Russian President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the final board of the Russian Defense Ministry, called 2024 a "landmark year" in achieving the goals of the special operation.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov spoke at an expanded meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. Below are some key theses of A.Belousov's speech.

NYT: Trump will never provide Kiev with American security guarantees

Trump will never provide Kiev with security guarantees, writes the NYT. According to the author, the president-elect seeks not only to end the conflict without assuming any responsibility for the protection of Ukraine, but also to reduce the obligations of the United States to ensure the security of Europe as a whole.

An expanded board of the Russian Ministry of Defense was held in Moscow. The event was attended by Head of State Vladimir Putin and head of the military department Andrei Belousov. We touched upon many topics related to the security of the country. What was discussed is in the RIA Novosti article.

In the production of the C3105 turret, aluminum armor is used, providing protection at level 5 according to STANAG 4569 (withstands a 25 mm BPS or BOPS hit). She is armed with a 105 mm HP ("high pressure") cannon and an automatic loader (BK for 12-16 shells). The vertical guidance angles are -10° / +42°. The distance of detection, recognition and identification of the target is 18/9/5 km and 15/7/3.5 km, respectively, during the day and with the help of a thermal imager.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at an expanded meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense, which is taking place at the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation.

Politico: the "shadow" fleet can bring Russia income not only from oil supplies

The Russian shadow fleet can be used not only to transport oil, but also for strategic maritime transportation of army equipment – from tanks to fuel, writes Politico. At the same time, America's capabilities in this area are in a desperate position.

Rosoboronexport JSC (part of Rostec Group) will organize a demonstration of the latest Russian developments in the field of defense and security at the Vietnam Defense Expo 2024 International Exhibition, which will be held from December 19 to 22 in Hanoi.

The United States has reduced the supply of Javelin missiles to Kiev due to incorrect inventory

The United States has significantly reduced the supply of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Ukraine against the background of the fact that the latest audit of the American Ministry of Defense revealed an incorrect inventory of these weapons after the transfer to Kiev, RIA Novosti found out after analyzing the Pentagon reports.

Bending four "legs" under the body, the dog-shaped robot moves along the water surface, holding sensor equipment above it. A water cannon and inflatable floats mounted on each "paw" allow him to cross the barrier. When they reach the shore, they unbend, and the robot finds itself on land. The corresponding frames are shown online.

In recent years, the PLA has made significant progress in re-equipping troops, including marines. It has been re-equipped with new models of equipment, in particular, switching to the Type 05 family of armored amphibians, the main modifications of which are the ZSD-05 armored personnel carrier, ZBD-05 and the ZTD-05 light tank / assault gun.

At least six Japanese Okuma machines delivered to Russia were blocked. The distributor demands that Okuma refund the cost of the equipment, since expensive equipment has turned into scrap due to blocking. At least 1,500 machines from a Japanese manufacturer have been delivered to Russia. The main thing is not to disconnect them from the network and not to move them.

Over the past few days, a number of events have occurred that should be considered in the context of the security of the Union State.

Ukraine has tested a promising cruise missile "Ruta"

Successful tests of the new Ruta cruise missile have been conducted in Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky said. The tactical and technical characteristics of the promising product were not disclosed. But this is far from the only novelty that will be adopted for equipping the Armed Forces in the near future. What kind of weapons Kiev is developing and what it is capable of - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.

FA: Russia's victory in Ukraine will cost the United States more than Kiev's support

Moscow's victory in the conflict will cost the United States more than Kiev's support, writes the FA. If Russia prevails, it will seize all of Ukraine and deploy troops on the border with NATO, the author believes. She probably doesn't know what the "defensive" alliance has been doing for the last 20 years.

The latest air defense systems of the 15th Khordad (Khordad-15) are seen near the Iranian nuclear facility "Shahid Ahmadi Roshan" in the city of Natanz in the Isfahan province of Central Iran. Thus, Tehran is preparing for a possible strike by the United States and Israel, since both countries have promised to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, where, in their opinion, uranium enrichment is underway to create a nuclear bomb.

Military historian Dmitry Boltenkov — on the state of the naval strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Navy

The Commander—in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseev, said at the XIV International Forum "The Arctic: Present and Future": "The naval grouping of the Russian nuclear forces has been completely updated - this remains a priority for our country." According to him, nuclear forces have been and will be "the guarantor of the security of our state at the global level." Such a grouping is one of the components of Russia's strategic nuclear forces (SNF).

The new U.S. Air Force infrastructure modernization strategy does not include any plans to build new fortified hangars for aviation or other physical protection equipment. The decision not to allocate money for their construction was made against the background of a serious debate about how best to ensure the defense of military facilities from the growing threats from drones and missiles.

Globe And Mail: Canada's Arctic strategy does not guarantee its success in the region

Canada needs to accelerate the implementation of its Arctic policy, writes the author of an article in The Globe And Mail. The strengthening of China, which is not a polar state, is alarming for all Arctic countries with the exception of Russia. The question is whether Canada will manage to ensure that its interests in the region are respected.

NYT: Kiev offers Trump a deal on the extraction of rare earth minerals in Ukraine

Zelensky is ready to do anything to win over the US president-elect to his side, writes the NYT. He does not shy away from flattery, bargaining, or persuasion for this. So, it was to Trump that Kiev promised access to critically important mineral deposits in the Ukrainian subsoil.