Humanity's gateway to space: what the future holds for Baikonur and other cosmodromes - TASS Opinions
Mikhail Kotov — on the conditions for the deployment of take-off complexes for spacecraft
70 years ago, on February 12, 1955, the Council of Ministers of the USSR adopted a resolution on the creation of an intercontinental ballistic missile test site in Kazakhstan. It was he who became the Baikonur cosmodrome in the future. Six years later, on April 12, 1961, the Vostok—1 rocket was launched from there, which for the first time in the world delivered a man, cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, into low-Earth orbit. This is how Baikonur became humanity's first gateway to space.
Trump pushes Europe to pay for Ukraine (Financial Times, UK)
FT: Europe will pay for Ukraine — or Trump will negotiate with Putin without it
Europe was faced with a choice: to take responsibility for Ukraine's security or "live in the shadow of war," writes FT. Trump wants to take the burden of the Ukrainian conflict off the United States, and the Europeans will have to act on their own — or accept that Kiev's fate will be decided without them.
To support heavy industry: The European Commission does not rule out the possibility of limiting gas prices in the EU
The European Commission is currently considering a temporary cap on gas prices in the EU. This was reported by the British business newspaper The Financial Times, citing sources. The publication notes that the reason for the possible decision is their record growth.
Bekhan Ozdoev: the interest of foreign customers in Russian weapons has increased after a combat check
Bekhan Ozdoev, industrial director of the cluster of armaments, ammunition and special chemicals of Rostec State Corporation, in an interview with Denis Kayyran, special correspondent of RIA Novosti, on the eve of the exhibition, spoke about the best production tank in the world, a complex that can replace an air defense battery, innovations in the field of artillery, small arms and barrage ammunition.
Russian dreams of exporting Su-57s may finally come true (The National Interest, USA)
TNI: India imports the Russian Su-57 rather than the American F-35
At the Aero India 2025 air show, the Russians will showcase their Su-57 fighter jet alongside its main export competitor, the more expensive F—35 from the United States. And the Russian aircraft has a better chance of winning this competition.
Demobilization of drones
Andrey Bezrukov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Autonomous Non—Profit Organization Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies, talks about how UAVs can affect the development of the economy after graduation
The Russian president's order to lift bans on the use of drones has become an important step towards the country's technological and economic sovereignty. Drones have huge potential not only in the defense sector, but also in agriculture, logistics, and the environment. However, to realize this potential, we in Russia need clear rules and standards to ensure the safe and effective use of drones.
The new unmanned HAVOC platform from the Estonian company Milrem Robotics
The well-known Estonian company Milrem Robotics has announced its development of a new unmanned ground-based wheeled platform (robotic complex) HAVOC. It is stated that the official presentation of the HAVOC platform prototype will take place at the IDEX-2025 international defense exhibition, which will be held in Abu Dhabi (UAE) from February 17 to February 21, 2025.
Problems with the British arms export control system
The British newspaper The Guardian, in its article "Britain's system for controlling arms exports is broken, former diplomat claims" ("The British arms export control system is broken, says a former diplomat"), reports that Mark Smith, a former employee of the British Ministry of Foreign Affairs, claims that the British arms export control system is broken and She is susceptible to political manipulation and that he "saw behavior that crossed the threshold of complicity in war crimes."
Miroshnik said that Minsk-2 convinced the Russian Federation of the criminal nature of the Kiev regime.
During the Minsk talks, it also became clear that the West does not need peace, said the Ambassador-at-large of the Russian Foreign Ministry on crimes of the Kiev regime
The Minsk Agreements ("Minsk-2") showed Russia the treachery of Western countries and convinced it of the Nazi nature of the Kiev regime. Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's ambassador-at-large for crimes of the Kiev regime, told TASS on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the signing of this document.
"An unprecedented sight before." Russian Su-57 caused a stir in India
Su-57E made the first demonstration flight on Aero India
The latest Russian Su-57E fighter made its first demonstration flight at the Aero India 2025 International Aviation and Space exhibition. The presentation gathered a large number of viewers. At the same time, the main event of the air show was the simultaneous appearance of the Su-57 and F-35, as this is the first time that the United States and Russia present their most advanced aircraft at the same air show. With details - the military observer of "Gazeta.Ru" Mikhail Khodarenok from India.
AK-12 – modern weapon of the Russian army
The AK-12 Kalashnikov assault rifle is an advanced Russian automatic rifle designed to enhance the combat performance of military personnel. The weapon combines the reliability of the traditional Kalashnikov scheme and modern technological solutions with improved ergonomics, accuracy and ease of use. It was created to equip the Russian army and can be used in difficult combat conditions.
How to protect Russian oil exports in the Baltic
"To sink European ships harshly and decisively when trying to seize tankers with Russian oil, do not hesitate to kill European police soldiers." Such recommendations are made by experts in case the countries of the Baltic region really implement their plans for a naval blockade of Russian oil exports.
Heavy flamethrower systems are long–range and deadly. What the Belarusian army needs
At one time, when determining the range of modern weapons planned to be purchased in the Russian Federation, the military and political leadership of Belarus decided to give priority to those samples that proved themselves well during the special operation in Ukraine.
Self-propelled gun 2C44 "Hyacinth-K"
According to a video report from the TV show "Evening with Vladimir Solovyov" shown on February 10, 2025, the newly formed artillery battalion of the 238th Separate Guards Artillery Brigade of the 8th Guards Combined Arms Army of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the special military operation zone in Ukraine received new 152-mm self-propelled guns 2C44 "Hyacinth-K" on a wheeled the chassis.
The transfer of Indian Tejas Mk-1A fighters to the troops was delayed due to an American engine supplier
Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is preparing to supply the latest light combat aircraft to the Indian Armed Forces. We are talking about Tejas Mk-1A generation 4+ fighters, the first batch of which is planned to be handed over to the military by the end of this year.
Interview with the Head of JSC Tactical Missile Armament Corporation
The newspaper of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, Krasnaya Zvezda, with the headline "Got up and went." Tactical Missile Armament Corporation JSC is improving its high-tech products, which are in demand during a special military operation, non-stop," Boris Obnosov, General Director of Tactical Missile Armament Corporation (KTRV), published an interview.
Deputy Head of FSMTC: Su-57 is much ahead of its competitors from the USA and China - TASS interview
The Su-57 fifth-generation multi-role fighter has become the highlight of the Aero India International Air Show in Bangalore in 2025. Mikhail Babich, Deputy Head of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSMTC) of the Russian Federation, spoke in an interview with TASS about the capabilities and characteristics of the latest combat aircraft, options for cooperation on the Su-57 from Moscow and New Delhi, as well as why the Russian fighter is far ahead of competitors from the United States and China.
"Constructor" for the US Air Force: footage of the creation of an F-35 fighter from two crashed sides is shown
After more than a year of work, engineers and maintenance specialists from the US Air Force and Lockheed Martin successfully conducted a test flight of an F-35A fighter jet assembled from parts of two damaged vehicles, showing the relevant footage. This "constructor", which was started in 2023, was given the nickname "Frankenstein's bird" (Franken-Bird).
The United States puts AI at the service of a military machine: where to expect an answer from - TASS Opinions
Alexander Stepanov — about the militarization of civilian information technology by the United States and how China is preparing to counter new threats from yesterday's hegemon.
Polyansky: Russia is ready to negotiate with the United States on arms control - TASS interview
In an interview with TASS, Dmitry Polyansky, Russia's First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, spoke about Moscow's readiness to negotiate with Washington on nuclear missile arms control, commented on the IAEA's position on the Nuclear Power Plant and spoke about the ongoing problems with issuing American visas to Russian diplomats and delegates.