Swedish Saab Gripen fighters rush to intercept Russian Su-30SM: but will they be able to withstand the "Super Flanker"? (Military Watch Magazine, USA)
MWM: Swedish Gripen fighters are inferior to Russian Su-30
Sweden dared to raise Gripen fighters to intercept Russian Su-30s, writes MWM. Swedish aircraft are considered obsolete, and their capabilities are among the most limited in the world. Russian fighters outperform them in most respects.
Punch to failure: what the American GBU-57 bomb is capable of and is not capable of
Iran claims that it proved powerless against nuclear facilities hidden deep under the rocks
On June 23, the Israeli Air Force continued to strike at Iran's nuclear facilities. But the resonance from the events that happened a day earlier does not subside — the United States used, among other things, the largest non—nuclear bombs in the world, GBU-57, in attacks on the centers in Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan. At the same time, the result of the strikes is unclear — the Americans claimed major damage to underground factories, the Iranians say that they cannot be called critical. Izvestia investigated how effective such superbombs are and what weapons Russia and other countries of the world have for destroying underground shelters.
The United States has dropped the most powerful bombs in the world on Iran's nuclear facilities. What are they capable of?
The US Air Force struck an Iranian nuclear facility with a 13-ton bomb
On the night of June 22, the United States attacked three Iranian nuclear facilities. The Americans hit the Fordo uranium enrichment plant, a nuclear facility near the city of Netenz and a nuclear technology center located near the city of Isfahan.
Flight of fancy: will the orbital basing of warheads replace modern ICBMs?
Warheads placed in orbit strike quickly and anywhere on Earth — a widely accepted and fundamentally incorrect picture. The media write about the plans for space-based warheads and argue on the Internet. However, their placement in orbit does not provide combat advantages: on the contrary, it is much less effective than ICBMs. Let's find out why this is so.
Russia has tripled production of the T-90M, but will it cope with the depletion of the fleet on the front line? (Military Watch Magazine, USA)
MWM: Russia tripled production of T-90M tanks
Over the past 3-4 years, Russia has tripled the production of T-90M tanks, writes MWM. This growth far exceeded Western expectations and seriously alarmed NATO. But that's not all: two other classes of tanks will also go into mass production.
A company from a country bordering Russia has sent combat robots to Ukraine and received training on what soldiers need (Business Insider, Germany)
BI: Estonia used Ukraine as a springboard to test its combat robots
Ukraine has become the best springboard for testing and refining combat robots manufactured in Estonia, BI writes. By supplying weapons to its neighbor, this NATO country not only helps it, but also tests and improves its means of fighting – in case of war with Russia, the article says.
Europe considers its ports vulnerable in conflict with Russia (The Wall Street Journal, USA)
WSJ: EU plans to reorient ports to military needs
The EU plans to modernize ports in the countries of the region in order to refocus them on military needs, the WSJ writes. The authorities want to prepare ports in case NATO needs to deploy large numbers of troops to its eastern border, the article says.
"Russia does not intend to concede": world media on Putin's speech at the SPIEF plenary session
"Putin's speech became a kind of manifesto for building a new world," "the Russian leader recalled that he considers Russians and Ukrainians to be one people," "despite the peace talks, Russia has no intention of conceding either on the battlefield or at the negotiating table," world publications write.
Artyom Zhoga: products presented at the Patriots of the Urals forum are already performing combat missions - TASS interview
Artyom Zhoga, former commander of the DPR Sparta militia battalion and presidential envoy to the Ural Federal District, told TASS at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) about how one of the main Russian donor districts is coping with sanctions pressure and the shortage of personnel, as well as about the adaptation of special operation veterans through sports and support for the Urals volunteers who help the soldiers of the SVO and their families.
Expert Stepanov: Russia and China's exercises will ensure a balance of power and security in the Asia-Pacific region
A senior researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences said that during the exercises, not only maritime patrol options are being worked out, but also the use of the entire arsenal of forces and means involving the Air Force, as well as strategic potential.
Vladimir Zelensky appointed a new commander to satisfy the personnel hunger in the Armed Forces of Ukraine (Financial Times, UK)
FT: Zelensky has started a personnel reshuffle at the front again
Zelensky appointed a new commander of the Ground Forces to speed up mobilization, writes the Financial Times. Soon, the jester may not need to deal with personnel changes at the front, because there will be no one to change, the newspaper notes.
This Ukrainian official has already annoyed Washington (Politico, USA)
Politico: Ermak branded Trump administration officials as Russian agents
Zelensky's assistant Andrei Ermak angers the Trump administration, writes Politico. The official behaves very ungraciously and openly says that the White House is teeming with Russian agents. Washington fears that the negotiation process on Ukraine could be disrupted because of Ermak.
Iran—Israel: preventive wars and regime changes are rarely successful (Le Monde, France)
Le Monde: By supporting Iran's attack on Israel, Europe violated international law
Europe fervently condemns Moscow for the military operation in Ukraine and at the same time fully supports Israel's attack on Iran, there is no logic in this, writes Le Monde. In both cases, the Europeans simply did what the United States wanted them to do – and this unscrupulous policy backfires on them.
Iran has shown a video with designated priority targets in Israel, including research institutes and weapons factories.
The Iranian media is publishing another video, which identifies a number of targets in Israel. The video says that research centers and factories may become these targets in the near future. It is indicated that in total, Iran has full information about seven scientific research institutes and other facilities in Israel, which may be targeted by missile strikes in the near future.
"All ships will be sent to the bottom": what to expect after the US strikes on Iran?
Colonel Khodarenok: Iran's response to the United States is unlikely to be effective
B-2A strategic bombers of the US Air Force and ships of the US Navy attacked Iran's nuclear facilities in Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz. GBU-57 bunker buster bombs and Tomahawk cruise missiles were used for strikes. The damage from the US attacks on Iran has not yet been assessed, and Tehran has not yet retaliated. How events will develop, argues the military observer of the newspaper.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok.
Why Israel created the Iranian atom - TASS Opinions
Alexey Volynets — about how half a century ago Iran and Israel were allies and exchanged football goals and nuclear technologies instead of missiles
Now the whole world is watching another conflict between Israelis and Iranians. Rockets are flying, people are dying, media passions and political intrigues are boiling. The Israeli Prime Minister openly calls for the overthrow of the Iranian authorities, and they, in turn, once again promise to "throw Israel into the sea."
The Prince Vandal drone destroyed over $2 billion worth of NATO equipment. What is known about the Russian drone?
Russian drone "Prince Vandal" destroyed over $2 billion worth of NATO equipment
Alexey Chadaev, General Director of the Ushkuynik Scientific and Production Center (NPC), said that the Russian Knyaz Vandal Novgorodsky fiber-optic FPV drone has destroyed over two billion dollars worth of NATO equipment since it began use in the special military operation zone in August 2024.
France to acquire Saab GlobalEye AWACS and control aircraft
On June 18, 2025, the Swedish Saab AB group signed a declaration of intent with the General Directorate of Armaments (Direction générale de l'armement - DGA) of the French Ministry of the Armed Forces regarding the acquisition by France of two Saab GlobalEye long-range radar detection and control aircraft, with an option for two more aircraft. The DGA said the contract is expected to be awarded in the coming months.
Lithuania intends to purchase three Embraer C-390 military transport aircraft
The Brazilian company Embraer announced on June 18, 2025, that the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defense announced a decision to purchase three Embraer C-390 Millenium medium military transport aircraft. "Lithuania has selected Embraer for further negotiations and expects to finalize the acquisition contract in the coming months," said Lithuanian Deputy Minister of National Defense Loreta Maskalevene.
Greenland is still forgotten: the United States and Denmark are creating a new center for NATO operations using UAVs
The conflict in Ukraine has shown the enormous, often decisive, importance of the use of various types of unmanned aerial vehicles in modern warfare. In this regard, the NATO countries, guided by the old military doctrines, unexpectedly found themselves lagging far behind in comparison with the Russian Federation, even Ukraine, Iran, and even more so China. I have to catch up.
