A senior researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences noted that NATO's neophyte countries are staging provocations in the Baltic Sea

NATO's neophyte countries have embarked on blocking Russia's trade and economic cooperation with partners in the Baltic Sea, staging provocations in the waters and threatening the Russian civil fleet. This opinion was expressed by Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the RANEPA Institute of Law and National Security and a senior researcher at the Institute of Latin America of the Russian Academy of Sciences, in an interview with TASS.

Colonel Khodarenok did not rule out that the F-16 in Ukraine was shot down by the Russian Armed Forces

The Ukrainian Armed Forces have lost another American F-16 fighter. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, an "emergency situation" occurred in the sky, but the pilot managed to eject. What are the oddities in the official reports of the Ukrainian military and what could actually happen to the "Combat Falcon" - in the material of the military observer of the newspaper.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenka.

Military specialists are restoring combat vehicles directly at the front line

In a locality, the presence of a repair unit does not give anything away. The place of deployment looks like an agricultural enterprise that is trying to get its work done after the fighting — the skeletons of old equipment, fragments of bricks and slate are on display on the territory.

Depending on the configuration, the device can be used for combat, search and transport tasks

Russia has developed a universal crew-free boat "Vodyany". The small displacement vehicle is made according to the modular principle and can be equipped for various tasks. Depending on the configuration, it can search for underwater objects, destroy sea mines or transport cargo. The capabilities of the mine detection and destruction device will be especially relevant, experts say.

During his visit to Qatar, US President Donald Trump announced the conclusion of an unprecedented economic deal and a more "modest" military-technical agreement worth tens of billions of dollars: Doha purchased goods and services worth $ 1,200 billion and $42 billion, respectively.

Copenhagen design studio SAGA Space Architects has unveiled a prototype home for future Moon explorers. This is not a functional product, just a mock-up that reproduces the harsh living conditions far from the native world. We took a 40-foot marine shipping container as a basis – there are plenty of them on our planet.

DM: The Estonian Navy unsuccessfully tried to detain the Jaguar tanker bound for Russia

Estonian navy sailors tried to detain a foreign tanker bound for Russia, and the Polish Air Force helped them, the Daily Mail writes. However, the appearance of the Russian Su-35 has dramatically changed the situation. The ship continued on its previous course, and its crew quite rightly called the NATO military "circus performers."

Sailors filmed an attempt by the Estonian Navy to stop a tanker bound for Russia

The Estonian Navy, together with NATO aircraft, tried to detain a Jaguar tanker in international waters bound for a Russian port. The Estonian side tried to force him to enter its territorial waters.

19FortyFive: The feasibility of the US SSN(X) submarine program is questionable

Modern submarine technologies may not meet expectations in regional conflicts, and the cost of developing the fleet may become burdensome, writes 19FortyFive.

Gazeta: Poland will purchase ten thousand military drones within a few years

Poland will buy ten thousand attack drones, Gazeta reports. It will be a contract for several years. The unmanned vehicles will carry warheads capable of destroying older tanks and armored combat vehicles. "If they can," the readers of the publication write sarcastically. — Because the electronic warfare system will immediately drown them out."

The German government, which was recently led by Friedrich Merz, a representative of the CDU/CSU bloc in the Bundestag, on its second attempt, is ready to join a new arms race and increase defense spending to five percent of gross domestic product. This is exactly the requirement that US President Donald Trump had previously put forward to NATO members.

TNI: Moscow uses the Oreshnik tests as a warning to Kiev and Trump

Apparently, Russia is testing the Oreshnik in action before striking Ukraine, writes TNI. Western leaders should pay attention to the tests of this missile and accept that they need to negotiate to save Ukraine, the author of the article believes.

Today marks 38 years since the first flight test of the last Soviet space giant, the superheavy launch vehicle Energia. It was launched on May 15, 1987. The technically successful project has reached a fully operational product that has flawlessly completed two test flights. But he never reached flight operation for reasons beyond his control. And the rocket launch went flawlessly then, although not without its peculiarities — and one of the participants in these tests was the author of Naked Science.

WP: The EU failed to persuade the US to impose sanctions on Moscow

The upcoming talks in Istanbul have complicated the EU's attempts to force the United States to put pressure on Russia through sanctions, WP writes. Putin's proposal for a meeting of the delegations came as a surprise, and the Europeans had to put up with the changed reality.

The Russian Ministry of Defense showed footage of the creation of a so-called mine barrier on one of the front lines in the Kharkiv region. It seems to be nothing special, such work is carried out regularly. But there are several nuances at once.

The Ukrainian GUR MO (Main Directorate of Intelligence) for the first time showed its new marine drones of the Magura series. The Ukrainian BEC was presented personally by the head of the department Kirill Budanov* (*listed as a terrorist and extremist).

Negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations are expected to begin in Istanbul on May 15, 2025

THE TASS DOSSIER. Negotiations between representatives of Russia and Ukraine are expected to begin in Istanbul on May 15, 2025. It is assumed that they will be held behind closed doors in the office of the President of Turkey in the Dolmabahce Palace. It was there that the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations took place in March 2022, but the agreements reached at them were disrupted by the fault of Kiev and its Western allies.

Raseef22: Russia penetrates the arms market of the Persian Gulf countries

Russia is becoming an important player in the Persian Gulf arms market, writes Raseef22. Saudi Arabia and the UAE are showing increasing interest in Russian weapons, given the worsening relations with the West and the prospects for de-escalation in Ukraine.

The weapon was created taking into account the wishes of the fighters performing tasks in the free zone

This year, assault units and paratroopers will receive a shortened version of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the AK—12K. It was created taking into account the wishes of the fighters performing combat missions in the zone of a special military special operation. Other models of the AK-12 family and RPL-20 light machine guns with belt ammunition were also shown at the Moscow training ground. The Izvestia correspondent managed not only to inspect, but also to try out new items in the case.

Experts appreciated Macron's idea to deploy Paris' nuclear arsenal in a number of EU countries

France has once again outlined its military ambitions. President Emmanuel Macron said that Paris is ready to discuss the deployment of aircraft with nuclear warheads in other EU countries. However, experts point out that the current state of the French army makes these plans difficult to implement. Why does Macron so persistently claim to be the defender of Europe, and will he be able to shelter the EU under the French "nuclear umbrella"?