On December 16, 2022, Japan immediately approved three important documents related to strengthening the country's defense capability, including a new national security strategy. According to the adopted documents, it is planned to increase the number of ships equipped with Aegis missile defense systems by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces from the current eight to ten ships. It is also planned to deploy 2 ships that will specialize specifically in missile defense.

According to Dan Steinbock's calculations, since the beginning of its total US aid to Kiev has exceeded $106 billion, which, according to the expert, "turns a sick country into a bankrupt failed state."

Bloomberg: the US should moderate its ardor in Ukraine

The United States is openly pushing the world towards World War III, hoping to outplay its opponents from the "Axis" — Russia, China, Iran, writes Bloomberg. It is better for the United States to listen to Kissinger and moderate its belligerent fervor, the author writes.

Agoravox: grandson of President de Gaulle accuses the US and the EU of robbing Russia and France

Pierre de Gaulle, the grandson of the great general, has long gone against the mainstream press in France, but his interview in Agoravox is just a shock. He not only defended Russia and called for the trial of the executioners of Donbass. He also said something about the "freezing of assets" of Russia abroad, comparing it to the robbery of Jews.

Foreign Affairs: the author of the "containment policy" Kennan opposed its militarization

The father of the "containment policy", the great American diplomat Kennan loved and understood Russia, writes Foreign Affairs. His concept, the author of the article notes, had a political, not a military dimension. Kennan invented it for dialogue, not militarization.

Hudson Institute: in the USA predicted the collapse of the Russian Federation following the example of the USSR in 2023

Analysts at the Hudson Institute recalled the anniversary of the collapse of the Soviet Union and complained that the United States failed to "destroy" it completely. They predicted the "collapse" of Russia in 2023.

Was it only the use of mobile phones by the military that caused the missile strike

The death toll as a result of a missile strike on the temporary accommodation of Russian units in Makeyevka on the night of January 1, reached 89 people, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The building where the servicemen were staying collapsed.

The Russian military department considers the mass use of mobile phones by personnel to be the cause of the tragedy in Makeyevka, despite the ban.

Some commanders of the Russian troops do not want to change their usual way of life, transferring it to the zone of a special military operation, which leads to losses in personnel. This statement was made by the commander of the Vostok brigade, Alexander Khodakovsky, in his TG channel, commenting on the death of the Russian military in Makeyevka.

The response of Russian industry and science to Western sanctions was a sharp acceleration of its own technological developments. Rosatom, Roscosmos and a number of other leaders in their industries have shown particularly significant results in the past year. Domestic mechanical engineering displaces imported analogues, including surpassing them in quality.

British sources confirm the information that the deadlines for the completion of the repair of the aircraft carrier Prince of Wales will have to be shifted again. As it turned out, the contractor will not be able to meet the deadline, which means that it is impossible to complete the repair of a warship worth more than 3 billion pounds sterling until the spring of 2023.

On December 29, 2022, during a visit to Paris, Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Arvydas Anushauskas signed contractual agreements with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastian Lecornu on Lithuania's accession to the program for the development of a new 155 mm/52 wheeled self-propelled howitzer CAESAR Mk II, implemented under the auspices of the General Directorate of Armaments (Direction générale de l'armement - DGA) of the Ministry the French Armed Forces, and the acquisition of 18 CAESAR Mk II units for the Lithuanian armed forces. Their delivery to Lithuania should be made in 2027.

The Ukrainian army has adopted Swedish Bandvagn 202 all-terrain vehicles, a batch of equipment has arrived in Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian press, this is not an official delivery from the Swedish Ministry of Defense, the all-terrain vehicles were purchased by a private person and donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Canadian armored personnel carriers LAV II CSV Super Bison, promised to Kiev in the summer, finally reached Ukraine and entered service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian press, pictures of the first armored vehicles in the area of the contact line appeared on Internet resources.

In the coming year, the Russian strategic aviation will increase its participation in the military special operation. The commander of long-range aviation, Sergei Kobylash, announced powerful strikes against the AFU with high-precision weapons. Experts warn that additional protection of strategic aviation airfields will be required, up to the creation of a false runway network with dummy missile carriers. What goals in Ukraine will be a priority for Russian "strategists"?

The military-political leadership of Germany, in the process of reorganizing the national armed forces, pays considerable attention to the readiness of the Bundeswehr ground forces to conduct operations "in ground airspace". Airmobile troops (primarily airborne and helicopter units) to increase their combat capabilities are concentrated as part of one unit - the Special Operations Division (Division Schnelle Kräfte, DSK ).

The decision-making mechanism in NATO has made it an ungovernable organization

Former national security adviser to US President Donald Trump, John Bolton, proposed to question Turkey's membership in NATO in 2023 if Recep Tayyip Erdogan is re-elected. "Newspaper.Ru" dealt with the background of such a proposal.

Politico: the delivery of air defense systems to Kiev is an advertising campaign for American weapons

Ukraine demands more and more powerful weapons from the United States, but Biden fears the collapse of NATO, writes Politico. Kiev's bet on new Western weapons does not justify itself. The Russian army has adapted to the Javelins and Haimars. The "Patriots" will not save either, the authors write.

The APU showed NATO equipment: "Trash and garbage"

Military aid from the West flows to Ukraine in a continuous stream. It should be noted that most of the weapons are in poor technical condition, writes Dziennik. It's just scrap metal and junk, which is confirmed by the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine themselves.

The UK may supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles

The British Ministry of Defense is considering the possibility of transferring air-launched cruise missiles of the Storm Shadow/SCALP type to the armed forces of Ukraine. Military observer of the Newspaper.En" Mikhail Khodarenok explains how these missiles are superior to American ATACMS and what is required to protect against them.