The airborne troops of the Russian Federation are solving the most difficult and responsible tasks during the special operation to protect Donbass, their combat strength will increase. This was announced on September 21 by the country's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

The Kharkov offensive of the Ukrainian Armed Forces clearly demonstrated the operational crisis that has developed at the front. It began to be planned a few months ago due to a sharp increase in the number of Ukrainian troops during the ongoing emergency mobilization.

The successful counteroffensive of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Kharkiv direction gave a boost of optimism to both Kiev and its Western allies. However, yesterday's news about the upcoming referendums in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, the Kherson region, the liberated part of the Zaporozhye region pretty spoiled the mood of both the Ukrainian authorities and the West.

Was it possible to stop the conflict in Ukraine?

From the very beginning of the Ukrainian conflict, the United States claimed that Putin was not interested in dialogue. But if so, why were negotiations held? In addition, there are facts that indicate that it was the West that did not allow Kiev to negotiate with Moscow at the initial stage of the conflict, writes TNI.

Renaud Girard: "The birth of the multilateral accession movement"

Gone are the days when the "non-aligned" countries were pacifists, squeezed between the blocs of the USA and the USSR, writes Renaud Girard in Figaro. Today's "non-aligned" India or Serbia will give a hundred points ahead in terms of pragmatism to the toughest Western players.

Review of the reaction of the French media to Putin's address and referendums in Eastern Ukraine

French journalists were surprised by Putin's statement about partial mobilization in Russia. Some write that the head of state "spoke harshly." According to others, referendums in Eastern Ukraine are a clear signal to Kiev and the West.

It looks like we can finally understand Putin's decisions

Referendums in the LPR, DPR, Kherson and Zaporozhye on joining Russia are a direct confirmation that Moscow respects international law, American economist Paul Craig Roberts notes. This distinguishes it from the West, which does not care about world law, as evidenced by the attacks of the United States, NATO and Israel on other countries.

Review of German media reaction to Putin's address and referendums in eastern Ukraine

German media actively cover Putin's appeal to Russians and residents of Donbass and his statement about partial mobilization. Journalists advise to prepare for the surprises that Moscow may present.

Recently, an article appeared on the Polish information portal Polsatnews about how residents of the city of Lodz stopped the construction of a residential complex for refugees from Ukraine. The background of this event is quite simple. The idea of building a refugee camp belongs to Archbishop Grzegorz Rys of Lodz. Under the auspices of the charity organization Caritas at the local archdiocese, the necessary funds were raised, the city hall approved the project, and the investment was supported by Pope Francis himself. However, the locals did not give their consent.

With every step that Ukraine takes on the way to "victory", the lack of understanding of the goals of its battle becomes more noticeable

Kiev's private "achievements" in the conflict with Moscow may be the beginning of its defeat, writes The Atlantic. The author calls Zelensky's mood "dizziness from success." In Ukraine, they do not understand what kind of victory they are striving for.

After the start of the Russian special operation in Ukraine, several European countries announced plans to modernize and strengthen their armed forces. Germany also did not stay away from militarization, whose head, Olaf Scholz, said in the spring that the Bundeswehr should become the largest military force on the continent. Then many were skeptical about the intentions of the German Chancellor. N

The long and slow decline of the army puts America in danger

The US armed forces are not coping with the tasks of recruiting personnel, writes the ex-Minister of the Army in an article for Fox News. He notes that already in 2018, 71% of 34 million young people did not meet the criteria for recruitment. Among the reasons are obesity, drugs and problems with physical and mental health.

Representatives of the Russian company Aeromax announced that the whole complex of flight and other necessary tests of a new tiltrotor drone with a civilian purpose D-20K, which combines the functions and capabilities of both an airplane and a helicopter, was recently completed.

The US Air Force is going to present one of the most classified aircraft – the B-21 Raider bomber. It will most likely make its first flight in 2023, but the presentation will take place in two months, in December 2022. This was stated by Andrew Hunter, responsible for procurement in the US Air Force, at a conference on aviation issues.

The Chief of Staff of the US Space Forces, General John William "Jay" Raymond, reports that the department intends to significantly increase the recruitment of young and talented programmers who can work with code.

Rostec today unites more than 800 scientific and industrial organizations of various directions. Almost 600 thousand employees work at the Corporation's enterprises, among whom there are representatives of interesting, and sometimes simply unique professions. We have already talked about weapons testers, industrial designers, surveyors, cryptographers and other specialties.

The Rostec Certificate Certification Center of RT-Techpriemka has successfully completed the inspection control of the quality management system (QMS) of the Vityaz Machine-building Company of the Uralvagonzavod Scientific and Production Corporation of Rostec State Corporation. The audit confirmed the competent work of the company's SCM, which demonstrates the professionalism of the team and allows us to master new product modifications annually.

The Russian sniper rifle from the ORSIS line has again set a world record for the target range. This time when using the ORSIS-CT20 rifle under the cartridge.375 CheyTac (9.5x77 mm) managed to hit the target at a distance of 5117 meters. This was told in the company "Promtechnology", which produces sniper weapons under the ORSIS brand.

The Kalashnikov Concern is working on import substitution of the BK-16 amphibious transport boat and the BK-10 high-speed assault boat developed in the interests of Rosgvardiya. At the same time, options for creating other models of amphibious boats for the fleet are being considered. This was announced by the head of the concern Alan Lushnikov.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a meeting with the heads of defense industry enterprises in the Kremlin on September 20. Below is the introductory word in .Putin is quoted in the statement of the Kremlin's press service.