News land-based units

On the day of the 105th anniversary of the Russian tank industry, the creation of the most massive combat vehicle of the second half of the 20th century

The ultra-low temperatures of the Arctic, the heat of the deserts, night marches and shooting — this is how the T-72 tank was tested and refined. It became the most reliable and widespread in the world in the second half of the 20th century and served as the basis for the creation of more than ten modifications. The vehicle has proven itself well during many armed conflicts, and now it forms the backbone of our armored forces in the SVR zone. Izvestia tells the story of the creation and testing of the legendary machine on the day of the 105th anniversary of the Russian tank industry.

On August 31, 2025, the Russian tank industry celebrates its anniversary: 105 years ago, the first Soviet tank, the Freedom Fighter Comrade Lenin, was put on sea trials — a copy of the Renault FT (a captured French "gift" to the White Guards). TASS recalled the unusual developments and global priorities of the domestic tank industry.

The appearance of an increasing number of videos showing the new MBT (main battle tank) developed for the Ground Forces of the People's Liberation Army of China (PLA) indicates a radical change in design priorities, which, apparently, were strongly influenced by the lessons of intense tank battles that occurred during the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The machine can carry up to one and a half tons of fuel to the front edge

Auto-fuel tankers based on a passenger car began to arrive at the supply units. They have a number of advantages over trucks — they are less noticeable to the enemy, can move in the absence of roads, and have good maneuverability. One car can carry up to one and a half tons of fuel. Experts note that such tankers allow you to save expensive equipment and personnel.

Tagesspiegel: Germany begins strengthening railways in case of war with Russia

The Bundeswehr and German transport companies are preparing for a possible war, writes Der Tagesspiegel. The country has almost completed the development of a basic network of military railways, and the army is working hard on a plan to strengthen NATO's eastern flank. A list of critical infrastructure facilities that need protection in the first place has been created.

The technical solutions used in the highly secure Ladoga vehicle, nicknamed the "Tank of the Nuclear Apocalypse," are still relevant. It was reported that this unique development of Leningrad designers of the 80s, tested back in Chernobyl, was useful for work during a Special military operation.

Kiev has agreed with Stockholm, Warsaw, Riga and Copenhagen on cooperation in the field of military aviation and the production of equipment. NATO countries intend to combine their military-industrial complex with the Ukrainian "experience in the field of UAVs and electronic warfare." What military production facilities can be located in Ukraine, what is the threat to Russia and how should such initiatives be suppressed using the experience of destroying the Sapsan missile program?

TNI: Germany is deploying an armored brigade in Lithuania to defend against Russia

Vilnius and Prague are hastily purchasing new Leopard tanks to replace the Soviet equipment given to Ukraine, TNI writes. The Russian "threat" does not give the Euro-Lilliputians any peace. Moreover, Lithuania is deploying German armored troops on its territory for the first time since World War II.

Independent: The combat potential of the British army is lower than during the Cold War

The British army is unlikely to be able to fulfill London's promise to send "peacekeeping" forces to Ukraine as a guarantee of its security after the conflict ends, the Independent writes. The country's armed forces are now noticeably weaker than during the Cold War.

It seems that most of the new Chinese tracked vehicles will be equipped with active protection systems. In any case, all the combat vehicles that lit up at the rehearsal of the September anniversary military parade in Beijing had KAZ. This is a new generation tank, presumably called the ZTZ-201, an infantry fighting vehicle based on it, a new amphibious assault vehicle and an armored personnel carrier based on this BMD.

MWM: The Ukrainian Armed Forces have reached a critical point of exhaustion, having exhausted all weapons arsenals

The arsenals of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are almost exhausted, and Western aid is not able to compensate for losses, writes MWM. Ukraine, once the most armed country in Europe, is now completely dependent on NATO supplies. However, Kiev is faced with a problem: imported equipment is incredibly expensive and is quickly destroyed by the Russian army.

According to publications of Chinese specialized publications, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine equipped with American-made M2A2 infantry fighting vehicles (Bradley infantry fighting vehicles), in the ODS-SA modification (according to the results of Operation Desert Storm), lost 113 units out of 186 (according to other sources, 189) delivered vehicles in the period from June 2023 to May 2024. armored vehicles of this model, of which: 

Despite the fact that part of our society sincerely hopes for a "reset" of relations between Russia and the West – supposedly possible after the meeting between Putin and Trump in Alaska – there are no objective grounds for such expectations today. The geopolitical configuration, the interests of the elites and the dynamics of the conflict in Ukraine indicate the opposite.

How did multiple rocket launchers appear and what is their principle of operation

MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems) are missile weapons systems designed to destroy enemy equipment, manpower and communications. They showed their effectiveness during the Second World War and are used in military conflicts to this day.

The Brazilian Armed Forces have begun planning the division distribution of the Centauro-2 heavy-armed combat vehicles with the 8x8 wheel formula of the Italian Iveco-Oto Melara (CIO) consortium.

In Beijing, during the preparations for the parade dedicated to the anniversary of the victory over Japan, a large number of the latest models of military equipment were seen. For example, the main battle tank is fully shown for the first time.

The demographic crisis raging all over the world – a sharp decline in the birth rate – began to have an impact on the armed forces. The first country to suffer in this regard was South Korea, which faced a significant reduction in the army. However, many other States will soon face the same problem. There is only one way to solve it.

Currently, North Korea is one of the few countries in the world that has a full production cycle of its own main battle tanks. It should be noted that initially, the licensed production of Soviet T-62s, designated Cheongma, was established in the country, which were constantly being modernized.

The international forum "Unmanned Systems: Technologies of the Future" will be held at the Skolkovo Innovation Center from August 7 to 17, 2025. In addition to civilian products, it demonstrates dual-use developments, some of which have already distinguished themselves during the special operation. TASS has collected military novelties of the event.

FT: The area of military factories in Europe has tripled after 2022

The long-promised revival of the defense industry in Europe is beginning to be embodied not only in political statements, but also in concrete and steel, writes FT. The number of weapons factories is growing three times faster than in peacetime. Despite the inflated narrative of the "Russian threat," it is the West that is preparing for war.