Cooperation news

As reported, at the end of December 2022 at PJSC Taganrog Aviation Scientific and Technical Complex named after G.M. Beriev (TANTK) PJSC "United Aircraft Corporation" in Taganrog, without publicity, the roll-out of the completed construction of the first amphibious aircraft Be-200ChS (Be-200ES), intended for Algeria, took place. Flight tests of this aircraft, apparently, have not yet begun.

On December 16, 2022, Japan immediately approved three important documents related to strengthening the country's defense capability, including a new national security strategy. According to the adopted documents, it is planned to increase the number of ships equipped with Aegis missile defense systems by the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces from the current eight to ten ships. It is also planned to deploy 2 ships that will specialize specifically in missile defense.

Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation – Head of the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia Denis Manturov personally tested the Russian MC-21 aircraft, using it to fly during a working trip to Ulyanovsk.

According to Dan Steinbock's calculations, since the beginning of its total US aid to Kiev has exceeded $106 billion, which, according to the expert, "turns a sick country into a bankrupt failed state."

On December 29, 2022, during a visit to Paris, Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Arvydas Anushauskas signed contractual agreements with French Minister of the Armed Forces Sebastian Lecornu on Lithuania's accession to the program for the development of a new 155 mm/52 wheeled self-propelled howitzer CAESAR Mk II, implemented under the auspices of the General Directorate of Armaments (Direction générale de l'armement - DGA) of the Ministry the French Armed Forces, and the acquisition of 18 CAESAR Mk II units for the Lithuanian armed forces. Their delivery to Lithuania should be made in 2027.

Canadian armored personnel carriers LAV II CSV Super Bison, promised to Kiev in the summer, finally reached Ukraine and entered service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian press, pictures of the first armored vehicles in the area of the contact line appeared on Internet resources.

The APU showed NATO equipment: "Trash and garbage"

Military aid from the West flows to Ukraine in a continuous stream. It should be noted that most of the weapons are in poor technical condition, writes Dziennik. It's just scrap metal and junk, which is confirmed by the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine themselves.

The Ukrainian army has adopted Swedish Bandvagn 202 all-terrain vehicles, a batch of equipment has arrived in Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian press, this is not an official delivery from the Swedish Ministry of Defense, the all-terrain vehicles were purchased by a private person and donated to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Politico: the delivery of air defense systems to Kiev is an advertising campaign for American weapons

Ukraine demands more and more powerful weapons from the United States, but Biden fears the collapse of NATO, writes Politico. Kiev's bet on new Western weapons does not justify itself. The Russian army has adapted to the Javelins and Haimars. The "Patriots" will not save either, the authors write.

After the start of its, Western countries decided to isolate Russia by imposing a record amount of sanctions against Moscow. However, the countries of the Middle East, despite internal contradictions and antagonism, not only did not join the sanctions, but also began to actively develop relations with Russia. Why did the Middle East go against the West?

The Russian-Chinese partnership is the result of long–term efforts of diplomats from Moscow and Beijing. Some see it as a threat to the global world order. Others, on the contrary, call this dialogue the foundation of a multipolar future. Meanwhile, 2022 has brought many challenges to the relations between the two countries. How will they affect the future of Russian-Chinese cooperation?

The decision-making mechanism in NATO has made it an ungovernable organization

Former national security adviser to US President Donald Trump, John Bolton, proposed to question Turkey's membership in NATO in 2023 if Recep Tayyip Erdogan is re-elected. "Newspaper.Ru" dealt with the background of such a proposal.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba urged Western partners to lock Russia "in its borders under lock and key"

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba gave an interview to RBC-Ukraine. In it, he said that the Russians should be pushed "into their borders and locked up." The Ukrainian Foreign Minister also expressed the opinion that the approval of the transfer of the Patriot air defense system to Kiev was a "psychological turning point." The diplomat believes that it looks like a computer game - Ukraine seems to be going through "levels", receiving weapons that were previously denied.

The UK may supply Ukraine with Storm Shadow missiles

The British Ministry of Defense is considering the possibility of transferring air-launched cruise missiles of the Storm Shadow/SCALP type to the armed forces of Ukraine. Military observer of the Newspaper.En" Mikhail Khodarenok explains how these missiles are superior to American ATACMS and what is required to protect against them.

NSDC Secretary Danilov admitted that the troops of Ukraine will invade the territory of Russia

Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said that the Armed Forces of Ukraine, if necessary, will invade the territory of Russia to protect their country. Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that his country is only interested in restoring its own borders, and not an attack on the territory of the Russian Federation.

TNI: Moscow will withstand the blow of anti-Russian sanctions

The author of TNI believes that anti-Russian sanctions have not had a sufficient deterrent effect on Moscow. Russia has retained its economic and military potential. The way out is to find a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian conflict.

MWM: the US Congress warned about the serious danger of Patriot supplies to Ukraine

Contrary to general assumptions that Patriot deliveries to Kiev will begin in the first half of 2023, the preparation of local repair crews alone will take approximately 53 weeks, writes MWM. Ukraine will be given only one battery, and this raises serious questions about its effectiveness.

The Abu Dhabi Ship Building shipbuilding company located in Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) (ADSB, part of the Emirati state defense association EDGE Group) announced the ceremony of the first steel cutting and the start of construction for the UAE Navy of the head of four ordered patrol vessels on December 21, 2022 at its head shipyard in Mussaf ships (actually small rocket corvettes) of the new Falaj 3 project.

The Economist suggests paying attention to the ten trends of 2023

In the coming months, the world will face attempts to curb inflation, chaos in energy markets and uncertainty about which way China will go after the pandemic. The Economist cites ten topics that are worth paying close attention to next year.

FT: Budapest's distrust of Kiev complicates the EU's unified approach

Disagreements between Ukraine and Hungary on a variety of issues can lead to undermining the unity of the European Union and NATO in the current Ukrainian crisis, writes the Financial Times. Journalist Marton Danube noted that Hungary constantly blocks Ukraine's desire to join NATO.