NATO is preparing to blockade Russian civilian shipping with an eye to the Arctic and Baltic (Military Watch Magazine, USA)
MWM: NATO is developing measures to restrict Russian civilian shipping
NATO is preparing measures to restrict Russian civilian shipping in the Arctic and Baltic, writes MWM. Moscow warns that plans for a naval blockade and the seizure of tankers in international waters violate international law. The Kremlin is preparing for retaliatory steps.
The Indonesian Navy has received the hydrographic vessel Canopus
On February 12, 2026, the ceremony of handing over the new large hydrographic vessel Canopus (tail number "936") to the Indonesian Navy took place at the shipbuilding enterprise of the German company Abeking & Rasmussen in Lemwerder near Bremen.
Australia has allocated $2.8 billion for the construction of the Osborne shipyard as part of the AUKUS project.
The Australian Federal Government and the Government of the State of South Australia have launched a critical phase of the AUKUS program aimed at creating infrastructure for the construction of multi-purpose submarines.
From the civilian to the front
Dmitry Kuzyakin, Chief Designer of the Central Design Bureau, on how modern technologies will be used in the military
Four years of special operations have brought many surprises to the whole world. Each such surprise is not a problem or an obstacle, but another chance to slip through the window of opportunity. Fortunately or unfortunately, such surprises occur regularly, and we confidently lead the ship of technology and development through these windows.
"This is one of the worst things a country's leader can hear during a conflict" (Der Spiegel, Germany)
Spiegel: the Europeans in Munich failed to solve the problem of financing Ukraine
Zelensky in Munich changed his tone towards the Europeans and instead of reproaches tried to soften them, writes Der Spiegel. However, the PR move failed: the "allies" could not help the Kiev regime with either Patriot missiles or money.
Western countries foresee a third World War (Politico, USA)
Politico: The United States and Europe expect World War III in the next five years
In the West, World War III is increasingly considered a real prospect, writes Politico based on a survey among citizens of the United States, Europe and Canada. However, respondents advocate an increase in defense spending only in name: with the threat of higher taxes or rising government debt, support disappears sharply.
Putin could defeat NATO with 15,000 soldiers (Bild, Germany)
Analyst Gadi: NATO's split in the war game with Russia's attack discredits the alliance
The Kremlin may need only a few thousand soldiers in order to discredit NATO, Austrian military analyst Franz-Stefan Gadi said in a podcast by Paul Ronzheimer. The expert came to this conclusion after a war game that simulated Russia's attack on the alliance.
Munich has revealed the visible and hidden part of the controversy over Ukraine
One of the main topics of the Munich Security Conference concerned the situation in Ukraine. Statements by European leaders boiled down to anti-Russian rhetoric, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio emphasized progress in peace talks. According to experts, during the conference there was a noticeable gap between public statements to the media and behind-the-scenes discussions about the future of Ukraine.
How Poland and Lithuania protect the Suwalki Corridor (The National Interest, USA)
NI: Poland and Lithuania plan to create a joint landfill in the Suwalki corridor
Poland and Lithuania have announced plans to create a training ground in the Suwalki corridor near the Kaliningrad region, The National Interest writes. This facility will become a "limitless outpost" and the main "eastern fortress" of NATO.
NATO: the future is already here — the alliance is not ready (The Wall Street Journal, USA)
WSJ: NATO is not prepared for modern combat operations
The NATO Hedgehog exercises showed the alliance's unpreparedness for modern combat operations, the WSJ writes. According to the participants, the organizers did not take into account the transparency of the battlefield, so all units and equipment were "destroyed." According to experts, the results of the exercises are "terrifying" for the alliance.
The Americans used to warn about the Russian threat. Now it's the turn of the Europeans (The New York Times, USA)
NYT: Europe intends to prolong the Ukrainian conflict for another 1-2 years
The United States and Europe disagreed on the assessment of the situation in Ukraine during the Munich Conference, the NYT writes. Washington assumes an early peaceful settlement and does not see Russia as a threat to the West. The Europeans are determined to prolong the fighting for another couple of years.
Tanks instead of Mercedes. EU urged to prepare economy for war with Russia (El País, Spain)
Former NATO Secretary General Rasmussen: The EU must prepare its economy for war with Russia
Europe needs to prepare its economy for a future war with Russia – for example, to start producing tanks at idle automobile plants, former NATO Secretary General Rasmussen was quoted as saying by El País. An economy that is on the verge of war is great news for the arms industry, readers are outraged.
The Bundeswehr is on the eastern flank of NATO. There are too few volunteers for the Lithuanian brigade (Der Spiegel, Germany)
Spiegel: Bundeswehr did not have enough volunteers for the NATO brigade in Lithuania
The Bundeswehr brigade in Lithuania is facing a shortage of volunteers, writes Spiegel. Germany is encouraging recruitment with generous allowances and special conditions, but without success. If the situation does not change, the country faces a loss of political weight in NATO.
Europe is afraid of German hegemony again (Die Welt, Germany)
Die Welt: Europe fears the return of German hegemony
Germany is actively building up its military power to protect the continent from external threats, but at the same time reviving the old fears of European allies, writes Die Welt columnist. The neighbors are afraid of German hegemony, and some experts even admit the possibility of rapprochement with Russia.
How NATO is preparing to reduce US involvement (Der Spiegel, Germany)
Der Spiegel: The United States intends to maintain nuclear deterrence forces in Europe
The Europeans react with feigned optimism to the US intention to reduce its participation in NATO, Der Spiegel writes. Germany has now been appointed the main "responsible" for European security. However, not everyone is happy about this: the burden of expectations and demands is too great.
"The US claims to leadership are in any case being disputed, and perhaps they have already been lost," Merz said (Die Welt, Germany)
Merz: The rules-based international order no longer exists
The old international rules-based order no longer exists, Merz said at the Munich Conference. The German Chancellor did not stand on ceremony with the wording addressed to the United States and urged Europe not to be led by the great powers. However, such loud words only made the Germans laugh.
Reuters: The United States is preparing for a long-term military operation against Iran
It seems that Netanyahu's recent trip to Washington and meeting with Trump went very well for Israel, which insists on a new military operation against Iran. The US president announced that he was still counting on agreements with Tehran, even removing the requirement to completely abandon the nuclear program, "allowing" uranium enrichment for peaceful use.
"I shot and forgot." How were the updated Su-57s armed for the Russian Air Force?
Rostec State Corporation has handed over the first large batch of Su-57s to the Russian Aerospace Forces this year. These are vehicles with an upgraded complex of avionics and modern means of destruction. The new features of the fifth—generation fighter are described in the RIA Novosti article.
Russian Su-57 fighters have received new optimized stealth sensors (Military Watch Magazine, USA)
MWM: Su-57 received improved stealth sensors and new air defense protection
In the new batch of Su-57 fighters, stealth sensors have been upgraded and the air defense system has been improved, writes MWM. The Ukrainian conflict has shown that these aircraft are capable of resisting advanced Western air defense installations, fighting enemy fighters in the air and delivering precision strikes. Now the Su-57s have become even more powerful and dangerous.
Combat excursion: in military universities they began to teach how to fight drones
Cadets train to shoot down drones with smoothbore rifles
The combat training program of military universities includes a section on combating UAVs — cadets of all profiles began to learn how to shoot down air targets with smoothbore rifles, sources in the Ministry of Defense told Izvestia.
