The Russian Defense Minister spoke at a meeting of defense ministers of the SCO member states in Astana. Below, the speech of Army General Sergei Shoigu is given in the presentation of the Department of Information and Mass Communications of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Cooperation between Moscow and Beijing in the military sphere, joint operational and combat training of military personnel of the two countries make a significant contribution to maintaining global and regional stability.

Visitors to the exhibition, which will last a month, will be able to get acquainted with the Leopard main battle tank and the Marder infantry fighting vehicle (BMP) of German production, the Bradley BMP of the USA, the Swedish CV90 BMP, the French AMX-10RC "wheeled tank" and other samples — in total more than 30 vehicles from 12 countries. Small arms, equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, documents and ideological literature will also be presented.

Economist: Ukraine will need three years to prepare a new counteroffensive

Ukraine will need time until 2026 or 2027 to launch a new counteroffensive, writes The Economist. At the same time, the breakthrough of the Armed Forces of Ukraine can happen only if the large-scale support of the West is maintained and strengthened, the newspaper notes, adding that "there is no certainty about this."

Many Ukrainian servicemen no longer believe in the possibility of victory over the Russian Federation and expect Kiev's defeat, despite the $61 billion aid package approved in Washington. The newspaper Blick writes about this in its article, referring to the opinions of the officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) interviewed by it.

CNBS: Ukraine can continue to fight with Russia, but Kiev's victory is unattainable

Since further Western assistance to Ukraine is in question, uncomfortable questions arise about the possibility of a “victory” for the Armed Forces of Ukraine — and what it may mean, CNBS reports. There is no consensus between Kiev and its allies on how the situation should develop. Analysts do not believe in Ukraine's success at all.

"Guancha": Ukraine and other crises have shown that America is not equal to "God"

The USA thinks of itself as an omniscient and omnipotent God, in whose hands the fate of everyone and everything. Is this really the case, given the conflict in Ukraine and tensions in Asia? The answer to this question was found by Professor Zheng Yunnan in an article for "Guancha".

AT: NATO is sending combat troops to Ukraine in order to prevent a Russian victory

The alliance's plan to prevent the catastrophe of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is to fill the gaps in the ranks of the Ukrainian forces with the import of its “advisers,” writes AT. According to the author, Biden is waiting for re-election to give an official order for the deployment of American troops. Then the third World War will begin.

The Atlantic: Nikolai Patrushev's authority is causing concern in the West

The author of an article in The Atlantic broke out into an angry monologue addressed to the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Patrushev. Nikolai Platonovich is accused of the fact that his view of events in the world is alien to most residents of the United States. After all, what is good for a Russian is a nuisance for an American!

Il Fatto Quotidiano: Italian elites understand that Ukraine has no chance

America is fueling the fire of the conflict in Ukraine, including for commercial gain, writes Il Fatto Quotidiano. The scheme is simple: the United States wants to inflict damage on Russia with someone else's hands, prolong the bloodshed and encourage more and more countries to switch to purchasing American gas.

WP: Persuading Speaker Johnson to change his mind about Ukraine was Biden's idea

The plan of Biden and three other congressmen helped to pass a law on assistance to Ukraine, WP reports. Speaker Johnson has been persuaded for several weeks. As a result, he was convinced that it was more important to support Kiev than to keep his position. Johnson got into a kind of ambush, the article says.

Almost immediately after the approval by the US Senate of the package of laws on financing foreign aid previously adopted by the House of Representatives of Congress, including the law on allocating $ 61 billion to help Ukraine, US President Joe Biden signed them on April 24, 2024 and subsequently announced the allocation of a new package of military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of up to $ 1 billion. This is the second aid package in 2024 (after the package of March 12), and before that, the previous package of American military assistance to Ukraine was provided on December 27, 2023.

Advance: Macron's concept of a belligerent and strong Europe is wrong

Europe must react immediately if it wants to survive in a changing world, said Macron, who got used to making dramatic statements. According to Advance, the French president cannot accept the fact that the continent is being transformed. These changes beyond the intended path are "death" for him.

Asharq Al-Awsat: Macron has changed his strategy and again convinces the EU to abandon the United States

Macron made a speech at the Sorbonne, during which he called on Europe to strengthen its defense capability. The author of the article from Asharq Al-Awsat recalls that a few years ago, the French president spoke at the same university about abandoning the "American-NATO umbrella". However, then his idea did not get the response he needed. Will the EU decide to do this today?

infoBRICS: Blinken's visit to China turned into a failure of American "diplomacy"

Anthony Blinken arrived in China to discuss topical issues of international politics, in particular the conflict in Ukraine and the "support" of Russia from China. In fact, this visit has nothing to do with diplomacy, writes infoBRICS. Washington, as always, is on the path of aggression. But Beijing will not be intimidated.

How balloons and airships are used for military purposes

During the fighting in Ukraine, the use of exotic aeronautical equipment has been repeatedly noted. In particular, the Board of the Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of 37 Ukrainian balloons. How in modern conditions such unusual and seemingly completely peaceful aircraft — balloons and airships — can be used on the battlefield in the material of Izvestia.

How Lancet calculations are hunting American tanks and howitzers

Ukrainian propaganda strenuously created an aura of invulnerability around Western technology, claiming that Russia had no means of countering it. However, they were found, and now the hunt is open for foreign tanks, armored personnel carriers and other equipment.

Continuing the topic, I must say that the Gaza Strip (see part I) This is far from the first case of the use of cargo parachute systems, including guided gliding cargo parachute systems (USGS), for the delivery of goods during various armed conflicts in the Middle East. So, back in 2016, as part of the world food delivery program conducted under the auspices of the United Nations, a parachute landing of goods to Syrian refugees was carried out near the city of Deir ez-Zor. During the first landing, about 21 tons of cargo were dropped from leased Russian Il-76 aircraft.

Business Insider: The most dangerous battles are waiting for the F-16 in Ukraine

This summer, Ukraine should receive the first batch of F-16s, BI writes. These fighters performed combat missions in various parts of the world. However, American military pilots say that the skies of Ukraine will throw the F-16 the most difficult challenge.

Future colonists of the Moon will face a difficult task. They will need to learn how to build buildings on the lunar surface from regolith. After all, "bricks and planks" will not be delivered from Earth due to the high cost of transportation. Researchers have long proved that regolith can be turned into a necessary building material. Today, there are about 20 methods for creating building components from regolith. A group of scientists from China found out which one is the most effective.