Latest / The President's Daily Brief / PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 21st, 2026: Putin Personally Ordered Attacks on NATO Countries & Turkey Prepares Saudi Deployment

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PDB Afternoon Bulletin | October 21st, 2026: Putin Personally Ordered Attacks on NATO Countries & Turkey Prepares Saudi Deployment · The President's Daily Brief

0:11
It's Wednesday,
0:12
the 21st of October.
0:14
Welcome to the PDB afternoon bulletin.
0:17
I'm Mike Baker,
0:17
your eyes and ears on the world stage.
0:20
Alright.
0:21
Let's get briefed.
0:22
First up,
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US intelligence reportedly believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin
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personally ordered a wave of sabotage attacks against NATO countries.
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Now a new investigation
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reveals how Russian operatives targeted military aircraft in Germany,
0:39
and a warning
0:40
that the Kremlin allegedly delivered afterward.
0:43
But,
0:44
uh,
0:44
well,
0:44
at least US envoy Steve Witkoff
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thinks Putin is a humanitarian.
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So,
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that's nice.
0:51
Later in the show,
0:52
Turkey moves closer to deploying military personnel to Saudi Arabia
0:56
to help defend against Houthi attacks.
0:58
But first,
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today's afternoon spotlight.
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We've been following the fallout from the attempted Russian sabotage attack on
1:06
military cargo aircraft at an airport in Germany earlier this summer.
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Now,
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a new investigation from the Wall Street Journal
1:13
reveals new details regarding that attack.
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According to European officials
1:18
familiar with American intelligence assessments,
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Vladimir Putin personally ordered an escalating campaign of sabotage operations
1:27
against NATO countries,
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with the attack in Germany marking one of its opening moves.
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And investigators are uncovering new details
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about the Russian intelligence network.
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Allegedly responsible along with a warning
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that the Kremlin reportedly delivered to German officials.
1:44
Now,
1:44
let's start with what happened back in August
1:47
at Leipzig Halle Airport in eastern Germany,
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Russian operatives allegedly launched several
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explosive-laden drones against cargo aircraft
1:56
involved in transporting military supplies to Ukraine.
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One drone struck a large
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Ukrainian Antonov transport plane but failed to detonate.
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Another collided with a 2nd aircraft,
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while a 3rd exploded near the airport's perimeter.
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Nobody was killed,
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but investigators say the attack could have
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destroyed multiple aircraft and caused significant casualties
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at one of Europe's busiest cargo airports.
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German authorities subsequently blamed
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Russia's military intelligence service,
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the GRU,
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for the operation.
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Moscow,
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as you
2:27
might suspect,
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Well,
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they denied involvement.
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But according to the journal,
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the attack was part of something much larger.
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Three European officials familiar with American intelligence findings,
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say Putin personally ordered Russian intelligence
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agencies to intensify sabotage and covert operations
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against NATO countries over the summer.
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The decision reportedly came as the Russian president
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grew increasingly frustrated with the course of the war in Ukraine.
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Russian forces
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had failed to achieve Moscow's objectives on the battlefield,
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while Ukrainian attacks were increasingly reaching targets deep inside Russia.
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Meanwhile,
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negotiations with Washington had failed to produce the concessions
3:07
that Putin wanted from Kiev.
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According to the intelligence assessments.
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The Kremlin responded by expanding its campaign
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against European countries supplying Ukraine with weapons,
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equipment,
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and other military support.
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And the investigation into the Leipzig Halle attack provides a look at
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how that campaign allegedly operates.
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Western intelligence officials trace the operation
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to a specialized branch of the GRU
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responsible for covert missions abroad.
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Investigators believe the network used Serbia as a staging ground,
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moving explosives,
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modified drones,
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and other equipment across European borders.
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According to the journal,
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a former Russian military officer recruited by the GRU
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helped coordinate Belarusian operatives
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who transported explosives,
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assembled drones,
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and positioned them for the attack.
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Serbian authorities subsequently arrested 7
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suspects connected to the operation,
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including an individual holding both Russian and Serbian citizenship.
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Investigators also uncovered evidence
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of a broader clandestine network preparing operations
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against European military and industrial targets.
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Following the failed attack in Germany,
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a Kremlin representative reportedly contacted the German government official
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through an unofficial communications channel.
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According to officials familiar with that conversation,
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the Russian representative warned
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that Leipzigala would not be Moscow's last target.
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The journal reports that advisers to German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz
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believed a more successful operation,
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particularly one causing mass casualties,
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could have raised the possibility of invoking
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NATO's Article 5 collective defense provision.
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That's the principle under which
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an armed attack against one NATO member
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is considered an attack against the alliance.
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Now Germany never invoked Article 5.
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But the fact that officials reportedly contemplated that possibility
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illustrates just how dangerous these covert operations could become.
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And Leapigala
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was not the end of the story.
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Since August,
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suspected sabotage operations have targeted facilities involved in
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supporting Ukraine across Europe.
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Drone manufacturers in Estonia and Poland have suffered arson attacks.
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Slovak authorities say they disrupted another plot
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targeting a factory producing drones for Ukraine.
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More recently,
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Poland,
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Lithuania,
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and Bulgaria have reported suspected sabotage
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against Starlink communications infrastructure.
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Now,
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not every incident has been conclusively linked to Russian intelligence,
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but Western officials are
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increasingly concerned about the pattern.
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CIA Director John Ratcliffe reportedly warned
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European intelligence leaders and government officials
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that Moscow was expanding its covert campaign.
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All the targets to date have been
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important to Ukraine's ability to continue fighting.
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Rather than attacking these assets on the Ukrainian battlefield,
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Russia
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is allegedly going after the infrastructure supporting Kiev
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from inside NATO countries.
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It's a strategy that could disrupt military supplies,
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create economic damage,
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and force European governments to devote more
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resources to protecting their own territory.
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And it allows Moscow to apply pressure
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without openly launching conventional military attacks against NATO.
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Now,
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even as American intelligence reportedly concludes that Putin
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personally ordered this campaign against NATO countries,
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the White House is making it clear through public statements
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that,
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well,
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apparently Ukraine is the problem,
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that Kiev is at fault for not conceding and accepting Putin's demands,
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with sanctions being eased on Russia,
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and President Trump and US envoy Steve Witkoff
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praising Putin.
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All right.
6:49
Coming up next,
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another major military power prepares to help
6:53
defend Saudi Arabia against the Houthis,
6:55
as Turkey builds new defense partnerships with Qatar,
6:59
Pakistan,
7:00
and Indonesia.
7:01
I'll be right back.
7:03
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Mike Baker here.
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Now,
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9:44
Welcome back to the PDB afternoon bulletin.
9:47
Turkey is moving closer to deploying military personnel to Saudi
9:51
Arabia as the kingdom continues battling missile and drone attacks
9:55
from Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis.
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The move would bring another major military power into the effort
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to strengthen Saudi defenses,
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just one day after Britain announced it was sending fighter jets to the kingdom.
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According to Reuters,
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Ankara plans to seek parliamentary authorization
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to send military specialists under a mutual defense agreement
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signed with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan back in August.
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The personnel would focus on air defenses,
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electronic warfare,
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and technical support
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rather than offensive operations.
10:28
As we've noted here on the PDB,
10:29
the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement commits Turkey,
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Saudi Arabia,
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and Pakistan
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to treating an attack against one as an attack against all three.
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No Turkish troops have been deployed under the pact so far,
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but Ankara is now taking steps toward putting that commitment into practice.
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Turkey possesses NATO's second largest military,
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while Pakistan brings its own considerable conventional forces and of course,
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a nuclear arsenal.
10:54
Saudi Arabia meanwhile has spent billions over the years building one
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of the most heavily equipped militaries in the Middle East.
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According to a lawmaker from President Erdogan's ruling party,
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the initial Turkish deployment would involve specialists helping
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Saudi forces improve their ability to detect,
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intercept,
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and defend against incoming missiles and drones.
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Meanwhile,
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another major defense partnership is emerging,
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this one stretching from the Middle East
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to Southeast Asia.
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On Wednesday,
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Turkey signed a new military cooperation agreement with Qatar,
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Pakistan,
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and Indonesia.
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Known as the Badr Memorandum of Understanding,
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the deal brings together 4 countries seeking to expand military production,
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share technology,
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and develop new weapons systems through joint research and manufacturing.
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Unlike the agreement with Saudi Arabia,
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the Badr arrangement does not establish a mutual defense obligation.
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Instead,
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it
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focuses on building the industrial and technological capabilities
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that modern militaries depend on.
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According to Turkey's defense ministry,
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the agreement will encourage joint weapons production,
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technical training,
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research and development,
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and greater cooperation between the
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participating countries' defense industries.
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The idea is to combine their manufacturing capabilities rather than have each
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country develop and purchase expensive military systems entirely on its own.
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Turkey already has substantial defense relationships
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with all three countries,
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and Ankara has spent years building a domestic defense industry,
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producing everything from advanced drones and
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precision guided weapons to armored vehicles,
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warships,
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and electronic warfare systems.
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Its defense exports have expanded rapidly,
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exceeding $10 billion just last year.
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Qatar already hosts a Turkish military base and
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maintains close defense ties with Ankara.
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The country has purchased Turkish weapons while
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also developing its own domestic defense industry
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as it confronts growing security threats in the Persian Gulf.
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Pakistan has also worked extensively with Turkish defense manufacturers,
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including a naval program
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involving the construction of modern Corvettes for the Pakistani navy,
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and Indonesia has partnered with Turkey
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to develop and manufacture armored vehicles,
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including the Kaplan medium tank
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with technology transferred to Indonesian factories.
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The new agreement is intended to bring
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those existing relationships into a broader framework.
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Pakistan participates in both agreements,
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linking Turkey's mutual defense commitment with Saudi Arabia
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to a broader military partnership involving Qatar and Indonesia.
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These are separate arrangements.
13:34
It's not a five-country alliance,
13:36
but they come as Saudi Arabia battles the Iran-backed Houthis.
13:39
Qatar strengthens its defenses amid the war with Iran,
13:42
and Gulf governments question how much protection
13:45
they can continue expecting from Washington.
13:48
In fact,
13:48
President Trump's envoy Tom Barrack
13:51
recently warned Gulf leaders that the
13:53
US cannot guarantee their security indefinitely,
13:56
encouraging them
13:57
to build stronger defense partnerships of their own.
14:00
For President Erdogan,
14:02
these agreements offer an opportunity to expand Turkey's military influence,
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open new markets for its weapons manufacturers,
14:09
and strengthen relationships stretching from the Persian Gulf
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to Southeast Asia.
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For Saudi Arabia,
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the question is how quickly these
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arrangements translate into actual military capabilities
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and whether
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they can help in the short term to battle
14:24
and ultimately defeat
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the Iran-backed Houthis.
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And that my friends,
14:29
is the PDB afternoon bulletin for Wednesday,
14:32
the 21st of October.
14:33
Now,
14:33
if you have any questions or comments,
14:35
and I hope you do,
14:35
just reach out to me
14:36
at PDB@hefirsttv.com
14:39
and to listen to the show ad-free,
14:41
well,
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you can do that,
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you know that it's very simple.
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Just become a premium member of the President's Daily Brief
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by visiting PDBpremium.com.
14:50
I'm Mike Baker and I'll be back tomorrow.
14:52
Until then,
14:53
stay informed,
14:54
stay safe,
14:55
stay cool.
15:11
Hey,
15:11
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15:12
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