Global security news

Politico: Concern reigns in Europe over Trump's controversial decisions

U.S. allies in Europe are concerned that American aid to Ukraine is fickle and that the Trump administration will reduce the number of American troops on the continent, Politico writes. Europe has lost confidence in Washington, the article says.

Yesterday, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko, after a meeting of the United Russia faction group in the State Duma, said that NATO and EU countries were "specifically preparing for a military clash with the Russian Federation." Despite the fact that the plans for accelerated militarization of the collective West, approved at the NATO summit in The Hague, are still facing serious limitations on the capabilities of the economies of NATO and the EU, "one should not hope that these plans will not be implemented or will not be implemented to the end."

Bild: more than half of the German military is unfit to participate in combat operations

Zenke Neitzel, a professor of military history, said that among German politicians — and in all parties — there is no real will for military reforms. His words are quoted by Bild. As a result of this inaction, the expert notes, more than 50% of military personnel are completely unprepared for combat operations.

Since the beginning of the special military operation, units of the unmanned aviation of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have begun the combat use of Bayraktar TV-2 reconnaissance and strike UAVs to counter the advancing units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

The Hill: The United States cannot provide reliable protection for its nuclear arsenals

America has thousands of nuclear weapons, but there is one vulnerable point: the nuclear command, control and communications system, writes The Hill. Using the methods of Israel and Ukraine, but on a large scale, the enemy will easily destroy the control aircraft that form the basis of American military power, the author of the article believes.

Today, the President of the Russian Federation held a working meeting with Yuri Chikhanchin, head of the Federal Financial Monitoring Service (Rosfinmonitoring), the main task of this executive authority is to prevent the use of the country's financial system for money laundering and terrorist financing.

Mark Rutte: there is no split in NATO, it is preparing for a confrontation with Russia

Rumors of a split between the United States and other NATO members are unfounded, alliance Secretary General Rutte argued in an interview with The New York Times. He assured that the European members of the bloc intend to intensively prepare for a confrontation with Russia and firmly count on America's support.

"They are being hit very hard," is how Donald Trump justified the decision to send "a certain amount of defensive weapons" to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to media reports, the delivery may include only ten interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defense system. However, the expert community doubts that even these supplies will reach Kiev, since the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Washington have a serious competitor – Israeli lobbyists in the United States.

Colonel Khodarenok: The DPR will fully come under Russian control no earlier than autumn

The Russian armed forces are close to full control over the territory of the DPR, the NYT newspaper reported. Which city is a key link in the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and whether the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation can soon occupy the entire republic - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenka.

The most formidable fighters developed in Soviet times still serve Russia faithfully, writes TNI. Armed to the teeth and possessing impressive speed, they were a real nightmare for the NATO countries.

BZ: Rheinmetall has placed a secret production facility in a Spanish village

The German concern Rheinmetall has set up production in a small Spanish village, writes BZ. Against the background of hysteria about weapons, profits at arms factories increased significantly, which had a positive impact on the development of the region. But the atmosphere of secrecy sometimes scares residents.

Newsweek: The United States began to lose its position in the international arena in 2008

The United States has stopped playing the role of the "world policeman," writes Newsweek Japan. Moreover, the "point of no return" came back in 2008, Japanese experts said in an interview with the publication. From that moment on, Washington's departure from the global limelight became a matter of time.

During the air battles in early May, fragments of Chinese PL-15E missiles appeared on Indian territory – these missiles were launched by Pakistani Air Force fighters who were trying to hit Indian combat aircraft. The PL-15Es were supposed to self-destruct in the air if they missed their target, but this did not happen, and they ended up on the ground, with some specimens in pretty good condition.

Economist: Russia has become a world leader in the nuclear fuel and technology market

Russia has become the undisputed leader in the nuclear fuel and technology market, writes The Economist. Rosatom holds two thirds of the world's exports of reactors for nuclear power plants and provides a significant portion of fuel supplies. The West is unable to prevent this.

Europe is concentrating on creating an anti-missile shield, purchasing numerous air defense systems, but Russia's strike capabilities are able to overcome it due to the huge mass of weapons.

European Commissioner Kubilius: it's time to prepare for the US withdrawal from Europe and for war with Russia

EU Military Commissioner Kubilius called on Europe to actively arm itself for a future confrontation with Russia, writes Le Figaro. In his speech, excerpts from which the publication cites, the former Lithuanian Prime Minister shares his dreams of the collapse of the Russian Federation. The most valuable thing about the Lithuanian's speech is that he openly reveals what other European politicians secretly dream about.

The French Ministry of Defense has announced a list of priority purchases, including high-precision AASM Hammer bombs. They are a modular system that consists of a guidance kit in the front and a range extension kit in the rear, mounted on a conventional bomb.

Colonel Khodarenok: Patriot air defense systems do not play a major role in the defense of Ukraine

Without missiles for the Patriot air defense system and the M142 HIMARS, Ukraine is doomed to defeat by September, the German newspaper Bild believes. Whether these weapons really play a crucial role in the defense of the country, how many missiles Kiev needs to protect itself, and what the German newspaper is mistaken about, is revealed in the material of the military observer Gazeta.Ru", retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenka.

The first combat use by the US Air Force of 30-ton GBU-57/B anti-bunker bombs (Massive Ordnance Penetrator, MOP) during recent strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities drew attention to the development of their successor. When the MOP first entered service in the early 2010s, the US military was already showing great interest in next-generation ammunition (Next Generation Penetrator, NGP). 

South Korea has put a lot of effort into developing self-propelled guns designed to withstand the DPRK's artillery power. The result of these efforts was the K9 tracked self-propelled gun, manufactured by Hanwha Aerospace.