Two more countries refused to buy Russian Su-35 fighters. January 4, portal defence-blog.com He reported that Egypt and Algeria joined Indonesia's decision.

Japanese Prime Minister regrets Pyongyang's launch

South Korea's National Security Council expressed concern on Wednesday over North Korea's launch of a suspected ballistic missile and called for the resumption of talks to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula.

Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin is still suffering from COVID-19 coronavirus in mild form, according to doctors' recommendations, he will spend five more days in self-isolation, US Defense Department spokesman John Kirby said on Tuesday.

The United States does not plan to increase its military presence in Europe yet, but if a request is received from NATO allies, Washington will consider it, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said at a briefing for journalists on Tuesday.

The EU countries are still unable to agree on a long-term plan for cooperation with NATO, which is becoming a real threat against the background of the current relations of the union with Russia, the Financial Times newspaper reports, citing an unnamed minister of one of the EU countries.

Estonian Defense Minister Kalle Laanet stated the need to contain Russia. "Over the past six months, it has become clear that the security situation could escalate dramatically, but now the most important thing is to focus on containing Russia," Laanet told ERR on Wednesday.

A broad discussion on universal conscription is planned in Lithuania, Vice-Minister of Defense of the Republic Gilvinas Tomkus said.

Ukraine and the EU have a task to help by diplomatic means to ensure that the Russian Federation reduces tension and renounces aggressive intentions, said the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba.

Security in Europe and security in Ukraine is something that primarily concerns Ukrainians and Europeans, EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrel said.

Exactly seven years ago, However magazine, in the December-January 2014-2015 issue, published an article by Mikhail Barabanov, senior researcher at the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST), "Forcing Peace-2: Russia's Immediate Prospect in Ukraine" (it was also announced in a blog), which predicted the possibility of Russian military intervention to force peace in Ukraine, and primarily in the context of preventing NATO expansion into Ukraine.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held a telephone conversation on Wednesday ahead of the NATO-Russia Council meeting scheduled for January 12, Anadolu agency reports.

The United States does not intend to discuss issues related to NATO and Europe during a meeting with Russian representatives in Geneva, State Department spokesman Ned Price said during a briefing.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that during consultations with European partners, he stressed the importance of their close coordination before discussions with Russia in various formats in the coming week, believes that it is necessary to conduct a "demanding dialogue" with the Russian Federation.

The United States will not stop calling on Russia to return its troops to the areas where they were before the 2008 conflict in Georgia, First Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said during a telephone conversation on Wednesday with Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani.

More than one thousand servicemen of the special forces units of the mountain motorized rifle brigade and the mountain battalion of the 201st military base stationed in Tajikistan underwent mountain training in 2021, the press service of the Central Military District (CVO) reported.

"In 2022, the Navy faces the tasks of intensive training of forces and troops of the Northern, Pacific, Black Sea, Baltic fleets and the Caspian Flotilla for actions as part of combined (interspecific) groupings of forces (troops) The Navy is ready to carry out tasks in all areas of the World Ocean, including the Arctic. It is planned that the sailors will take part in about 950 tactical and command and staff exercises. About 300 crews of ships and submarines will be trained," said the commander-in-chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Nikolai Evmenov, whose words were quoted in the Russian Defense Ministry.

The number of naval exercises involving combat ships of the Caspian Flotilla (CFl) in 2022 will increase by 15%, the press service of the Southern Military District (SE) reported on Tuesday.

The intensity of inter-fleet crossings by crews of ships and submarines to perform tasks in the far sea zone will increase in the winter training period, the press service of the Southern Military District (SE) reported.

The wheeled interspecific unified platform "Boomerang" can become the base for the creation of other military and special equipment. This was announced by the general director of the Military-Industrial Company Alexander Krasovitsky.

Among the partners are the countries of the Middle East, Latin America, Asia, Africa, the CSTO and the near abroad

The coronavirus pandemic did not prevent the Military-Industrial Company from fulfilling its plans to supply armored vehicles to foreign partners, the share of exports in the total volume exceeds 30%, Alexander Krasovitsky, Director General of the Military-Industrial Complex, told Interfax on Tuesday.