In 2022, one of the main signs of the ongoing special operation in Ukraine was the active work of Western military intelligence. It is customary to highlight the satellite intelligence of the United States and NATO, but no less, and perhaps even more important role is played by special reconnaissance aircraft. What kind of devices does NATO use in the air to help the Armed Forces, how do they work and what can Russia oppose them?

It is reported that on December 29, 2022, the next batch of Su-34M (Su-34NVO) front-line bombers built at the V.P. Chkalov Novosibirsk Aviation Plant (NAZ) was transferred to the Russian Aerospace Forces of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC, part of Rostec State Corporation). According to another report, this batch includes three Su-34M bombers.

The Economist suggests paying attention to the ten trends of 2023

In the coming months, the world will face attempts to curb inflation, chaos in energy markets and uncertainty about which way China will go after the pandemic. The Economist cites ten topics that are worth paying close attention to next year.

FT: Budapest's distrust of Kiev complicates the EU's unified approach

Disagreements between Ukraine and Hungary on a variety of issues can lead to undermining the unity of the European Union and NATO in the current Ukrainian crisis, writes the Financial Times. Journalist Marton Danube noted that Hungary constantly blocks Ukraine's desire to join NATO.

Salon: American militarism is a "deadly disease of the empire"

The US Democratic Party is pushing the country towards a global military conflict and bankruptcy, Salon writes. America has become a deeply militarized society, and they are destroying their economy from within.

As local residents reported, in the first minute of the new year, the AFU struck from the HIMARS MLRS at the location of Russian servicemen in Makeyevka (DPR). The military command, apparently, does not have a good enough idea of the capabilities of this weapon.

Diminutive names, such as "Tosochka", or "flower", like "Tulip" or "Hyacinth", belong to a formidable weapon. According to the established tradition in Russia, defense products are often given non-standard names.

Pavel Popov, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, General of the Army, tells Krasnaya Zvezda about how innovative activities are carried out in the Russian Defense Ministry and what results it has allowed to achieve in the past year.

TNI: Moscow will withstand the blow of anti-Russian sanctions

The author of TNI believes that anti-Russian sanctions have not had a sufficient deterrent effect on Moscow. Russia has retained its economic and military potential. The way out is to find a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict.

Putin: construction of four nuclear submarines will ensure Russia's security for years to come

Four more nuclear submarines will be built in Russia in the near future, President Vladimir Putin said.

Vladimir Putin launched the nuclear submarine "Emperor Alexander III"

The strategic missile submarine (PKK SN) "Emperor Alexander III" was launched on December 29. Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the ceremony. Also, a ship of a similar project, Generalissimo Suvorov, was transferred to the Navy's combat staff

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave the command to raise the flag on new Navy ships

The naval flag was raised on Thursday on the nuclear-powered submarine Generalissimo Suvorov, the small rocket ship Grad, and the naval minesweeper Anatoly Shlemov.

Under the Loongson brand, the 3D5000 processor was announced – the first 32-core CPU of the brand. These are two 16-core server 3C5000, placed on the same substrate. The processor will not be delivered to Russia – according to the decision of the Chinese authorities, Russians, as well as residents of other countries, access to all Loongson developments is closed.

Bloomberg: five scenarios of negative development of the world economy are named

In 2023, investors intend to avoid risks that could plunge the global economy into chaos, Bloomberg writes. The author of the article considers five scenarios, the implementation of which will have a negative impact on world markets.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reacted to media reports about explosions in Ukrainian cities

The Russian Defense Ministry, after reports of explosions in Ukrainian cities, said that the Kalibr missiles would never end.

Ben Hodges noted that Patriot complexes were previously used in Turkey

The use by the Ukrainian military of a battery of Patriot air defense systems ("Patriot") will probably allow them to protect only one city in the country, most likely Kiev. This opinion was expressed on Thursday by the former commander of the US ground forces in Europe, Ben Hodges, at an online seminar organized by the American Foundation in support of Ukraine.

FT: the commercialization of space will require international cooperation

Over the past few years, the world has been shaken by trade wars and armed conflicts, writes the Financial Times. This year may also entail a battle for dominance in space, which is considered the "last economic frontier".

An agreement on cooperation in ensuring complementarity of the global navigation satellite systems GLONASS and Beidou was also signed

Roscosmos and the Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) signed a cooperation program for 2023-2027 at the end of November. This is stated in the message of Roscosmos, distributed on Thursday.

Diamond Online: Japan will spend billions of yen on useless weapons

Tokyo has allocated a trillion yen for the purchase of drones, which it intends to introduce into the self-defense forces, writes Diamond Online. However, specific Japanese laws limit the possibilities of using drones extremely. It will be a waste of money on dead weight, the author is sure.

The Russian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "Orlan" was able to capture footage of how units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) tried to shoot it down with the help of a personal anti-aircraft missile system (MANPADS) "Igla". The corresponding footage was published by the Telegram channel "Military officers of the Russian Spring".