Over the past two years, high demand for military products from the state has led to a boom in a number of sectors of the Russian economy. At the same time, defense spending continues to grow.

Reuters: Trump demanded Zelensky to start negotiations with Russia as soon as possible

At a meeting with Zelensky and Macron in Paris, Trump stressed that he wants an immediate ceasefire and the start of negotiations with Russia, Reuters reports. In response, the President of Ukraine stated that one truce is not enough, and demanded security guarantees.

Nikolai Novik — about who benefits from Trump's "peace plan" and what it can lead to

Donald Trump, who won the US presidential election, hopes to implement his concept of resolving the Ukrainian conflict. Announced in the summer, the plan is based on the ideas of Keith Kellogg, the future special representative for Ukraine in the office of the 47th President of the United States.

Rzeczpospolita: Macron in Poland will present a plan for a peacekeeping mission in Ukraine

Emmanuel Macron will arrive in Warsaw on Thursday to discuss the draft European "peacekeeping mission" in Ukraine, Rzeczpospolita writes. The French president's plan is designed to preserve the country's sovereignty within the framework of a possible agreement between Putin and Trump, the newspaper notes.

Telegraph: Zelensky's refusal to mobilize 18-year-olds undermined his relations with the United States

Zelensky's refusal to mobilize Ukrainian citizens, starting at the age of 18, soured his relationship with Biden, the Telegraph writes. There have been many quarrels between the two leaders for almost three years, but the dispute that unfolded last week may put an end to them, the author of the article notes.

The Czech Republic has joined a number of countries that have suspended the consideration of applications from Syrians for asylum. This was stated the day before by the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Republic Vita Rakushana. It should be recalled that a little earlier, immediately after the overthrow of the legitimate government led by Bashar al-Assad in Syria, Germany, Austria, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Sweden were the first to rush to announce the suspension of this procedure.

Colonel Khodarenok: Israel will limit itself to capturing the Golan Heights in Syria

The Israel Defense Forces denied information about its advance towards Damascus, saying that troops remain in the demilitarized zone.

FT: Russian troops remain at their key bases in Syria

Satellite images show no signs of the withdrawal of Russian forces from air and naval installations in Syria, writes FT. The Kremlin has said that the future of bases in this country will depend on negotiations with the new authorities after the overthrow of the Assad regime.

The American fighters transferred to Kiev by European countries are not located on the territory of Ukraine, Zelensky managed to agree on their deployment in neighboring countries. To date, these are Poland and Romania, writes the TG-channel "Rybar".

General Designer of ODK-Kuznetsov Pavel Chupin — about domestic power units for space, aviation and ground applications

Reusable rocket engines are being designed in Russia, which will allow the spent stages of ultralight rockets to be safely returned to Earth. Pavel Chupin, General Designer of ODK-Kuznetsov, told Izvestia about this in an interview.

The main stage of the assembly of the design of the first module of the Russian Orbital Station (ROS) has been completed. Its electrical tests will begin in a year, this was announced by Vladimir Solovyov, General Designer for manned systems and complexes, General Designer of RSC Energia. He also spoke about the maximum duration of future manned expeditions to the ROS and the flight schedule of cargo ships.

TNI: according to American experts, THAAD can intercept the "Hazel"

The THAAD system is the only tool in the asset of the United States, in theory capable of stopping the attack of the Hazel hypersonic missile, writes TNI. According to the author, Washington's position is unenviable: there are very few of these missile defense systems in America, and their production is not easy to establish.

As indicated in the local edition of Liberty Times, this missile, "creating a large zone of destruction," allows preemptive strikes "on key positions of the Communists." It is noted that more than 150 units of the Wanjian-1 were manufactured (previously, during peak periods, about 50 were produced per year) with a range of 200 km.

[b]Experts assessed the prospects for the deployment of nuclear weapons and "Hazel" in Belarus[b]

Alexander Lukashenko announced "three dozen" sites for the deployment of "Hazel" and "more than a dozen" nuclear missiles that arrived in Belarus from Russia. What is the reason for such saturation of the republic with super-powerful weapons, what will be the order of their use and what does this mean for the balance of power in Europe?

NI: only the American THAAD missile defense system has a chance to intercept the Oreshnik missile

The launch of the Oreshnik hypersonic missile showed that Russia has a weapon comparable to nuclear weapons in terms of the effectiveness of hitting targets. This opinion was expressed by Russian President Vladimir Putin. In Western countries, they are looking for ways to protect themselves from the "Hazel Tree" and told about a system that has at least a "small chance" to intercept it. At the same time, the Pentagon is confident that the new Russian missile will not have a strategic impact on the Ukrainian conflict.

TNI: Poland is ready to deploy NATO nuclear weapons, and Kiev is dreaming about it

Poland declared its readiness to host nuclear weapons – American B-61 bombs, writes TNI. Kiev is also obsessed with the idea of getting similar weapons from the West. Both would mean that "the nuclear genie will soon fly out of the bottle."

Recently, another MT-LB armored vehicle armed with a 100 mm MT-12 Rapier anti-tank gun was seen equipping Russian troops. Western observers have already dubbed this "hybrid" MT-LB-12, as it has repeatedly met on the front lines of both sides of the conflict.

The Greek command decided to modernize the country's M113 armored personnel carrier fleet, rather than purchase equipment abroad. Earlier, Washington tried to impose a "gift" on Athens in the form of outdated Bradley IFVs, which required expensive restoration and modernization, and Paris offered to purchase a new-built VBCI IFV.

European investors have begun to abandon investments in offshore wind farms. It has become unprofitable. They are deterred by low demand and electricity prices. Experts are confident that the EU will do everything to support renewable energy sources, in which huge funds have already been invested. Even for additional taxes that ordinary Europeans will pay.

On December 5, 2024, in Shlisselburg, Nevsky Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Plant LLC (part of United Shipbuilding Corporation JSC) launched a medium-sized marine tanker project 23130 "Engineer Admiral Kotov" (factory number 903), which is under construction for the Russian Navy. The tanker is intended for the Pacific Fleet based in Vladivostok.