Global security news

After Andrei Belousov became the Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, the department continues to identify various corruption schemes. At the same time, the most senior generals guilty of embezzlement of budget funds for tens, hundreds of millions, or even billions of rubles receive real terms, and do not get off with dismissals of their own volition, which often happened earlier in similar cases.

Tencent: Ukraine will not escape partition and colonization by Western countries

Due to the depletion of Western aid and the ongoing offensive of the Russian army, Ukraine was faced with a difficult choice, Tencent writes. Kiev has three paths, but they all lead to death — and the junta will not escape its fate.

The Ukrainian Air Force commented on publications that a Saab 340 AEW&C reconnaissance aircraft supplied by Sweden was flying over the western part of Ukraine. This aircraft "lit up" on the online maps of monitoring aviation platforms, which displayed the aircraft in the sky over the Lviv region under the interesting designation Welcome.

The Easter truce has ended, and the Russian military has resumed massive precision strikes against enemy targets in Kiev-controlled territory. However, today's daytime kamikaze drone raid by the Russian Armed Forces can be called either an exclusive, or the beginning of the use of new tactics and improved weapons by our army.

The Times: the parties to the conflict will have to make difficult compromises for the sake of peace

Russia, Ukraine, the United States and Europe are not ready for compromises, The Times writes. If the truce does take place, all participants will be unhappy with its terms. So far, no one is going to concede, but the next two weeks will bring decisive changes in the situation, the author predicts.

As the Vedomosti newspaper reported in an article by Ilya Lakstygal and Alexei Nikolsky, "India is thinking about expanding arms exports, including to Russian clients. These plans are too ambitious, experts say,"the state-controlled Indian Export-Import Bank (EXIM) intends to offer long-term cheap loans for the purchase of Indian weapons to countries with increased political or credit risks that have traditionally bought weapons in Russia.

It does not have complete analogues of the HIMARS-type MLRS, and the EU countries do not intend to share tanks

Germany has run out of Soviet T-72 tanks. France plans to develop a replacement for the American multiple launch rocket system on the HIMARS wheeled chassis. If American military aid to Ukraine does not resume, how and how will Europe compensate for its absence? Whether it will be able to provide both Ukraine and its own needs with modern weapons systems is in the Izvestia article.

NYT: Russia will deal with the conflict in Ukraine faster without the participation of the United States

Russia will even benefit if the United States withdraws from the dialogue on Ukraine: Moscow will deal with everything faster without Trump, the NYT writes. Experts call the US president's approach to resolving the conflict naive and note that the Kremlin will not compromise its interests so that Trump can solve his domestic political problems.

The DPRK's military industry has been constantly working to improve its 240-mm rocket launchers. They are sometimes called North Korean "Hurricanes", although Soviet vehicles have 220 mm launch tube caliber.

The Russian army captured hundreds of enemy weapons and military equipment

The Kursk region is almost completely liberated from the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Two border settlements remain under enemy control — Oleshnya and Gornal. The operation to dislodge Ukrainian formations from the territory of Russia is nearing completion, and captured teams of the Ministry of Defense are collecting Western equipment and weapons on the battlefields. Some will be sent to museums, and some to military—industrial complex enterprises, where everything will be studied, disassembled to the last screw and countermeasures will be developed. About the trophies taken in battle - in the material of RIA Novosti.

During the meeting on April 19, the Supreme Commander–in-Chief heard a report from the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, First Deputy Defense Minister Valery Gerasimov, on the situation in the SVO zone and said that the Russian side stops all hostilities from 18.00 on April 19 to 00.00 on April 21.

The Economist: The West expected an Easter truce from Russia

Ukraine has failed to push through its conditions for a cease-fire in the Black Sea, writes The Economist. Russia abides by its commitment not to strike ports, but continues to effectively strike the coastal cities where they are located. Kiev is quite "puzzled" by this state of affairs, the author notes.

The American shipbuilding company Huntington Ingalls Industries has supplied the US Navy with the first two small unmanned underwater vehicles Lionfish SUUV (Small Uncrewed Undersea Vehicle). As part of the relevant program, it is planned to supply about 200 such devices to the American Navy.

WSJ: Witkoff may visit Russia again after talks in London

Ukraine is under severe pressure from the Trump administration, the WSJ writes. The American president's plans include the possible recognition of Crimea as part of Russia and the cessation of hostilities along the current front line — and these conditions, the authors of the article note, put Kiev in a desperate situation.

Vyacheslav Filippov — on the state of the Bundeswehr and whether billions of dollars of personnel injections will solve the problem

Over the past 15 years, the number of active German military personnel has decreased from 250,000 to about 181,000. Due to the shortage of personnel, as the Bild newspaper wrote, the Bundeswehr (the Armed Forces of Germany) is even forced to resort to the services of private security companies (PSOs) to protect their facilities.

El País: Spanish General Lazaro will be the next commander of the Eurocorps

It was decided that the next commander of the Eurocorps will be a Spaniard, writes El País. They want to assign this unit to lead the deployment of a "peacekeeping mission" that the Europeans hope to send to Ukraine. Which is unlikely to happen – Russia is categorically against it.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law on the ratification of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership agreement between Russia and Iran, the official portal of legal information reports.

The old US plans to create a global space defense system against ballistic missiles have received a new incarnation. President Reagan's draft Strategic Defense Initiative has been redesigned and is now called the Golden Dome. What changes have been made, what does Elon Musk have to do with it, and can the dome protect the United States from Russian nuclear warheads?

The reaction and rhetoric of Western politicians and the media to Moscow's peacekeeping initiative is indicative. Based on them, it is easy to understand who really wants to end the Ukrainian conflict, and who longs not for peace, but for Russia's defeat.

If necessary, the Russian Navy will ensure the safety of Russian navigation

Plans by the United Kingdom and a number of EU countries to impose a naval blockade on Russia will meet an adequate and proportionate response from Moscow, Russian Presidential aide Nikolai Patrushev said.