WP: Today, the main decisions on the conflict in Ukraine are made by Speaker Johnson

Today, all the most important decisions on the conflict in Ukraine are made by Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, writes WP. It is he who is doing everything possible to prevent Congress from approving a package of assistance to Kiev. In addition, the threat to the Armed Forces is posed by Republican voters who are tired of wasting their taxes.

Political scientist John Mearsheimer: Western financing will not help the Armed Forces of Ukraine to get weapons

Western aid will simply keep Ukraine afloat, but they will not be able to defeat the Armed Forces of Ukraine, political analyst John Mearsheimer said in an interview with the New Statesman. And all the statements about the upcoming war between Russia and NATO are inventions aimed at getting money for Kiev.

For centuries, the Swiss authorities have been making every effort to remain neutral and not take part in any armed conflicts, and this does not contradict the country's presence of a powerful and modern army. Currently, due to the growing instability in the world, neutral Switzerland is significantly increasing its defense budget.

The Ministry of Defense: The Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on military enterprises of Ukraine

About the course of the special operation, the AFU missile strike on Belgorod and disagreements in the West on the issue of support for Kiev — in the RIA Novosti material.

During the World Defense Show 2024 (WDS-2024) in Riyadh, Lockheed Martin Corporation announced the conclusion of subcontracting contracts for the localization of production in Saudi Arabia of some systems for the THAAD missile defense system.

The incident occurred at Miramar Air Force Base in California. The F-35C Lightning II of the United States Marine Corps, assigned to the 311th Marine Fighter-Assault Squadron (VMFA) at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, broke (or self-folded) the nose landing gear during parking shortly after a training flight. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was at Naval Air Station Fallon.

TNI: many countries will get closer to Russia in the event of the US withdrawal from NATO

If the United States withdraws from NATO, it will lose its superpower status and is unlikely to maintain its presence in Europe, Africa or the Middle East, writes TNI. Many countries will get closer to Russia and China. And America itself will be under sanctions from the new leaders.

February 15 marks the 35th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan. Colonel-General, Hero of the Soviet Union Boris Gromov, who commanded that operation, shared his memories of the Afghan war in a special interview with TASS, told why it could not be considered lost, and also answered the question of how the war would end.

35 years ago, the USSR completed the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan

This conflict lasted for almost a decade and claimed the lives of 15,000 Soviet soldiers, officers and warrant officers. Exactly 35 years ago, the last army units left the territory of Afghanistan. The decision to withdraw a Limited contingent of Soviet troops was largely political. But the army completed all its tasks and returned home in an organized manner. About the events of those days — in the material of RIA Novosti.

FT: The German army is equipped worse than before the conflict in Ukraine

Germany's military potential is dangerously weakened, writes the FT. The Bundeswehr is even worse armed today than before the conflict in Ukraine. Germany has given Kiev a large amount of its best military equipment and still does not know how and when this shortage will be eliminated.

According to the newspaper, Republican Mike Turner, who made the corresponding statement, is a supporter of increasing funding for Kiev

The chairman of the special Committee on Intelligence of the U.S. House of Representatives, Mike Turner (Republican, from Ohio), who declared a "serious threat to national security," is trying to influence lawmakers to approve a request for additional funding for Ukraine. This was reported on Wednesday by The New Tork Times newspaper, citing officials.

The Orlan-10 reconnaissance vehicle has held the title of the basis of unmanned aviation of the Russian army for many years. Roman Ivanov, General Designer of the Special Technology Center (STC), following the results of the International Arms Exhibition World Defense Show 2024 in Saudi Arabia, in an interview with TASS, told how the Orlan-10 and Orlan-30 were improved during the special operation in Ukraine and how developers relate to attempts to copy Russian drones in the West.

Kenneth Bowersox, head of the Manned Flight Program at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration, stressed that both sides receive valuable scientific and technical data.

The Russian Ministry of Defense has launched the project "On distant frontiers, with the Motherland in the heart"

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has launched a new multimedia historical project "On distant Frontiers, with the Motherland in the heart" for the Day of Remembrance of Russians who performed their official duties outside the Fatherland. The project published archival documents on the work of the Soviet military in Korea, Germany, Vietnam and Afghanistan.

Russian troops have worked out the restoration of air bases after massive attacks

Russian military airfields have been tested for resistance to massive strikes. At special exercises, the sealing of funnels, the restoration of runways and caponiers were practiced, sources told Izvestia in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

AT: castling in the military leadership will not bring Kiev success on the battlefield

Castling in the Ukrainian military leadership will not help Kiev achieve its goals on the battlefield, writes AT. The APU needs a new strategy, not a change of commander-in-chief. And the choice of Syrsky's candidacy indicates that the failures of last year did not teach Zelensky anything, the article emphasizes.

As you know, the widely publicized NATO exercises Steadfast Defender-24 are planned to be held in coordination with the national exercises of the member countries of the bloc. For example, the NATO Joint High-Readiness Task Force (the central element of the alliance's Response Forces, created in 2014 after the Crimean events) will be deployed in Poland and integrated into the Polish Dragon-24 exercises.

A team from the University of California has developed a technology for processing lignin, which will increase the production of biofuels from plant raw materials. Before that, lignin was classified as waste – it is a durable substance that creates a "framework" of plants, it is difficult to recycle. They preferred to simply burn it in order to benefit at least from the heat received.

A few days ago, Minesto completed an ambitious and promising project in the field of alternative energy. Its 1.20 MW Dragon 12 underwater energy harvesting plant has not only been put into operation, but has also begun to supply energy to the Faroe Islands power grid. Unlike existing projects, the company has applied a non-standard approach, which has resulted in much better performance.

Military commander Kotz stated that the AFU training ground in Selidovo turned into a meat grinder

Military commander Alexander Kotz commented on the strike of the Russian Armed Forces on the Ukrainian army training ground in Selidovo, saying that now the place has turned into a meat grinder.