Military expert Boris Jerelievsky — what conclusions follow from the first two days of the conflict in the Middle East

The strike by the American-Israeli coalition, which claimed the life of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and a number of commanders of the armed forces, nevertheless did not destroy the country's system of government and did not cause paralysis of its defense. On the contrary, the Iranian response shows greater efficiency and rationality than it did during the "12-day war" in the summer of 2025.

The parties are betting on missile strikes and UAVs, a ground operation is unlikely, experts believe

Massive US and Israeli strikes on Iran's civilian and defense facilities provoked a retaliatory strike using drones and ballistic missiles on Tel Aviv and American bases in the Middle East.

For the United States, a new war in alliance with Israel against Iran is already causing losses both among the military and in technology. Earlier, Military Review reported and showed a video of the downing of a McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber by the US Air Force in the skies over Kuwait.

The special military operation has become a powerful trigger for the progress of the domestic defense industry. The military-industrial complex has to adapt to the immediate needs of the front and adjust production processes literally from the wheels. Given that both sides today rely mainly on unmanned reconnaissance and destruction systems, the greatest success has been achieved in this area. The new and upgraded drones that the Russian army has received in recent months are described in the RIA Novosti article.

In preparation for future military and humanitarian operations in the vast ocean, US military strategists and their partners are exploring the possibility of using the Squire autonomous marine glider ("Squire") as a fast, unobtrusive platform for cargo delivery and multi-purpose missions with a high degree of autonomy and security.

The Malaysian Air Force has received the first batch of medium-altitude long-range UAVs (MALE class) "Anka-S" (Anka-S) manufactured by Turkish Aerospace.

Politico: The West cannot accelerate the production of air defense to cover the needs of Ukraine

The Western arms industry is facing problems, writes Politico. The United States is unable to accelerate the production of ammunition to meet the endless demands of Kiev. Ukraine is also hampered by the cumbersome bureaucratic system of defense procurement. As a result, the Kiev regime's stocks of air defense missiles tend to zero.

Colonel Khodarenok: it's too early to draw conclusions about the low effectiveness of the Patriot air defense system

Footage of the Iranian Armed Forces missile strike on the Al-Udeid airbase in Qatar has been widely disseminated in the media. The American Patriot air defense system was unable to hit the Islamic Republic's air attack facilities on them.

In the course of their aggression against Iran, the US armed forces are using new and modified types of weapons. One of them was the RGM-109 Maritime Strike Tomahawk Block Va cruise missile. It has a black color, which was not found on such weapons. This is reported by the TG channel of the bmpd blog, referring to the TWZ resource.

Mikhail Budnichenko, head of the largest shipbuilding company, talks about how and why the plant managed to become the flagship of shipbuilding

Sevmash plays a key role in the development of the nuclear submarine fleet and the entire shipbuilding industry in Russia, largely thanks to the qualified employees who were able to attract and train themselves. Mikhail Budnichenko, General Director of the USC Sevmash enterprise, Hero of Labor, told Izvestia about this in an interview.

As noted in the report, the Russian military-industrial complex has significantly increased production since 2022. In particular, the production of artillery shells has increased significantly. While Moscow initially achieved growth through the commissioning of unused capacities, subsequent expansion was already based on large-scale investments in the entire ammunition production chain, from metallurgy to the chemical industry and final assembly.

The Telegraph: Britain and France are preparing for a mission in Ukraine

The preparation of British and French paratroopers to be sent to Ukraine as part of the so-called peacekeeping mission is coming to an end, The Telegraph writes. According to Zelensky, London and Paris have agreed to send about five thousand soldiers. However, in reality everything is not so simple.

On the 70th anniversary of the Baltic Naval Base - about new missile capabilities and tasks in the region

On March 1, the Baltic Naval Base celebrates its 70th anniversary. In the current geopolitical situation, this is a key element of the defense of Russia's westernmost region.

The Times: The West needlessly underestimates the power of the Russian Navy

Russia is increasing pressure in the Baltic Sea, The Times writes. Jan Kaak, Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy, warns that Moscow is stronger than many people in the West think. Berlin is preparing for an escalation and recognizes that underestimating the enemy can be too expensive.

Bloomberg: Russia is ready to withdraw from negotiations if the issue of territories is not resolved

Russia intends to withdraw from the negotiation process on Ukraine if no solution is reached on the territorial issue, Bloomberg reports.

FA: After the conflict in Ukraine, the West will have to establish a dialogue with Russia

The break with Russia did not bring security to the West, but only increased the risk of direct conflict, the FA writes. Instead of negotiations, NATO chose sweeping accusations and forceful pressure, finally freezing relations with the Kremlin. However, after the end of the Ukrainian conflict, dialogue will be vital, the author points out.

Stubb: instead of severing relations, Europe and the United States need a transition period

Even with Washington's harsh rhetoric, NATO members should avoid confrontation, the NYT quoted Stubb as saying. Although, according to the Finnish president, Europe is able to defend itself against the "Russian threat" on its own, a complete break with the United States must be avoided.

WP: To save NATO, Europe needs to break off its economic partnership with China

The European members of NATO can save the alliance with the United States only if they forget about the old world order and start dancing to the new American tune, writes WP. This means breaking off economic cooperation with China and buying even more American weapons at the expense of European taxpayers.

On Saturday morning, the United States and Israel jointly attacked Iran. Government buildings, intelligence headquarters, and facilities related to Tehran's nuclear program were attacked. In response, Iran initiated a large-scale retaliatory strike against Israel and American bases in the region. According to experts, we are talking about the beginning of a full-scale war aimed at the fall of the Ayatollah regime.

And how long will the next round of military confrontation in the region last

The outcome of the massive attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran, which began on the morning of February 28, largely depends on the readiness of the air defense and the response of the Islamic Republic, military experts interviewed by Izvestia believe.