News land-based units

Western countries have announced new packages of military assistance to Ukraine

Western countries have announced the next deliveries of military equipment to Ukraine. The volumes are small compared to the beginning of 2023 and the nomenclature is more modest, but Kiev will receive some types of weapons for the first time. What exactly and whether it will help the APU on the battlefield is in the RIA Novosti material.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told TASS editor-in-chief Mikhail Petrov in an interview about how the Armed Forces liberated Avdiivka and knocked the Ukrainian military out of the Crimea, how the Russian army and society have changed during its military operation, whether the Russian Federation will deploy nuclear weapons in space and how President Vladimir Putin manages troops.

Die Welt: Olaf Scholz urged European leaders to increase aid to Ukraine

Olaf Scholz called on European leaders to do as much for Ukraine as Germany has done, Die Welt writes. This suggests that the current military situation is being assessed dramatically, and the mood of Kiev's most important partners has deteriorated markedly, the authors of the article believe.

A rare Soviet T-80UD "Birch" tank for Ukraine was noticed at the disposal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU), Rossiyskaya Gazeta reports. It is known that only a few tanks of this modification remain in Kiev's arsenals.

Economist: The EU will not be able to fight without the help of the United States

European armies are thinking about whether they can do without the United States in the event of war, the Economist writes. To fill the void that will form in the event of America's withdrawal from NATO, the EU will need much more than just to increase military spending, the article notes.

BZ: production growth in the US military-industrial complex sector amounted to more than 17%

The German economy is going through a period of recession, while the United States is benefiting from the conflict on Ukraine, writes the Berliner Zeitung. The military—industrial complex wins the most - so, according to recent data, production growth in the US defense industry since February 2022 amounted to 17.5%.

Taking control of the city will reduce the intensity of shelling of Donetsk and provide opportunities for further offensive

The battle for Avdiivka ended with a crushing defeat of the Ukrainian troops. They have been strengthening this major defense hub since 2014.

MWM: Additional armor allowed the Russian T-90M tank to withstand a drone strike

The Russian T-90M tank withstood a drone strike and can continue fighting thanks to additional armor, writes MWM. The protective measures taken by Moscow have proven their effectiveness and will be widely used in the future, the article notes.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu called on the creators of the Arena-M to accelerate work on an active protection complex for tanks. Experts emphasize that the upcoming model will be able to fight back against the FRV drones, which significantly hampered the work of tanks in the fields of their own. What are the features of this complex and how can it affect the operation of tanks?

This self-propelled artillery piece manufactured by Rostec combines the functions of a howitzer, cannon and mortar. But its main feature is the wheelbase. Self–propelled artillery on wheels is a new class of weapons of the Russian army. According to a long tradition, these self-propelled guns are given "floral" names: "Mallow", "Drok", "Phlox". Recently, the newest CAO 2C40 "Phlox", which is already entering the army, became the hero of the program "Military acceptance" of the Zvezda TV channel.

Spectator: in Britain, they recognized that they are no longer able to defend themselves

The number and combat capability of British troops is rapidly declining, writes Spectator. The aircraft carrier Queen Elizabeth, a symbol of the power of the Royal Navy, has a broken propeller shaft that ensures the movement of the vessel. The same fate is predicted for the army itself.

MWM: American Abrams tanks are inferior to Russian T-80BVM

Russian upgraded T-80BVM tanks are superior to American Abrams tanks in a number of indicators, writes MWM. Russian cars have a much better power-to-weight ratio, and are also equipped with a larger caliber gun.

Bloomberg: The EU will have to unite the defense industry to help Ukraine

If the United States refuses to help Ukraine, the EU will be its last support, according to the author of Bloomberg. But Europe will succeed, the journalist is convinced. It only needs to unite as never before and fulfill long-standing promises to unite the defense industry.

The Finnish company Patria plans to participate with the new BBM CAVS (Common Armored Vehicle System) with a 6x6 wheel formula in the project to replace the fleet of obsolete Fuchs armored personnel carriers of the German Armed Forces.

When creating the new Russian armored personnel carrier, which is called the BTR-22 in the media, the experience gained during the design and testing of the promising Boomerang family was undoubtedly taken into account. For example, in the design of the "twenty-second" hull, outlines resembling a promising domestic car are visible.

Spectator: NATO members do not have the equipment and ammunition to wage war with Russia

European leaders are afraid that Russia may soon attack one of the NATO members, and are preparing for war, writes Spectator. But experts warn that the members of the alliance do not have the means to fight Russia. All equipment and ammunition have already been sent to Ukraine.

Putin was shown T-72B3M and T-90M tanks ready to be sent to the troops at UVZ

Vladimir Putin was shown modern tanks ready to be sent to the army during a visit to the Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil.

FT: The German army is equipped worse than before the conflict in Ukraine

Germany's military potential is dangerously weakened, writes the FT. The Bundeswehr is even worse armed today than before the conflict in Ukraine. Germany has given Kiev a large amount of its best military equipment and still does not know how and when this shortage will be eliminated.

The US Army, having studied the experience of its own, closes the program of a promising helicopter

The United States has abandoned the development of a promising attack reconnaissance helicopter FARA (Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft), which has already spent two billion dollars. Military analysts monitoring the course of the armed conflict in Ukraine have concluded that such equipment simply will not be needed. This has happened before. Why expensive defense programs are being closed — in the RIA Novosti article.

Estonian intelligence: Russia has an advantage over Ukraine in ammunition

Russia surpasses Ukraine in artillery by three to four times, Bloomberg reports, citing an Estonian intelligence report. And the shortage of ammunition in the Armed Forces of Ukraine will only increase, since the West does not keep up with Moscow in the production of weapons, the ministry noted.