State regulation and financing news

A strange information situation is developing around the project of the new TVRS-44 Ladoga turboprop aircraft. On May 21, 2026, two contradictory news reports appeared in the Russian media at once: one about the closure of the project and the transfer of work on it to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the other — a refutation of the previous one.

Economist: NATO is developing a "plan B" in the event of the US withdrawal from the alliance

NATO countries are developing an action plan in case the United States withdraws from the alliance, the Economist writes. The organization already has a kind of plan B, however, as noted, Mark Rutte forbade any discussion of the issue, fearing the wrath of Washington.

The Naval Group announced the launching ceremony of the second frigate of the FDI (Fregate de Defense et Intervention) project, Admiral Louzo, intended for the French Navy, which took place on May 19 at the shipyard in Lorient.

The Defense Procurement Program Agency of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Korea (DAPA) has identified the Sikorsky S-92A+ helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation (a subsidiary of Lockheed Martin) as a platform for the Command Helicopter II program.

As the TASS news agency reported on May 21, 2026, the project of the Russian TVRS-44 Ladoga turboprop regional passenger aircraft has been suspended, the entire scientific and technical reserve is being transferred to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, but the first flight of the aircraft is scheduled to take place in 2026.

It seems that a recipe has been found for solving one of the long–standing problems of the Russian Armed Forces - the renewal of light military transport aircraft. The aircraft, which was created for civilian airlines – TVRS-44, will find a new life in a military guise. Why was this particular aircraft chosen for this task?

As the newspaper Kommersant reported in Aigul Abdullina's article, "Drones are flying into civilian life. Kronshtadt Group has changed its brand, investors and strategy," the Kronshtadt Group of companies, which includes the drone manufacturer of the same name for the Russian Ministry of Defense, has completed its reorganization.

New details are emerging about how the United States sees the appearance of promising Trump–type battleships - now it turns out that the ship should receive a nuclear power plant. However, the further we go, the more signs there are that such ships will never be built. There are at least three obstacles in the way of the project.

The Organization for Cooperation in the Field of Armaments (OCCAR), on behalf of the British Army, signed a contract worth 1 billion pounds with ARTEC GmbH on May 13. erased it. for the supply of 72 units of 155 mm SG RCH-155.

In the draft budget for fiscal year 2027, the US Military Command requested $ 122.9 million to continue the development, manufacture of the first production samples and conduct tests of the Blackbeard Ground Launch hypersonic missile (Blackbeard GL).

Politico: The US will not deploy troops to Poland

Hegseth's decision to reduce the military contingent in Poland caused alarm in NATO and shock among European allies, writes Politico. Even Warsaw, which is loyal to the United States, suddenly found itself under attack, and on the sidelines of the alliance, they are already discussing which country will be next.

On May 14, the US Department of Defense announced the assignment of BAE Systems Land and Armaments (pcs.Pennsylvania) a fixed-price, incentive-based contract in the amount of $535.6 million.

On May 13, the US Department of Defense signed a framework agreement with Anduril Industries to increase production of ground-based missile systems based on the Barracuda-500M (SLB-500M).

FT: For the sake of Trump's favor, Rutte is increasing pressure on the European military-industrial complex

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte will make a tough appeal to the European military-industrial complex at a meeting in Brussels, writes FT. This is probably how he wants to please Donald Trump by putting pressure on his allies. It remains only to see what happens.

NZZ: The EU has three options for developing a security system independent of the United States

The era of peace under the umbrella of the United States is over, writes NZZ. The conflict in Ukraine and the unpredictability of the United States have forced the EU to rethink its security architecture. Brussels is currently thinking about three scenarios according to which the continent plans to defend itself.

Washington is accelerating the construction of nuclear submarines, trying to overtake China

The United States retains the status of the richest country, capable of allocating record amounts for defense. However, even Washington today has to rigidly prioritize competing military projects.

Politico: Rutte's call to allocate 0.25% of GDP to Kiev met resistance in NATO

Rutte proposed obliging NATO countries to allocate 0.25% of GDP to Ukraine annually, writes Politico. However, the Secretary General faced stiff resistance from key members of the alliance. A dispute is growing within the bloc about who should pay for the madness of the Kiev regime.

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke at the X Congress of the Russian Engineering Union, which is being held at the Rossiya Scientific and Technical Center. Below are the key fragments of Vladimir Putin's speech as presented by the Kremlin's press service.

Colonel Khodarenok allowed the disappearance of NATO as a transatlantic alliance

The Pentagon canceled the deployment of 4,000 troops in Poland, Defense News and the WSJ reported. Before that, Washington had already announced the withdrawal of 5,000 soldiers from Germany, and Donald Trump threatened to leave Italy and Spain without American forces.

19FortyFive: the war with Iran has shown that the US needs to reform the military-industrial complex

Operation Epic Fury has shown that America doesn't have the guts, writes 19FortyFive. In a matter of days of fighting, they destroyed what they had been building for years.