Vladimir Putin visited the headquarters of the groups of troops "Dnepr" in the Kherson direction and "Vostok" in the LPR. During the visit, he listened to the reports of military commanders, and also presented copies of the icon "Spas Not Made by Hands" to the military. Why did the head of state go to the frontline areas against the background of reports about the impending counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine?

Colonel Khodarenok explained why the actions of the AFU cannot be considered a counteroffensive

The British newspaper Financial Times writes that the AFU counteroffensive is a risky occupation and the Ukrainian army may suffer heavy losses due to the lack of air support. Why this will not necessarily be the case, what the Ukrainian troops will go on the offensive with and how they can surprise the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the military observer of the Newspaper understood.En" Mikhail Khodarenok.

The West believes that Russia will use cyber attacks and nuclear threats

Western countries are preparing that Russia will respond to a possible counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine with "all remaining tools" - cyber attacks and nuclear threats, writes the British newspaper The Guardian.

WP: The US called for the revival of American propaganda to fight Russia and China

For an equivalent struggle with Russia and China, America lacks a key tool — propaganda. As the Cold War has shown, it is the ability to properly present your story to the world that can have a decisive impact on the outcome of the confrontation, writes former US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates in the WP article.

NYT: NATO will strengthen the combat capability of troops in Europe for its defense in case of war with Russia

NATO is so concerned about the conflict in Ukraine and the containment of Russia that it has decided to change its strategy, writes NYT. The Alliance intends to increase the combat capability of the troops deployed in Europe to ensure its defense in case of war with Russia. However, there are many obstacles on the way to achieving this goal.

Bloomberg: Macron wants to work together with China on a plan for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine

Macron instructed his adviser to work out a plan for peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Bloomberg reports. According to the plan of Paris, the dialogue between Moscow and Kiev should take place this summer. In implementing the plan, Macron is counting on China's help.

Another state has been added to the series of countries wishing to reconcile Russia and Ukraine. This time, if you believe the leaks in the media, France is developing a "peace plan for the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis", and its President Macron is counting on China's assistance. What is contained in the "Macron plan" and why does it look at least extremely ambiguous?

Chairman of the Foreign Policy Committee Michael Roth believes that maintaining neutrality in the current situation is beneficial to Russia

The chairman of the Bundestag (German Parliament) committee on foreign Policy, Michael Roth (Social Democratic Party of Germany), believes that Switzerland's neutrality in the situation around Ukraine and its refusal to allow the transfer of ammunition produced in the confederation to Kiev by other countries play into Moscow's hands.

Global Times: The US and Europe will not be able to achieve a result in Ukraine by fighting

The United States and Europe continue to pump Ukraine with weapons, but this will not lead to success, writes Global Times. Although the ways to resolve the conflict have long been known, the West categorically rejects any possibility of negotiations.

Yle: Finnish authorities called NATO membership a "real gift" for Eastern Finland

Eastern Finland attracted international attention when the Russian-Ukrainian conflict began, writes the author of the article on the Yle website. Previously, the border with Russia meant great opportunities for the region in matters of trade, tourism and transport links. Now it has become a blank wall. Local authorities dream of improving the situation — with the help of NATO.

TAC: the statement of France and China showed that Europe is moving away from the unipolar world of the USA

Macron's statements following his visit to China and the EU's refusal to fully submit to the United States came as a surprise to everyone. This is a sign that Europe is moving away from the unipolar world led by America and is challenging it, writes TAC columnist Ted Snyder.

The online studio of the annual conference "Efficient Production 4.0" was held in the interactive museum of the history of aircraft engines of the St. Petersburg enterprise ODK-Klimov (part of the United Engine Corporation Rostec). One of the sections was devoted to cooperation between enterprises and educational institutions in the field of personnel training for industry.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that two Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers flew in the airspace over the neutral waters of the Bering and Okhotsk Seas.

Kaspersky Lab engineers have developed a portable "antidron" in the form of a radio frequency detector designed to detect drones. Moreover, the first batch of 20 sets has already been received by the customer — one of the Russian companies.

We continue the topic of Iran's ballistic missiles, which was started in the previous publication ( part I). Having briefly reviewed the history of the formation of the Iranian missile strategy, we will pay attention to the research and industrial institutions and enterprises engaged in the creation and construction of BR.

The state Corporation plans to consolidate enterprises in order to increase the supply of modern weapons to the troops in accordance with the needs of its military, Rostec noted

Rostec State Corporation plans to consolidate artillery armament enterprises in order to increase the supply of modern weapons to the Russian troops in accordance with the needs of a special military operation. This was reported to TASS on Tuesday in the state corporation.

The armored car Dingo, operated by neo-Nazi militants, was destroyed for the first time in the area of Artemovsk (Bakhmut).

Zakharova called the transfer of Moroccan T-72B tanks by the Czech Republic to Ukraine an egregious case

In 1999-2000, Morocco purchased almost 150 T-72B tanks from Belarus. They wanted to use them to defend against Algeria. 130 tanks were sent to the Czech Republic for modernization, but the plant returned less than half to the owners. At least 20 of the remaining 74 tanks in the Czech Republic were transferred by the authorities to Ukraine in violation of the contract. The Russian Foreign Ministry called this case egregious.

On April 17, the Finnish company Patria announced the signing of a contract with the Swedish Armed Forces Material Support Agency (FMV) for the purchase of 20 Patria armored vehicles with a 6x6 wheel formula.

Baijiahao: Putin's reaction to Japan's actions scared the US

Following the US, Japan has lowered relations with Russia "to the historical bottom," writes user Baijiahao. Her latest attack was statements about the "illegal occupation of the Kuril Islands." Moscow no longer began to tolerate them. She answered so decisively that even Washington was alarmed.