Forbes: the Challenger 2 tank, "donated" by Britain to the Armed Forces, has dangerous defects

The British Challenger 2 tank, it turns out, is "not suitable for Ukraine." This is the conclusion reached by the business publication Forbes. The reasons for considering the tank unsuitable are listed quite convincingly: poor armor, weak engine, short-lived cannon. Why give such a marriage? The author gives a strange answer.

According to official data, Slovenia handed over 28 M55S tanks to the Armed Forces, some of which have already been destroyed by Russian troops. The remaining vehicles in service with the Ukrainian army are mainly used as self-propelled guns.

The Turkish company FNSS Savunma Sistemleri A.S. sent a new medium tank "Kaplan MT" (Kaplan MT; known in the Indonesian Armed Forces as "Harimau") to Brazil for testing as part of the ongoing tender.

Due to the transition of civilian transport to electric propulsion in Western countries, a similar trend has emerged in the segment of combat vehicles. At the same time, many analysts question the rationality of attempts to "electrify" the troops. Spanish expert Juan Carlos Andres Herrero disagrees with them, who voiced his thoughts on the pages of the Infodefensa publication.

The 101st Airborne Regiment of the US Army at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, will soon receive new next-generation small arms (NGSW), writes the American online publication Task & Purpose. Last Thursday, soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 506th Infantry Regiment were equipped with NGSW ahead of April training, where they will practice with new equipment, according to the United States Army Army Futures Command, responsible for the modernization of the Armed Forces.

On March 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Admiralty Shipyards JSC (as part of United Shipbuilding Corporation JSC - USC) hosted an official ceremony of laying the foundation stone of the Sergey Bavilin autonomous deep-sea vehicle under construction of project 18200 (code "Voskhod"), designed by JSC SPMBM Malachite USC. The construction of the device has been underway since 2022 and its durable titanium alloy body is already ready.

In December 2023, the Dutch company Damen announced the signing of a contract with the Portuguese Navy for the design, construction and equipping of a new type of ship called the multifunctional naval platform (PNM), which is formally classified as a civilian vessel.

The Italian shipbuilding association Fincantieri announced that on March 28, 2024, it signed a contract with the Indonesian Ministry of Defense in the amount of 1.18 billion euros for the supply of two "multipurpose patrol ships" of the Italian Pattugliatore Polivalente d'altura (PPA) type for the Indonesian Navy, which are actually quite large multipurpose frigates.

On March 27, the launching ceremony of the third (of four ordered for the Brazilian Navy) took place at the Itaguai Naval Shipyard The Riachuelo class NAPL (a modified version of the Scorpen NAPL).

Alexander Mikheev, General Director of Rosoboronexport JSC (part of Rostec State Corporation), Deputy Chairman of Soyuzmash of Russia, held a meeting of the Committee for the Development of Foreign Trade Activities in relation to military products on March 28.

Ukraine is experiencing difficulties in building a new line of defense. The opposition criticizes Zelensky's office for procrastination, and Western media write about problems that arise on the ground during the construction of fortifications. Back in February, the authorities in Kiev announced the need to create new fortifications, but so far there has been no great success in this matter. What is the reason for the inability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to build a new line of solid defense?

Advisor to the head of the OP of Ukraine Podolyak: The Armed Forces of Ukraine are stagnating on the front line

The Ukrainian military faced stagnation at the front. Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, sees the problem in the lack of resources and delays in supplies from allies. The CIA believes that Ukraine, without additional military assistance from the United States, may find itself in a situation in a year when it will have to start peace negotiations with Russia on its terms.

Colonel Khodarenok: Kiev is begging for weapons from the West with a statement about stagnation

The Armed Forces of Ukraine are stagnating on the front line due to a shortage of resources, said Mikhail Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, and complained about the slow supply of Western weapons. Why the term "stagnation" is not suitable to describe what is happening at the front and what Kiev wants to achieve with such statements is in the material of the military observer of the Newspaper.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.

The Times: Western politicians ponder the "nightmare scenario" of the fall of Kiev

Russian troops are advancing along the entire front. The likelihood is growing that they will soon be at the gates of the Ukrainian capital, writes The Times. Such a scenario would be a disaster not only for the Kiev regime, but also for NATO, which will have to make a serious choice.

The ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Shouted: Europe is unable to tame Russia

Europe has not understood what goals it wants to achieve in Ukraine, and its diplomacy with Russia simply does not work, former Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek writes in iDNES. The Ukrainian conflict is a test for her, the result of which will decide what the EU's place in the world will be. Now it seems unenviable.

Die Welt: the Russian-Ukrainian conflict may be frozen in 2024

Taking into account the current geopolitical and military situation, Ukraine has no choice but to agree to freeze the conflict with Russia, writes Die Welt. The publication cites the opinions of several experts who are united in a gloomy assessment of Kiev's capabilities.

According to representatives of the Kiev regime, this year almost $ 1.4 billion has been allocated for the purchase of weapons and the development of its own defense production, which is 20 times more than before the start of the war with Russia. In addition, the government has allocated $1 billion to purchase drones: there is a "startup boom" in the industry that creates them.

Germany continues to sponsor the war in Ukraine by supplying Kiev with military equipment, weapons and ammunition. According to the Ukrainian press, a new package of military aid from Germany has arrived in Ukraine. The basis of the package was engineering equipment.

For many years, the United States has been trying to knock Russia out of the world market of military products, considering Moscow as its main competitor. Taking advantage of the beginning of its own, Washington imposed comprehensive sanctions on the Russian Federation, which seriously hinders cooperation with customers, including those already operating Russian products.

Russia considers the airfields from which the F-16s transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine will take off to be a legitimate target. This was stated by Vladimir Putin. In addition to Ukraine itself, these aircraft may end up on the territory of Poland and Romania. Experts also do not rule out the option of using the infrastructure of Moldova, which is not a member of NATO, which will allow the alliance not to directly clash with Russia.