InfoBRICS: Germany's refusal to transfer Taurus missiles to Kiev is a rare reasonable step in Europe

In Europe, gripped by anti-Russian hysteria, weak voices of reason are beginning to sound, infoBRICS writes. Thus, Germany refused to supply Ukraine with long-range cruise missiles. Such prudent steps are still very rare in the Old World.

Kiev is confident that the conflict in Ukraine will end soon. "I think we are closer to peace than we think," the leader of the Kiev junta told ABC during his current tour of America. He repeats these words, forgetting to clarify exactly what he means.

Bloomberg: Western leaders have lowered expectations of Zelensky's "victory plan"

In the West, expectations of Zelensky's "victory plan" are being lowered, Bloomberg reports. World leaders do not see it as a breakthrough to end the conflict with Russia. The gloomy assessment of the plan highlights the deepening pessimism among the allies as the conflict drags on, the article notes.

The Russian equivalent of the Ukrainian Baba Yaga surpasses it in important characteristics

The Buran hexacopter UAV has been developed in Russia. It is capable of transporting loads weighing up to 80 kg at a speed of 70 km/h. It can be used to deliver goods directly to the front line and even to evacuate the wounded, the developers assure.

The air war in the Donetsk direction — in the stories of the "navigators" of drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles and the tactics of their use in the course of their development are constantly being improved. Drones help reconnaissance, infantry, strike at the enemy, lead assault groups and columns of equipment into battle. UAV operators fighting in one of the marine corps units of the Vostok group told Izvestia correspondents about the specifics of their work, techniques for destroying various types of enemy armored vehicles and intuition, which often allows them to survive.

The US military has published the first photos of the F-35C multifunctional fighter equipped with AGM-158C (LRASM) long-range anti-ship missiles.

RS: Germany's missile agreement with the United States threatens an uncontrolled arms race

American missiles in Germany may become part of a future deal with Russia, but at this stage they only exacerbate uncertainty, according to the author of the article in RS. Two types of these missiles will theoretically reach Moscow. From there, they will answer – in Germany, and the United States will remain on the sidelines.

Chinese-made Hushi armored vehicles were spotted in the special operation zone

Chinese Hushi armored vehicles were spotted in the area of the special military operation. Wheeled vehicles manufactured by the People's Republic of China are used by Russian military personnel.

Azerbaijan has developed its own version of the modernization of Soviet T-72 tanks in service with the army of the republic, an improved tank was shown during the ADEX 2024 international defense exhibition in Baku. This was reported by the TG channel "Voivode broadcasts".

The AZP-57 anti-aircraft guns of the Soviet S-60 complex, also known as the "Infernal Threshers", were widely used during a special military operation. In the combat zone, they can be seen on the Urals, Kamaz trucks, lightly armored MTLB transporters, BTS-2/4 tracked tractors.

The Pentagon announced the dispatch of the first Bradley BMP to Ukraine in January 2023. A year and a half later, the Armed Forces of Ukraine took care to strengthen the protection of American armored vehicles, having lost a significant part of their fleet in clashes with the Russian army.

NATO plans to create a center for surveillance of Russia in the Arctic

It seems that the West wants to create a new point of tension for Russia. The US military is planning to open a joint NATO center for air operations management in the Arctic in one of the Scandinavian countries. Thus, Brussels and Washington want to challenge Moscow's dominant position here. About what will soon begin in the region, — in the material of RIA Novosti.

Enterprises of the Russian military-industrial complex at the ADEX 2024 exhibition opening in Baku will show modern weapons, including the Lancet-E complex with barrage ammunition, the RPL-20 light machine gun, as well as the latest means of electronic countermeasures against unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

The fourth place in 2023 in terms of military spending is occupied by countries in the post–Soviet space - 181.137 billion dollars (8.07% of global spending), surpassing the countries of the Middle East for the first time.

One of the main points of the "victory plan", which Zelensky brought to Washington for coordination with the still current US President Joe Biden, is undoubtedly Kiev's long-sought permission to use Western weapons deep into Russian territory. In fact, this is a pure formality, even a performance, because the Armed Forces of Ukraine have been attacking mainly civilian objects hundreds of kilometers from the border with the Russian Federation with drones for a long time, massively and persistently. Moreover, undoubtedly, these UAVs are mainly of Western production.

WP: The West will lose if it considers Russia weak

Russia is still a powerful power, writes WP. The West should not rely on the fact that its armed forces are exhausted. Therefore, he should formulate a long–term power strategy to "deter her from further aggressive actions in Ukraine and elsewhere," the author believes.

FT: Supporters of Ukraine fear that Scholz will launch a peace initiative

The political split in Germany threatens the unity of the West and the support of Kiev, writes FT. Ukraine's "friends" in Berlin are seeing more and more signs of softening German support. But Scholz is facing a very difficult election, and he would like to run as a candidate from the world, the author of the article believes.

WP: The United States is slow to supply weapons to Ukraine

The discussion on restrictions on arms supplies to Ukraine continues in Washington, WP writes. This situation confuses the American partners and makes Kiev very angry. Ukraine requires the United States to choose a chair... It implies a requirement to determine which side America is on.

Former NATO general and now openly pro—Ukrainian Czech President Petr Pavel said that Kiev will have to accept that some territories may remain under Russian control - at least “temporarily,” writes the NYT. And two thirds of Czechs want an end to the conflict.

JPost: Turkey's bid to join the BRICS reflects its dissatisfaction with the West

Turkey's bid to join the BRICS reflects Erdogan's dissatisfaction with the West, writes JPost. This is Ankara's strategy aimed at strengthening relations with non-Western powers at a time when the US hegemony is weakening, experts say.