Hard Numbers: Soviet-made weapons for Ukraine, Russia in Africa, Argentina-IMF deal, porous US border wall

Hard Numbers: Soviet-made weapons for Ukraine, Russia in Africa, Argentina-IMF deal, porous US border wall
Ukraine's military fires a Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system during drills in Volyn.
Ukrainian Ground Forces Command/Handout via REUTERS

2,700: After historically reversing its ban on sending deadly weapons to countries in conflict, Germany now plans to supply 2,700 Strela missiles to Ukraine. Interestingly, the Strelas were made in the USSR and have been held in an old depot in the former East Germany, where Vladimir Putin had his last gig with the KGB.

25: US officials are worried Sudan’s ruling junta may resurrect a suspended 2020 agreement to give Russia a 25-year lease on a naval base in Port Sudan. The deal would be a major milestone in Moscow's wider push to become a major player in Africa.

40 billion: Argentina’s parliament is debating an agreement between the government and the IMF to restructure over $40 billion of debt. The agreement is expected to pass, despite the ruling Peronista party having lost its majority in the upper house, and some of its hardline MPs opposing compromise with the IMF.

3,272: Mexican smugglers penetrated new sections of the US border wall 3,272 times over the past three years, using cheap tools like angle grinders and demolition saws available at hardware stores. The US government spent $2.6 million to fix the holes from 2019 to 2021.

More from GZERO Media

US President Donald Trump pardons a turkey at the annual White House Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon in the Rose Garden in Washington, D.C., USA, on Nov. 25, 2025.
Andrew Leyden/NurPhoto

Although not all of our global readers celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s still good to remind ourselves that while the world offers plenty of fodder for doomscrolling and despair, there are still lots of things to be grateful for too.

Marine Le Pen, French member of parliament and parliamentary leader of the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party and Jordan Bardella, president of the French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National - RN) party and member of the European Parliament, gesture during an RN political rally in Bordeaux, France, September 14, 2025.
REUTERS/Stephane Mahe

Army Chief Asim Munir holds a microphone during his visit at the Tilla Field Firing Ranges (TFFR) to witness the Exercise Hammer Strike, a high-intensity field training exercise conducted by the Pakistan Army's Mangla Strike Corps, in Mangla, Pakistan, on May 1, 2025.

Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR)/Handout via REUTERS

Field Marshal Asim Munir, the country’s de facto leader, consolidated his power after the National Assembly rammed through a controversial constitutional amendment this month that grants him lifelong immunity from any legal prosecution.