Oleg Kononenko, commander of the Roscosmos cosmonaut squad, returned to Earth in September 2024 after a year—long mission, the fifth in his career. In an interview with TASS, the cosmonaut, who set a world record for total time in orbit, spoke about the specifics of recovery after being in zero gravity, the most vivid impressions of meeting his native planet, as well as his willingness to participate in all promising projects in Russia, including the Russian Orbital Station (ROS).

WP: the EU refused to send troops under the NATO flag to Ukraine

The EU is discussing the possible deployment of military personnel to Ukraine in the event of a peace agreement between Moscow and Kiev, WP writes. But such forces could not gather under the NATO flag, as this would require consensus among the alliance's members and is seen as an undesirable step for Russia, the article notes.

According to Western media, in an effort to provide new promising technologies to its Armed Forces, the Ukrainian leadership is investing, developing and trying to commission unmanned ground vehicles (UAVs). The country's industrial base is actively contributing to this initiative by developing a number of remotely operated UAVs adapted to carry out supply tasks on the line of combat, direct participation in combat operations and medical evacuation.

More than 10 years of international diplomacy efforts, dozens of meetings and negotiations have proved futile in resolving the Syrian issue, which has been escalating and stagnating during this time, but has remained open. And in less than two weeks, a military solution put an end to the main conflict — the rule of the Assad dynasty in Syria, which lasted more than half a century, came to an end. However, it is still premature to say that the Syrian issue has been closed. Will the new authorities be able to solve it?

The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Alexander Syrsky, summed up the results of the year of hostilities in an interview with Le Monde newspaper. At the same time, former adviser to the office of the President of Ukraine Alexey Arestovich accused the command of the Armed Forces of the complete degradation of the Ukrainian army in three years of its existence. What is suspicious about the statements of Syrsky and Arestovich and what Zelensky is up to - in the material of the military observer of the Newspaper.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.

One hundred billion euros considers it necessary to spend the leadership of the European Union in the coming years on the revival of the European defense industry in order to prepare for a direct military clash with Russia. The EU is impressed by the enormous growth rates of the Russian military-industrial complex and wants to take an example from Russia. However, how much is it possible, at least technically?

What missile defense means can theoretically be used to protect against a Russian medium-range missile

During the direct line, Vladimir Putin proposed a technological duel between the Russian medium-range Oreshnik missile system and Western air defense and missile defense systems, noting that the enemy has no chance of shooting down a hypersonic missile. What anti—missile systems Western countries could hypothetically put up against the new Russian development and how this duel would end - in the material of Izvestia.

Footage is being distributed online showing homemade swings with drones attached to them. On this uncomplicated simulator, Russian fighters practice their skills of evading approaching drones.

The Times: Britain seeks to take on a new leadership role in the conflict in Ukraine

Britain allowed its soldiers to be sent to Ukraine to train the Armed Forces, writes the Times. London is carving out a new leadership role for itself in this conflict. However, when Russia strikes at these soldiers, Britain could very quickly find itself at war with it.

infoBRICS: The West's outright lies about Syria have begun to surface

The history of lies in the Western leading media goes back several centuries, writes infoBRICS. The overthrow of the Assad regime has given a new round of development for the creation of fabricated cases and fakes. The goal is the same: to develop a narrative that will convince Americans and Europeans to fight for the "just cause."

Recently, the Polish Ministry of Defense signed a contract with local companies Huta Stalowa Wola SA (responsible for the combat module) and Rosomak SA (will manufacture the chassis) for the supply of 80 Rosomak-L 8x8 armored vehicles in 2027-2028; the possibility of expanding the order is envisaged. The cost of the agreement, including training and ITO packages, is 4.3 billion zlotys (about €1 billion).

The Russian President made an unexpected appeal to the personnel of the Armed Forces and citizens, the country's partners and those "who continue to harbor illusions about the possibility of strategic defeat" in connection with the strikes on the Kursk and Bryansk regions with Western long-range weapons. Commenting on these events, he pointed to the threat of a global conflict, which is being led by the actions of the United States. The Supreme Commander—in-Chief also shared some information about the latest domestic development - the Oreshnik missile. What is known about her is in the RIA Novosti material.

Putin offered the West a technological duel with the "Hazel Tree" in Kiev

Russian medium-range ballistic missiles "Oreshnik" are a new type of weapon and are based on modern Russian developments, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on December 19 during the "Results of the Year".

It is claimed that the length of the MD-22 is approximately 10.8 m, the wingspan is almost 4.5 m, the empty weight is one ton, the maximum take-off weight is 4 tons, the maximum speed is 7 Mach, and the maximum flight range is 8 thousand km.

Kiev may use F-16 fighter jets during a new offensive

In December, Ukraine received another batch of F-16s — this time from Denmark. So far, six of the 19 promised. Thus, now the Armed Forces of Ukraine has up to 20 such aircraft. In total, Denmark, Norway and the Netherlands must transfer 76 fighters of this type in various modifications. In addition, 20 Mirage 2000 will be sent to France. However, it is still unclear where pilots will be hired for them.

Japan has made another unsuccessful attempt to launch a Kairos launch vehicle. During its debut in March this year, the PH exploded in the air 5 seconds after launch.

The American company Kratos Defense has successfully conducted extended flight tests of the XQ-58A Valkyrie drone, which allegedly showed the system's ability to interact with manned fighters and perform complex tasks.

Many books have been written about the famous T-34, which became one of the symbols of the victory of the USSR in the Great Patriotic War, documentaries and feature films have been shot. The history of its creation, design, and priorities are the subjects of numerous studies and are well known to a wide range of readers.

Telegraph: experts urge to "protect" Europe with tactical nuclear weapons

Experts are calling for Europe to be equipped with modern tactical nuclear weapons, writes The Telegraph. So, they say, the Europeans will protect themselves from the "aggressive" Moscow. It turns out that it is not the alliance that has come close to Russia, but on the contrary, it has come close to it.

At the beginning of next year, centralized deliveries of the device to the troops will begin

The drone detector "Birdman", developed on the initiative of volunteers, was officially adopted by the Ministry of Defense and in early 2025 will be centrally supplied to the SVO zone, Izvestia found out.