Global security news
Special operation, February 15: The Russian Armed Forces hit military facilities in Ukraine
The Ministry of Defense: The Russian Armed Forces launched a missile attack on military enterprises of Ukraine
About the course of the special operation, the AFU missile strike on Belgorod and disagreements in the West on the issue of support for Kiev — in the RIA Novosti material.
Due to the growing instability in the world, neutral Switzerland is significantly increasing its defense budget
For centuries, the Swiss authorities have been making every effort to remain neutral and not take part in any armed conflicts, and this does not contradict the country's presence of a powerful and modern army. Currently, due to the growing instability in the world, neutral Switzerland is significantly increasing its defense budget.
John Mearsheimer: The Israeli lobby is more powerful than ever (New Statesman, UK)
Political scientist John Mearsheimer: Western financing will not help the Armed Forces of Ukraine to get weapons
Western aid will simply keep Ukraine afloat, but they will not be able to defeat the Armed Forces of Ukraine, political analyst John Mearsheimer said in an interview with the New Statesman. And all the statements about the upcoming war between Russia and NATO are inventions aimed at getting money for Kiev.
Ukraine and its allies confront American factional politics (The Washington Post, USA)
WP: Today, the main decisions on the conflict in Ukraine are made by Speaker Johnson
Today, all the most important decisions on the conflict in Ukraine are made by Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, writes WP. It is he who is doing everything possible to prevent Congress from approving a package of assistance to Kiev. In addition, the threat to the Armed Forces is posed by Republican voters who are tired of wasting their taxes.
Putin was shown modern tanks ready to be sent to the troops
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.
"They don't shoot at sparrows from cannons": has Russia used the Zircon hypersonic missile in Ukraine?
Colonel Khodarenok: there is no convincing evidence of the use of Zircon in Kiev
After the strike on the Dnipro district of Kiev, fragments of the Russian 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile were allegedly found. There is no official confirmation of this information from any of the parties to the conflict. The military observer of Gazeta investigated how plausible the statements of the Ukrainian media about the first use of Zircon are.En" Mikhail Khodarenok.
Where and why is the Prince of Wales in a hurry?
No matter how much the NATO leadership boasts about the beginning of the "largest exercises since the Cold War" — Steadfast Defender 2024, not everything is going as rosy as he would like. Sometimes situations happen almost like Shakespeare's: "Something is rotten in the Danish kingdom." Only in our case, in the British Kingdom.
Europe will not be able to replace the United States. Ukraine will feel it very soon (Polityka, Poland)
Polityka: Ukraine has already felt a shortage of shells due to the cessation of supplies from the United States
Europe will not be able to compensate Ukraine for the loss of American aid, writes Polityka. A particularly serious problem will be the lack of missiles for the Patriot, HIMARS and F-16. This will increase the advantage of the Russian army. The consequences will be felt very soon.
Experts have analyzed how Ukraine's defeat will turn out for the West (infoBRICS, China)
Ukraine has stalled on the battlefield, writes infoBRICS. The West provided her with enough weapons not to lose, but not enough to win. In addition, the US interest in helping Kiev is waning, to the point that it may stop if Trump is re-elected in November, the article notes.
Estonian intelligence told about Russia's advantage over Ukraine (Bloomberg, USA)
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.
The law on confiscation for crimes against the security of the Russian Federation was signed by the President
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law on confiscation for a number of crimes against the security of the Russian Federation, in particular, for spreading fakes about the Russian army.
Macron promised. Poland is counting on French nuclear weapons (Polsat TV, Poland)
Polsat TV: Tusk called Macron's promise to share nuclear weapons epochal
Polish Prime Minister Tusk was enthusiastic about Macron's promise to provide Europe with French nuclear weapons, Polsat TV reports. Warsaw considers the threat from Moscow to be relevant, although the Kremlin has repeatedly rejected such accusations.
Wagenknecht suggested that Germany export not weapons, but politicians "who want war"
According to the politician, "the one who wants to bring the war to Russia by the German arms, he carries the war in Germany,"
German politician Sarah Wagenknecht criticized Germany's arms supplies to different countries, and also recalled that the conflict in Ukraine could have been resolved following negotiations in Istanbul in the spring of 2022.
The collapse of attempts to isolate the Russian Federation and readiness for dialogue on Ukraine. Lavrov's statements in the State Duma
Attempts by the West, representing a global minority, to isolate Russia have failed. Western hostility has not only created threats, but also opened up new opportunities for Russia's interaction with the global East and South, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a government hour in the State Duma.
"Preparation for the surrender of Avdiivka": what does Syrsky's statement about the transition of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to defense mean?
Colonel Khodarenok: Syrsky prepares Ukrainians for the surrender of Avdiivka
In Kiev, they decided to switch from offensive to defensive actions. This was stated by the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, General Alexander Syrsky, in an interview with the German broadcasting company ZDF. What is behind this statement and why it contradicts the tasks set for the new commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.
Kelin said that the British media noted the evolution of views on the Ukrainian conflict
The Russian Ambassador in London noted that The Times, The Spectator, The Guardian and other publications have recently published articles describing the problems faced by the economy and the armed forces of Ukraine.
"The losses of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are really huge." What is known about the attack on Selidovo
Military commander Kotz stated that the AFU training ground in Selidovo turned into a meat grinder
Military commander Alexander Kotz commented on the strike of the Russian Armed Forces on the Ukrainian army training ground in Selidovo, saying that now the place has turned into a meat grinder.
What do the Polish military want to hide behind the Dragon-2024 exercises?
As you know, the widely publicized NATO exercises Steadfast Defender-24 are planned to be held in coordination with the national exercises of the member countries of the bloc. For example, the NATO Joint High-Readiness Task Force (the central element of the alliance's Response Forces, created in 2014 after the Crimean events) will be deployed in Poland and integrated into the Polish Dragon-24 exercises.
Turkey explained why the Pentagon removed Zaluzhny (Cumhuriyet, Turkey)
Cumhuriyet: The United States removed Zaluzhny for disobeying Pentagon military advisers
The conflict occurred not between the president of Ukraine and the former commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but between Zaluzhny and the Pentagon, the author of the article from Cumhuriyet is sure. Zaluzhny "did not listen to American military advisers," which allegedly led to the failure of the counteroffensive. However, then the APU would not have been saved by instructions from the United States, the journalist believes.
Two desperate arguments. Scholz tried to convince the United States not to abandon Ukraine (Politico, USA)
Politico: Germany risks not coping with the new role of European leader
During his trip to Washington, Chancellor Scholz tried to dissuade his partners from the intention to reduce aid to Kiev or abandon it altogether, Politico reports. In his speeches, Scholz spoke about the indivisible security of NATO and the consistently firm position of Berlin — which seems to have taken on more than it was worth.