and more precious. According to the “Jerusalem Post” on 2025-1-28 (p. 9) the number of survivors that came back to the site of horrific crime has shrunk from 300 ten years ago to 50 in 2025. The strength and courage to continue to testify amidst having reached 90+ or even 100+ years of age is a “living memorial” of its own kind.
Many television stations across Europe have followed the example set by this special Holocaust remembrance day and focused equally on recorded testimonies or additional live interviews of survivors. Please keep repeating these testimonies to confront people with the outcome of Nazi-terror in Europe. The choice this year was a courageous one. Instead of speeches of sorrow and lip service to fight antisemitism by acting politicians, the focus on the testimony of survivors in public, on TV and to large audiences will encourage others to continue to give testimonial of these horrors.
(Image: extract of Pressreader newspaper titles 2025-1-27)
Synthetic opioids
Across the globe there are many tough lessons to be learned about synthetic opioids. These psychoactive substances fall under special legislation and can only be used with medical prescriptions. The strength of these substances is usually compared to heroin and the risk of addiction to these substances is very high.
A recent paper in International Review of the Armed Forces Medical Services (2024) has highlighted also “the abuse of the synthetic opioid U-47700” at times of military conflict. The power of these drugs to suppress the feeling of pain is helpful for medical operations. The abuse, however, may consist in the use of the drug to “keep fighting whilst pain is suppressed”. Such use of synthetic opioids increases the risk for addition and the fatal consequences of overdoses. The reporting of such occurrences in a specialized medical journal is an important warning against the conscious and willingness to abuse the drugs for war purposes.
The finding reminds us of the abuse that was already widely spread during the Nazi led 2nd World War (“Der totale Rausch“). The addictive potential was experiences even after the war time in terms of active combat was over. The costs to society of such abuse as well as use of supply chains of provision of opioids during peace times remain a problem for many years after the war. After a war, the war on drug abuse continues. Fighting addiction is a lengthy and painful process. 
Defence Spending
As in research there are many dual use products, which can be part of defence spending. Robotics in production or rockets to launch satellites for telecommunication are such examples. Much less known to the public is the amount of military spending that goes into medical developments that benefit both the military as well as the civil population. Countries build a whole ecosystem round the provision of medical services for defence purposes , which consists not only of a sufficient number of qualified persons, but also companies that provide specialised products. Most of them have civil applications as well after minor adaptations.
Oxygen provision was a prominent example of a product that has civil and military uses in treatment of respiratory infections or contaminations. A mobile transportable operation table is another element of daily rescue services as well as potential use in situations of conflict, just like anesthesia machines. An increase in spending on such infrastructure and the necessary long-term training of persons operating and maintaining these medical applications take time and considerable financial resources.
The current debate in Europe and NATO neglects the considerable time delays in production and provision of the equipment. Research on “Skill Needs in OECD countries” has shown the substantial delays between sudden skill needs and the time to train high-skilled persons.
The International Review of the Armed forces Medical Services is a journal dedicated to publish up-to-date information on needs of medical products and persons trained to use them in special emergencies. The need to safe lives in extreme and dangerous conditions needs preparation of thousands of specialists. Of course we hope that such an incidence will not happen. The persons and material have an obvious potential to serve the civilian population in more peaceful times as well. The unfortunate “hog cycle” in skill provision is not a problem for dual use products or services.
(Image: edited extract of a mobile operation table) 
Ukraine Poets
Difficult times have a long history in Ukraine. However, literature and poetry have flourished since the Ukrainian independence from the Soviet domination in 1991. Periods of hunger under Stalin, Nazi crimes in the 2nd World War, Tschernobyl radiation, Annexation of Crimea and now Russian war on Ukrainian territories, the endurance of hardship is part of Ukrainian culture and society. This has created a strength of resistance and resilience which is exemplary for all countries. The democratic countries stand firmly on Ukraine‘s side and support not only military defense efforts, but also artists and poets in such difficult times.
A collection of translated poems from Ukrainian into English has been published in 2027/2018, showing the horrors of the large scale war that was to come a few years later. In fact from the Ukrainian perspective the annexation of Crimea was the first war initiated by Russia although the Western world did not want to see this as a brutal aggression, which it was. The poems in the anthology are available online for everyone to read and understand that war changes personalities. Suddenly, dying of old age becomes a blessing as many young soldiers and people die on the battlefields (Died of Old Age, by Lyuba Yakimchuk translation by Anatoly Kudryavitsky) .
7 years after the translations where published the poems have kept their sorrow and the reminder for us to continue our support for Ukraine‘s fight for democracy, independence and freedom of speech and the arts. (Image: Front: from War Diaries, Brussels 2025, shown in Gallery of Katarzyna Napiorkowska).
Space Missions
As we realize that critical infrastructure on earth is not safe in times of military conflict, space missions have become an additional form of competition between countries, continents and alliances. India has accomplished in January 2025 the coupling of 2 space satellites. The level of technological knowledge to achieve the coupling and decoupling of satellites included among other competences the mastering of algorithms that control sensors and propulsion. Beyond the communication cables on earth, satellites can assure telecommunication services, if other networks are interrupted.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISPO) has announced the successful “space docking experiment” (SpaDeX) and joins the other 3 countries US., Russia and China as the 4th country to achieve this. The race in space and to space beyond earthly competition shifts attention also to the additional category of a race to technological innovation and applications of those. Since the war of Russia in Ukraine we know about the “dual use” factor (civil and military) of satellite technology. Satellite images of your own country are helpful in many respects ranging from weather forecasts, rain, draughts and habitat changes or population movements. Early warnings of flooding are surely important civil applications. Movements of military equipment by potential enemies are much needed early information, which increases warning time spans. With more satellites in space the good as well as the dangerous potential is expanding. Sovereignty in the 21st century certainly has a technological dimension. Therefore, the demonstration of satellite coupling in space accomplishes not only a dual use achievement, but also fulfils a triple use or ambition. The 3rd one is political. Hey, look we are also watching you, or might do so.
(Image: Robert Indiana “Imperial Love” 1966/2006 in Berlin Neue Nationalgalerie) 