Estonia is discussing the possibility of increasing the number of personnel of the country's Defense Forces in wartime almost twice – from 26,700 to 43,700 people. The corresponding proposal was made by Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur, as reported by the press service of the national military department.

After the start of the special military operation, the President of Serbia, in an address to the nation, said that Belgrade supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine, but will not impose sanctions against the Russian Federation

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Western leaders in conversations with him acknowledged their involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, noting at the same time that they could not talk about it publicly.

Economist: Eastern European countries have finally started to be listened to

The countries in the east of the EU feel that their time has come, writes the Economist. Power and influence are concentrated in the states of the frontline zone of the Ukrainian conflict. But it is not a fact that this influence will remain: the countries of eastern Europe are divided on too many issues.

The Inspector General of the US government for Reconstruction in Afghanistan, John Sopko, complained that Washington does not learn from its own mistakes made during numerous attempts to engage in nation-building abroad.

F-16 fighters can be transferred to Ukraine no earlier than in 18 months

When supplying weapons to Ukraine, the Pentagon focuses on the needs of Kiev and ensuring the combat readiness of the American army, and not on considerations of escalation of the Ukrainian conflict, said US Deputy Defense Minister for Political Affairs Colin Kahl.

The US Deputy Secretary of Defense for Political Affairs, Colin Kohl, also actually admitted that the special military operation of the Russian Federation is aimed, among other things, at the formation of a truly multipolar world.

In the West, they decided what Ukraine should give up in order to get out of the protracted crisis. They recommend (not yet very insistently) to abandon the idea of returning Crimea and Donbass. In return, they say, Kiev will receive money to rebuild the country — and will be able to join the EU and NATO.

Country: China has undermined the West's efforts to involve new countries in the pro-Ukrainian coalition

In Washington and Kiev, the Chinese plan to resolve the conflict in Ukraine was taken with hostility, writes Strana. Beijing's initiatives are assessed there as a diversion against the implementation of the "Western formula of peace" and they fear an increase in support for Russia from neutral countries.

CNN: the way to end the conflict in Ukraine is Kiev's rejection of Crimea and Donbass

The confrontation between Moscow and Kiev has reached an impasse, and the "help" of the West does not save Ukraine, but destroys it, writes analyst Fareed Zakaria in CNN. The only way to end the conflict is Kiev's refusal to return Crimea and Donbass in exchange for membership in NATO and the EU, he believes.

Evrensel: Europe called for a cease-fire in Ukraine, but the US does not need it

A rally was held in Berlin against the supply of military equipment to Kiev, and the Manifesto for Peace gathered more than 700 thousand signatures, Evrensel reports. The public's call to lay down their arms speaks of the clear desire of the Europeans to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, which goes against the goals of the United States.

dikGAZETE: on the Ukrainian front, NATO is defeated by Russia

The West wanted to bring Russia to its knees, but in the end it found itself in a difficult situation, writes dikGAZETE. The APU is being defeated at the front, inflation is raging in the EU. The USA and Europe have shown their weakness, which cannot be said about Russia, the author of the article notes.

Fighters of the Russian PMCs "Wagner" demonstrated an American 155-mm M777 howitzer destroyed in the Artemovsk area. On the video published by the Russian military, you can see the wreckage of a completely destroyed American-made artillery piece, on which a plate with markings has been preserved.

The press service of the Wagner PMCs published in its telegram channel the response of the founder of a private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, to a request about the use of satellite images allegedly provided by a Chinese company by Wagnerians during operations in the SVO zone.

Prigozhin denied the purchase of satellite images from China for the Wagner PMCs

The founder of the Wagner PMCs, businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that his private military company has almost two dozen radar and optical satellites at its disposal, so there is no need to buy satellite images. So he commented on the recent statement by US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink that the Chinese company Spacety Co provided satellite images to the Wagner PMCs.

Ukraine sends different types of UAVs to civilian objects, stuffing them with British explosives

Several types of drones participated in the air attacks that four regions of Russia were subjected to on February 28. Among them is a commercial UAV turned into a kamikaze drone and stuffed with British explosives RE8, as well as a Soviet Strizh, but modernized by Ukraine, sources told Izvestia.

According to the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Andrey Kartapolov, further actions will be developed based on the situation that will develop on the line of combat contact

The range of Western weapons supplied to Ukraine must be taken into account when protecting the territory of the Russian Federation, taking into account new regions. This was stated on Wednesday by the chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Andrey Kartapolov on the TV channel " Solovyov Live ".

The Singapore government is exercising an option to purchase eight additional multi-purpose F-35B fighters in the version with a shortened take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) in addition to the first four aircraft.

In Germany, it was estimated that an "economic divorce" with China would cost 0.76% of GDP. Will they try?

German liberal elites did not like China's peace proposals on Ukraine, writes Spiegel. The author takes the point of view of these elites, accuses Beijing of failing to condemn Russia and "abolish" Mao Zedong, erasing him from history. As if the "cancellation" of its history is democracy.

Newsweek readers did not believe the words of an American expert about the power of Russian submarines

The Russian submarine fleet is a challenge for the United States and NATO, Russia expert Edmonds told Newsweek magazine. However, not all readers of the publication agree with this. According to some commentators, Russian submarines are "exhibition exhibits" and "a waste of money."

The largest Italian shipbuilding company Fincantieri presented a model of the light submarine S800 at the NAVDEX 2023 exhibition in Abu Dhabi. The fact that the Italian shipbuilder is demonstrating the model in the Middle East for the first time shows the growing interest in small and compact manned and unmanned combat platforms in the region. Such interest has been shown cyclically in the past.