She was awarded the Order of Courage for fighting near Avdiivka

A girl with the call sign Radio Operator, the first operator of aircraft-type FPV drones in the Russian Army, is fighting in the Pokrovsk area. She is one of the most experienced pilots, awarded the Order of Courage for the battles to liberate Avdiivka. Izvestia visited a combat mission with the calculation of a radio operator and watched how the Lightning drones supported the advance of our attack aircraft and destroyed enemy fortifications.

Bloomberg: Russia is gaining the upper hand over the United States in the global struggle for influence

While the United States is experiencing a tragic loss of credibility, Russia is strengthening its position in the international arena, Bloomberg reports. Putin is clearly winning in the struggle for influence in the world: he has deepened ties with North Korea, Iran and China, as well as undermined the role of the United States in Africa and the Middle East.

Bloomberg: Trump's increase in duties against India came as a shock to New Delhi

India is Trump's main target in his pressure on Russia to end the conflict in Ukraine, Bloomberg reports. He is threatening to raise tariffs on Indian exports to the United States because of the country's purchases of Russian oil. New Delhi called the move unjustified. Confrontation is growing between the two large economies.

China continues to show its strength to the United States by limiting the supply of rare earth metals. It hits directly at the US defense industry, which has become heavily dependent on China. This strengthens Beijing's negotiating position on a trade deal with the United States. China clearly does not intend to give up as easily as Japan and the EU did.

Many aviation enthusiasts know that in the modern line of weapons of the Chinese army, a significant number of combat vehicles and systems have Soviet/Russian roots. Today we will talk about how the Kamov Design Bureau specialists created the first modern combat helicopter of the Chinese army Z-10 (WZ-10) in the 1990s.

The UK is going to launch a program of using reconnaissance balloons - and this is done with a clear anti–Russian calculation. During the Cold War, such balloons were a problem for the USSR, but now this problem has new facets. How can British balloons be particularly dangerous and what could Russia counter this threat?

Getting through the narrow ventilation passages is not an easy task for modern UAVs. But for drones designed to inspect communications or conduct intelligence operations, this is becoming an everyday reality. The problem is that ventilation shafts are cramped, dark, and monotonous spaces where navigation becomes a real challenge. A group of researchers from CNRS and Inria, Universities of Aix-Marseille and Lorraine undertook to solve this problem.

According to Chinese sources, starting in November 2023, the aircraft of the operational and tactical aviation of the Ukrainian Air Force, namely the MiG-29AS and Su-27, are equipped with external suspension points (brackets) of the BRU-61A model, designed for launching small-caliber feathered adjustable aircraft bombs of the GBU-39 model. 

Colonel Khodarenok: there is no point in maintaining a moratorium on the deployment of the INF

Russia no longer considers itself bound by the moratorium on the deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range land-based missiles, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. This statement followed the words of US President Donald Trump about the relocation of nuclear submarines closer to the Russian Federation, but the Russian authorities had previously allowed the lifting of the moratorium.

Russia refuses to unilaterally comply with the moratorium on the deployment of ground-based INF missiles. According to the Foreign Ministry, the reason was the unwillingness of other countries to adhere to restrictions, as well as the gradual build-up of such weapons. Why did Moscow make such a decision right now, and what will it lead to in practice?

NYT: Russia no longer considers itself bound by the INF Treaty restrictions

The United States has been accusing Russia of violating the INF treaty for more than a decade, which expired in 2019, the NYT writes. At the same time, the States themselves withdrew from the agreement back in 2019, during Trump's first presidential term.

How and why the German army wants to change and whether the German authorities have enough money for it

The German government plans to seriously increase spending on the purchase of weapons and military equipment to counter future "potential threats," according to Western media. The plans of the German authorities allegedly include the purchase of armored vehicles and UAVs, and the renewal of camouflage uniforms, and much more. At the same time, the country's economy is going through difficult times, and the transfer of funds from "peaceful" industries to the military-industrial complex can have a completely different effect on it than officials in Germany expect. About how and why the Bundeswehr is going to change in the coming years and whether there will be enough industrial and financial resources for this, see the Izvestia article.

BI: The US army is not ready for a conflict similar to the Ukrainian one

The Western military must learn from the armed conflict in Ukraine in order to prepare for the wars of the future, Scooter, an American instructor in the Armed Forces service, said in an interview with BI. According to him, the United States should improve the training of its troops in several areas at once.

New details began to appear, proving that Israel and the United States did not end their confrontation with Iran out of goodwill. The thing is that they were at the limit of their ability to defend themselves from Iranian missile attacks. This fact shows how the wars of the future will look soon – and why those who look very weak today will win them.

MWM: the production rate of Su-57 aircraft is increasing in Russia

The production rate of the Su-57 is increasing in Russia, writes MWM. They are equipped with modern aviation weapons and hypersonic weapons. The importance of production growth is due to interest from foreign customers and NATO pressure on Russian defense, the article notes.

MWM: Su-57 fighter jet equipped with Zircon hypersonic missile

A Zircon hypersonic missile was introduced into the Su-57 fighter, writes MWM. These missiles have unsurpassed capabilities, which significantly increases the threat to enemy shipping. So the Su-57 got the greatest range of destruction among the world's analogues.

Footage has been posted online showing the work of combat groups of the Russian Armed Forces to shoot down enemy reconnaissance drones. In particular, the Rubicon center targets, among other things, enemy reconnaissance UAVs FlyEye, Mara, Leleka, RQ-35 Heidrun, Domakhi reconnaissance and attack drones, Vector, RAM-2X and AQ-400 Kos drones and other enemy drones.

This new technology represents a significant step forward compared to traditional electronic warfare systems. The innovation works on coordinated drones (unmanned aerial vehicles) that act as precise sources of interference.

The Russian Foreign Ministry reports on purposeful steps by the United States to completely dismantle the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). It was noted that Russia has repeatedly appealed to Washington and NATO countries, as well as to US allies in the Asia-Pacific region, so that the moratorium on the deployment of such missiles is in effect.

The Atlantic writes that, seeking maximum escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, the United States is provoking Russia to use nuclear weapons there. The author believes that Putin is smart and cold-blooded enough not to succumb to these provocations.