State regulation and financing news

According to experts, in modern realities, the military security of small states depends less and less on the number and quality of soldiers and officers, as well as the weapons they have, and more and more on their place in the system of international relations and the presence of strong allies. Nevertheless, it should be noted that few of these states completely abandon their own armed forces.

China and North Korea are considered the closest threats to Japan

The political and military leadership of Japan is considering the possibility of a sharp increase in the country's defense budget to over 40 trillion yen ($279 billion) in the next five years. For comparison: in the previous five years, in accordance with the Medium-term Defense Program, Japan's total military budget amounted to 27.47 trillion yen.

Underground, underwater, under the cover of secrecy

China is carrying out large-scale construction work to expand the infrastructure for the deployment of nuclear submarines (NPS) at the Yulin Naval Base (Hainan Island, South China Sea).

According to Pierre Lelouch, European economies, "having experienced the consequences of shutting off the tap of cheap Russian gas and their own embargo on Russian oil," faced an "explosion" in energy prices that passed the Americans.

The United Kingdom is launching a program to upgrade the tank fleet of the Land Forces of the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom. According to the British Ministry of Defense, the final version of the Challenger 3 main battle tank has been agreed.

The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) has published on its website a regular report on the events in Ukraine. In the analytical note, in particular, it is reported that the Russian leadership is intensively preparing the country's military-industrial complex for a protracted military conflict in Ukraine.

GT: deliveries of fighter jets to Ukraine will accelerate the development of Russian weapons

It is better for Europe to refrain from sending fighters to Ukraine, Chinese experts told GT. This step will lead to a clash with Russia, weaken Western troops by depriving them of aircraft, and push Moscow to accelerate the development of its own weapons — and more advanced ones.

Bulgarian President Radev opposed additional arms supplies to Ukraine

Bulgaria will not give more weapons to Ukraine, "Capital" quotes the words of President Radev. Sofia insists that the EU must fight for peace. This position isolates Radev from other European leaders and brings him closer to Orban.

The country's authorities have repeatedly stated that they do not supply weapons to participants in armed conflicts due to their neutral status

Switzerland refused Spain's request to allow the supply of two Swiss-made 35 mm anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. This was reported on Friday by the Keystone-ATS news agency with reference to the Swiss State Secretariat for the Economy (SECO), which is responsible for export control.

The US Department of Commerce has blacklisted six Chinese companies associated with the aerospace industry, CNBC reported.

Kyodo: China plans to increase its nuclear arsenal by 2035

China is considering tripling its stockpile of nuclear warheads by 2035, Kyodo News reports.

Japan has announced its intention to replenish its fleet of drones while replacing its outdated assault and reconnaissance helicopters. All this is part of Tokyo's plans to strengthen the defense capability of its army, according to the country's Ministry of Defense.

The American online publication "The Drive" published interesting material by Peter Butovsky and Thomas Newdick "Here Is What Russia's Military Aircraft And Missiles Actually Cost. We examine official documentation to decode the actual cost of some of Russia’s most prominent air combat weapons".

As stated by the Prime Minister of Great Britain, London accelerates the delivery of equipment to Kiev

British Challenger 2 tanks will be delivered to Ukraine in March. This was announced on Wednesday by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky at a military base in the English county of Dorset.

According to the agency, the authorities of the Group of Seven countries believe that organizations from states that may fall under sanctions "supply Russia with spare parts and military technology."

FT: violation by the West of the red lines on weapons does not guarantee Ukraine the supply of F-16

The West has repeatedly violated its own red lines on arms supplies to Ukraine, writes FT. However, it is not worth waiting for deliveries of F-16 fighters. Kiev's allies still fear rising tensions with Russia.

According to the agency, the German government is concerned that European partners will not be able to send Kiev a sufficient amount of military equipment

The German authorities have invited European NATO partners to name specific commitments in the field of supplying Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine in order to avoid refusing to transfer military equipment to Kiev. This was reported by Bloomberg on Wednesday .

Portugal will send three Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine in March. This, as RIA Novosti reports, was stated by the country's Prime Minister Antonio Costa.

Ulf Kristersson at the same time noted that Sweden is in a tense security situation due to the application for membership in NATO

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson does not rule out that Sweden may send fighter jets to Ukraine in the future. He said this on Thursday upon arrival at the EU summit.

Mark Rutte noted that the supply of howitzers, Leopard 2 tanks and fighters to Kiev was discussed

The Netherlands does not rule out any military assistance to Ukraine. This was stated on Thursday by Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte upon arrival at the EU summit.