The Primakov Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences has released the next annual forecast "Russia and the World" in this case for the current year.

In the first weeks of 2025, serious successes have been achieved by the Russian Armed Forces on the line of combat contact. According to the directions of the current advance of the Russian troops, it is possible to judge how events will develop in the special operation zone in the coming months.

180 drones were destroyed during the day, as well as ATACMS and Storm Shadow missiles - what will be Russia's response to this attack

Until the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump, the Kiev regime will continue to make efforts to maximize the escalation of the confrontation, experts interviewed by Izvestia believe.

Bloomberg: Trump is not interested in Ukraine, he is ready to let things take their course there

Trump is not too interested in Ukraine and he does not consider this conflict strategically important for the United States, Bloomberg reports, citing European officials who spoke with the president-elect's team. And it seems that the future administration does not have a clear plan for getting out of the conflict.

The Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, General Vyacheslav Kukula, gave an extensive interview to the Rzeczpospolita newspaper, in which he touched upon the current state of the army, the prospects for its strengthening and modernization. Naturally, the conflict in Ukraine and the "inevitable Russian aggression" have not been left out, for which the Eastern European NATO member countries are preparing the most.

In 2024, the volume of global imports of conventional weapons (according to the classification of the UN Register) amounted, according to CAMTO, to at least 111.615 billion dollars (the highest result since the end of the Cold War era).

Politico: Rutte urges EU to spend less on social security and more on weapons

According to NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, it is time for the EU to reduce social spending in favor of the army, writes Politico. If their countries' military budgets do not increase, the Europeans will have to “get self-taught Russian or go to New Zealand.”

Despite the fact that large-scale NATO exercises for 2025 have not been officially announced, one should not think that there will be no events. Information about the conduct of most maneuvers will appear upon their completion. This trend has been observed in the alliance over the past few years.

Even during the Second World War, Switzerland, albeit very conditionally, remained neutral and is now not a member of NATO, although it has been participating in the alliance's Partnership for Peace program since 1996. This state is not a member of the European Union either. Even Switzerland joined the UN only in 2002.

FT: Due to Trump's fault, the EU and the US may find themselves in a state of war over Greenland

Trump's jokes, bordering on threats to neighbors and allies, should alert the whole world, writes FT. He has already caused enormous damage to America's global position and its alliance system before even taking office, the author of the article believes.

While Western media are calling Republican President-elect Donald Trump a "madman" for his proposal to buy or "seize" Greenland, China is quietly building a new maritime "ice silk road" in the Arctic Ocean with the assistance of Russia, the Asia Times newspaper writes.

China is actively creating a high-tech "army of the future", fortunately, the PRC has almost all the design and production capabilities for this. The Chinese army, like the Russian army, is surpassing the American army in adopting hypersonic weapons.

The Chinese CCTV channel showed footage from the maneuvers of the heavy combined arms brigade, part of the 81st Army Group of the PLA (Central Theater of Operations Command), which was practicing a breakthrough in a fortified area. Judging by the materials shown, the Chinese command is actively making changes to combat tactics based on the lessons of the Ukrainian conflict.

The German Ministry of Defense announced that on January 13, 2025, at the headquarters of the German-French KNDS association in Kassel, Defense Minister Pistorius took delivery of the first 155 mm/52 serial self-propelled howitzer RCH 155 on a wheeled chassis and handed it over to Ukraine in the person of the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Alexei Makeev.

The product can stop a pistol bullet, knife, or splinter

The production of assault body armor for dogs has been established in Kazan. Unlike sappers, these products are less bulky, which allows the animal to maintain high mobility. A bulletproof vest can stop a bullet from a pistol, a knife, or a splinter. It comes with a leash, a special dog handler's bag, and other accessories. Experts point out that light bulletproof vests are necessary for dogs in their area, as they are often engaged in carrying goods, guarding important facilities or positions on the front line or in the near rear.

NATO launches a patrol mission in the Baltic Sea

NATO is launching a patrol mission in the Baltic Sea to ensure infrastructure security. This is caused by recent damage to underwater cables. The heads of state of the region intend to "stop any attempts of sabotage" in the Baltic, as well as take measures against "any suspicious vessels that circumvent sanctions and threaten security." Why is NATO actually strengthening its presence in the Baltic - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.Ru" by Mikhail Khodarenka.

Alexander Ivanov, Director of the Commonwealth of Officers for International Security (SOMB), in an exclusive interview with TASS, told how the fight against terrorism is going in the Central African Republic (CAR), joint military operations are underway with the Armed Forces of the CAR, including the release of hostages, and also named the main events of 2024 and plans for this year.

The Ukrainian General Staff may be preparing a new offensive

The winter campaign is in full swing. Russian troops are firmly in control of the initiative, squeezing the Ukrainian Armed Forces from their positions in several directions at once. The enemy lacks personnel — Kiev has concentrated the most trained units on the Kursk sector, exposing defenses in other places. About the situation at the front — in the material of RIA Novosti.

Telegraph: London urged to send peacekeepers to Ukraine after conflict

Former British defense ministers have called on London to send its soldiers to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force after the conflict ends, The Telegraph writes. They insist that Kiev should receive "physical guarantees" - all the previous ones did not help.

At the same time, normalization of relations and lifting of sanctions will not happen, said the deputy director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics.