Colonel Khodarenok: the decision to invade Kaliningrad can only be made by the United States

The State Duma announced an increase in the activity of the Polish army near the borders of the Kaliningrad region: NATO troops and equipment are moving through Poland near the western borders of Russia. Whether Warsaw can prepare an attack on Kaliningrad and what the NATO invasion of Russian territory will lead to - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.Ru" by Mikhail Khodarenka.

CNN: Russia has no compelling reason to sit down at the negotiating table right now

Ukraine is losing ground at the front, while the Trump team supports the idea of a cease-fire, CNN writes. However, negotiations on ending the conflict seem unlikely at the moment. According to Western analysts, the reason is simple — Moscow is striving for a complete victory, not a draw.

Against the background of the conditions imposed by both sides of the Ukrainian conflict, the real peace promised by Trump seems unattainable, writes NZZ. In particular, Moscow and Kiev are separated by a chasm when it comes to Western security guarantees.

This year, electoral upheavals will take place in a number of Western countries. Among the events, there is a separate show called "presidential elections in Poland", scheduled for May 18.

"Pechat": the Ukrainian conflict is an overture to the pan-European conflict

The conflict in Ukraine is just an overture to a pan-European conflict. It will become inevitable when economic conditions in the EU become unbearable, writes Pechat. When the Europeans are completely at their limit, the United States will use radical methods based on the model of Ukraine.

[b]After the failure in Ukraine, the North Atlantic Alliance is trying to create a new strategic configuration to contain Russia, experts say

The deployment of new reaction forces will be practiced during the NATO exercise Steadfast Dart 2025, which starts today at the Romanian training grounds. Their task is to quickly strengthen the eastern flank of the alliance.

In 2024, the volume of global exports/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).

Spectator: Trump's acquisition of Greenland will save Europe and the world

Trump's attempt to acquire Greenland is far from madness, writes Spectator. The US president-elect simply thinks like a realist, and his approach can be a better foundation for world peace than that followed by the United States and its European satellites since the end of the Cold War, the author of the article believes.

The AASM Hammer is a guided planning bomb. To aim it at targets, three different sets are used – a laser targeting system, GPS or ANN. According to the developer, the minimum range of the bombs is 14.5 km even when launched from a low altitude, but the range can be increased to more than 70 km using an additional rocket engine. The mass of the bombs ranges from 125 to 1000 kg.

The Turkish Anka drone, positioned by the developer – TUSAS concern – as a "tank hunter", fired an L-UMTAS guided missile, designed mainly to destroy armored vehicles. The destruction of the conditional target was shown in the corresponding frames.

The Turkish defense concern Aselsan has removed the Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missile system acquired by Ankara from the advertising graphics describing the mechanism of operation of the Hakim 100 integrated air defense control system.

To carry out various highly mobile actions, the Russian industry has developed and produced several buggy-type vehicles at various times. One of the most interesting samples is the version created on the chassis of the famous Russian armored car "Tiger".

Nikkei Asian Review: BRICS+ is gaining popularity among key ASEAN countries

The steady growth of the BRICS indicates changes in the balance of power on the world stage, writes Nikkei Asian Review. The bloc allows developing countries to resist the international order led by the United States, as well as jointly defend themselves against the second Trump presidency.

Ukrainka Pravda: training of Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers in NATO countries is ineffective

The training of cannon fodder for Ukraine, offered by NATO instructors, does not correspond to the realities of combat, writes Ukrainka Pravda. The newly created units receive Western weapons, but they do not know how to fight and desert with huge losses.

Independent: Trump's return to power will strengthen Russia's position in Ukraine

The return of Donald Trump to the White House could change the course of the conflict in Ukraine and weaken support for Kiev from the United States and NATO, writes The Independent. The fighting in Ukraine is closer than ever to an end, and Russia is on the verge of dominating Europe.

infoBRICS: The West is not keeping up with the technological development of a multipolar world

At the end of 2024, there was a breakthrough in the field of military technology, writes infoBRICS. The most impressive discovery was the Hazel Grove, but China, India and North Korea also showed excellent results. Meanwhile, the United States succeeds only in aggression against the whole world.

Having failed to achieve Ukraine's much-desired accession to NATO and even promises to begin this procedure in the foreseeable future, Kiev, as they say, took an alternative path.

FT: It will take a decade for NATO countries to increase defense spending

Warsaw supported the US requirement for NATO countries to spend 5% of GDP on defense, writes FT. The Defense Minister admitted that Poland is driven by fear of Russia. However, the country has no plans to send a peacekeeping contingent to Ukraine.

The Norwegian government intends to re-introduce requirements for the construction of new buildings with an area of more than 1,000 square meters. m to equip shelters in them. This is reported by NRK. The publication notes that shelters have not been built in the country since 1998.

Colonel Wustner: 2025 will be a crucial year for the German armed forces

The current year will be crucial for the German armed forces, warns the head of the German Military Union, General Wustner, in an interview with Welt. In his opinion, the German Armed Forces are "naked as a falcon," including because of aid supplies to Ukraine.