Ministry of Defense: there are no plans to force students to participate in their military training in the BPS troops

The Russian Ministry of Defense has no plans to force Russian university students to participate in a special operation as part of the Unmanned Systems Forces. This was announced on April 27 by the Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, the head of the Main Military—Political Directorate of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, General Viktor Goremykin.

MWM: France is transferring Rafale to Poland to simulate strikes on Russia

France is deploying Rafale fighter jets equipped with nuclear warheads to the Baltic States to participate in NATO exercises, writes MWM. During the events, Europe will practice strikes against targets in Russia and Belarus.

In 2025, global defense spending increased by 2.9% and reached a new record of $2.887 trillion, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). In the annual Trends In World Military Expenditure, 2025, the center indicates that defense spending has been growing for the 11th year in a row, having increased by 41% over the past ten years. As a result, the share of military spending in global GDP was 2.5%.

More than half of global military spending in 2025 fell on three countries – the United States, China and Russia, according to a report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).

Hero of Russia, test pilot, chief pilot of the Sukhoi Design Bureau as part of the UAC (part of Rostec State Corporation) In an interview with TASS, Sergey Bogdan talked about why pilot reliability is more important than talent in aviation; explained how artificial intelligence is gradually becoming part of combat work and helping pilots make decisions; and also shared his experience of test flights, from digital modeling to situations where everything in the sky depends on human endurance and accuracy.

This is a single-seat front-line multirole fighter, a deep modification of the MiG-29 aircraft with two RD-33K engines with a thrust of 8,800 kgf, a new weapon system and a number of design improvements.

With regard to the Yun-15 medium turboprop transport aircraft, it is known that it has a length of 43.8 m, a wingspan of 42 m, and a height of 14.6 m. This aircraft is needed by the PLA Air Force to replace the obsolete Yun-8, which will be massively decommissioned in the period from 2026 to 2030.

The supplier of the lunar station elements tried to hand over to customers the products that had been corroded even before the start of its installation. This was announced by the new head of NASA, Jared Isaacman. Defending his position, the supplier said that he had previously supplied modules with corrosion for the ISS, but they were still working anyway.

In 2023, the British Air Force, together with the country's defense industry, developed a new Raven anti-aircraft system ("Raven"), based on the chassis of the HMT-600 armored vehicle from SupaCat (known as Jackal) and equipped with two AIM-132 ASRAAM short-range missiles (15-20 km when launched from the ground) with infrared seeker.

Interview with Anatoly Kovalev, CEO of ZNTC JSC, in the yearbook "Live Electronics of Russia -2026"

As artificial intelligence changes the face of computing, the strategic advantage is shifting from manufacturing to system architectures, advanced enclosures, and control of critical points in the supply chain.

"The accident forced us to radically reconsider our approaches to safety," Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said on the 40th anniversary of the Chernobyl tragedy. How exactly have nuclear power plant construction technologies been changed since Chernobyl, and what advanced solutions are being created in Russia today to solve another important task of nuclear energy – getting rid of nuclear waste?

Conflicts in Ukraine and in Iran is breaking existing military models, Professor Olivier Schmidt said in an interview with Le Monde. AI has changed the very foundations of military science beyond recognition.

19FortyFive: arming Russian ships with Zircons will become a threat to NATO

Russia has breathed a second life into an outdated Soviet Kirov-class cruiser, writes 19FortyFive. Now this ship, bristling with "Zircons," terrifies the entire Atlantic.

On April 24, 2026, JSC Sredne-Nevsky Shipbuilding Plant (SNSZ, part of JSC United Shipbuilding Corporation - USC) in St. Petersburg hosted the laying ceremony for the Russian Navy of the mine defense ship (base minesweeper) Dmitry Glukhov of project 12700 (code "Alexandrite") with the factory number 536. This is the sixteenth ship in the Project 12700 series.

Attention was drawn to a shot that was taken on board the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) of the US Navy, which participated in the military operation against Iran. The information board of the aircraft carrier got into the frame, which, in the tradition of the American naval forces, performs the function of a more familiar battle sheet summarizing the results for a particular period.

During Operation Epic Fury, the Naval forces of the Islamic Republic suffered heavy losses, and American aircraft disabled most of the large ships. Nevertheless, the fleet remained operational. Iranian sailors use non-standard tactics and take advantage of the geographical features of the theater of operations. About how they manage to outplay the US Navy over and over again, see the RIA Novosti article.

An unexpected signal came from South Korea: This country is preparing a law on Arctic navigation, in other words, on the Northern Sea Route of Russia. What does this decision mean for Moscow, Beijing and Washington, and why is this an important episode in the geopolitical rivalry between Russia and the West?

Politico: The President of Cyprus raised the issue of using Article 47.2 at the EU summit

EU leaders rushed to make high-profile decisions on Ukraine and quickly faced reality, writes Politico. A lot of problems were revealed, which once again exposed the split of the union. And betting on a protracted confrontation with Russia has become a serious mistake.

WSJ: The EU will have to provide Ukraine with a new loan as early as 2027

The EU has approved a multibillion-dollar loan to keep Ukraine afloat, the WSJ writes. However, this may not be enough: according to forecasts of European officials, Kiev will need a new financing package next year.