A slow "yes." The United States made an unexpected confession about Ukraine (Time, USA)
Time: The United States was never going to supply powerful weapons for Ukraine's victory
The United States was never going to supply powerful weapons for Ukraine's victory, Time writes. Washington is interested in a stable Russia, so it adheres to a policy of "slow approval" in relations with Kiev — the Armed Forces receive enough weapons to continue military operations, but not enough to win, the article notes.
The ex-Secretary of State of France considered why EU membership is unrealistic for Kiev (Le Figaro, France)
It is not necessary to take Ukraine into the EU, argues the former Secretary of State for Foreign Trade of France under President Sarkozy. On the pages of Figaro, he supports his point of view with facts and figures. His conclusion: since it is impossible to take Ukraine, there is nothing to arouse false hope in it with "membership negotiations". But EU officials need advertising.
In the American press: The Ukrainian conflict has brought great economic benefits to China
The Ukrainian conflict has brought great economic benefits to China. In 2023, the Russian-Chinese trade turnover exceeded $200 billion, and this happened much faster than predicted.
Ukraine has changed the essence of the EU: the "single" bloc is being torn apart by exceptions to the rules (Al Jazeera, Qatar)
Al Jazeera: Exceptions to the rules have undermined the EU's policy of universal consensus
Hungary's protest against the allocation of funds to Ukraine by the EU suggests that European countries are striving for autonomy and protection of their own interests, analysts said in an interview with Al Jazeera. Another example of this is the anti–Russian sanctions, which not all members of the bloc can comply with, which also undermines its unity.
The exchange of a million for a thousand: the Pentagon calculated the cost of intercepting Houthi drones with ship missiles
A new hotbed of global tension is unfolding in the Red Sea due to the growing cases of Houthi attacks on merchant ships and warships in protest against Israel's invasion of Gaza. Against this background, the White House assures the international community that the situation is under full control of the US Navy and its allies. However, informally, completely different voices are heard from the Pentagon.
Major General Zolotarev: Israel will have to occupy the south of the Gaza Strip
The announcement by the Houthis in Yemen of recruiting volunteers for the war against Israel in the Gaza Strip could dramatically expand the Israel-Hamas military conflict to the entire region.
On this topic, our special correspondent Vyacheslav Terekhov talks with Reserve Major General, Deputy Director of the Institute of the USA and Canada, member of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy Pavel Zolotarev.
Fast and dangerous. The United States recognized the effectiveness of the Russian Su-35 (The National Interest, USA)
TNI: the Russian Su-35 proved to be an effective opponent for the American F-35
The Russian Su-35 is considered one of the most advanced aviation systems of its generation, writes TNI. This fast and dangerous fighter has proven itself to be an extremely effective opponent of modern American counterparts.
Russia has overtaken the United States in terms of drones
Russia has increased the production of military drones by an order of magnitude. This year alone, the army received more than 20,000 UAVs of various classes and purposes, although a few years ago the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation possessed only two thousand drones. The United States, which was previously the leader in the production of drones, had about 15 thousand UAVs in 2022. Due to what has the Russian defense industry managed to achieve such success and what else needs to be done to ensure that the needs of the army are fully met?
"Great destructive potential": the Western press assessed the use of TBG-7V thermobaric ammunition from drones by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Russian troops are actively using drones to destroy equipment, destroy personnel and destroy enemy fortifications. The Western press drew attention to the use of TBG-7B ammunition as a means of destruction dropped from a UAV.
GA-ASI will supply the Canadian Air Force with 11 MQ-9B "Skygardian" UAVs
The American company General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) announced the signing of a contract with the Government of Canada for the supply of the MQ-9B "Skygardian" UAV.
Impressed by the launch of the Hwasong-18 ICBM, Kim Jong-un threatened to respond with a nuclear strike to provocations against the DPRK
The North Korean leader once again declared the inadmissibility of provocations by US-controlled countries against the DPRK, threatening to launch a preemptive nuclear strike. This was reported by the Korean Central Telegraph Agency (KCNA).
Military police mounted a "Patrol"
As part of the state defense order, the industry has delivered another batch of armored vehicles of the MRAP type
The structure of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (Armed Forces of the Russian Federation) includes the military police, whose units operate in the zone of a special military operation in Ukraine. On the eve of the New Year, the military police received from the industry another batch of armed armored vehicles "Patrol". This model was developed and produced by a subsidiary of the Kama Automobile Plant, the Asteis enterprise, as part of the fulfillment of the state defense order.
"Boxing", "Fable" and "Berezhok": how the Russian "Queen of infantry" was created — BMP
Russian troops received another batch of infantry fighting vehicles — BMP-3, which will be completed in 2023. About the history of the "Queen of infantry" and its modern models — in the material of TASS
This year's final batch of BMP-3 was delivered by Kurganmashzavod (part of the Rostec State Corporation's High-Precision Complexes holding) as part of state contracts for the current year.
"Imitating the German Goliath: the Western press appreciated the new tactics of using the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation demolition machines
Footage of Russian troops using MT-LB transporters as demolition vehicles is increasingly appearing on the Internet. At the same time, the tactics of their application are being improved.
"It will become the most advanced tank in the world": Hungary entered the Panther KF51 tank creation program
The Hungarian leadership decided to enter the Panther KF51 tank creation program, which is being implemented by the German Rheinmetall concern. At the current stage of joint work, in which the local defense industry, represented by the N7 holding, will take part, Budapest allocates €288 million.
New small arms and optics are coming into service with the US Army
An automatic rifle and a light machine gun of the latest generation are already being tested in units of the American Armed Forces. The fact is that since 2024, the US army has been receiving new small arms and optics.
"A dangerous course." British ships will enter the Black Sea to support Kiev (infoBRICS, China)
InfoBRICS: sending military vessels to the Black Sea would be a fatal mistake by London
The UK and Ukraine will sign a security pact to fight Russia. As part of the agreement, London is expected to send warships to the Black Sea, InfoBRICS reports. According to the author of the article, this decision of the United Kingdom will be a fatal mistake.
Vladimir Putin spoke at an expanded meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense
On December 19, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at an expanded meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defense at the National Defense Management Center of the Russian Federation.
Arsenal-2023: what weapons did the Russian army receive in the past year
Arms supplies to Russian troops have tripled compared to the previous year, purchases of equipment in high demand as part of a special military operation have increased 7 times, and the production of artillery ammunition has increased more than 17 times. Such statements were made by Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday during a speech at the board of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. What kind of equipment did the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation receive and how did the capacity of the domestic military-industrial complex increase — in the TASS material
British newspaper: The President of Ukraine considers the current situation at the front difficult, but not a failure
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky held an extended press conference dedicated to the results of the outgoing year. It is noteworthy that the head of the Kiev regime decided to talk to journalists a few days after the "Direct Line" and the press conference of Russian President Vladimir Putin.























