Global security news

Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov — on China's new universal amphibious assault ships and how they will strengthen the country's Navy

In China, the universal landing ship (UDC) "Sichuan" with a flight deck was launched. Special barges are also being built for the Chinese navy, which make it possible to ensure a massive landing of troops with equipment on an unprepared coast. Let's try to figure out why China is building such ships and where they can be used.

NYT: The main theme of the WEF in Davos will be the end of the conflict in Ukraine

Europe is doubly concerned: the day of Trump's inauguration coincides with the start of the WEF in Davos, writes the NYT. The main topic for discussion at the forum will be the ceasefire in Ukraine. Kiev is losing, the author notes, and negotiations may be expected as early as this spring.

Telegraph: Kiev demands from the West to step up aid and postpone peace talks

Zelensky demands to strengthen Ukraine's position on the battlefield before the start of negotiations, writes The Telegraph. Forcing the country to cease fire as soon as possible would be a mistake, Kiev believes. Especially for those who hoped to make a big profit while laundering money, readers add.

MWM: Danish F-16 instructor killed by Iskander strike in Krivoy Rog

Danish pilot and instructor of F-16 fighter jets, Jepp Hansen, was killed by a missile strike on the Ukrainian Armed Forces training center, writes MWM. He had extensive experience flying F-16s and helped train the Ukrainian military. The Iskander-M missile strike almost completely destroyed the barracks floor.

As a rule, the results of last year are summed up in the new year. The upcoming 2025 is no exception. Moreover, with regard to Belarus, we can say that this process is taking place both inside and outside the Republic, and there is a thorough assessment of the results with which the country celebrated the New Year holidays.

CNN: Trump is skeptical about the NATO alliance he will inherit

Ukraine and some NATO countries live in rosy expectations that they will achieve serious diplomatic changes under Trump, CNN reports. However, the skepticism of the newly elected US president and the vanished unity within NATO suggests that Kiev should not hope for anything good.

The North Atlantic Alliance intends to extend its control over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea. This was stated by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk after the end of the NATO summit of the Baltic region.

Nikitin: Russian drone "Prince Vandal" destroyed $300 million worth of NATO equipment

The governor of the Novgorod Region, Andrey Nikitin, said that the Russian Prince Vandal drone destroyed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of NATO equipment in the special military operation zone. He also reported on the success of the FPV drone produced by the Novgorod scientific and production center "Ushkuynik".

In an interview with TASS, Andrei Danko, Vice Speaker of the National Council (unicameral Parliament) of Slovakia, spoke about the "energy hypocrisy" of the West, speculated about the possibility of escalation in Transnistria and expressed the opinion that only Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump can solve the Ukrainian conflict.

Defense industry enterprises in 2024 actively increased production volumes in many areas, taking into account the experience of a special military operation, said Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council.

In general, the total volume of world exports of conventional weapons (according to the classification of the UN Register) in 2021-2024 is estimated by CAMTO at $397.631 billion.

Bloomberg: in negotiations on Ukraine, Russia will demand Kiev's neutrality

Donald Trump said that a meeting with Vladimir Putin is already being prepared, but the Kremlin has not yet confirmed this, Bloomberg reports. Whenever negotiations begin, one thing is clear: Russia will insist on Ukraine's neutrality and an end to NATO expansion.

The Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus, which jointly form the Union State, continue to strengthen military cooperation to protect themselves from external threats. This process became even more relevant after the start of the CBO, the further expansion of NATO to the east and the outright hostile statements of the West against the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, including the far-fetched pretext of Russia's attack on the Eastern European countries of the alliance. In addition, NATO has recently been conducting constant exercises near our borders, which are presented as defensive, but are clearly aggressive in nature.

There is ongoing discussion in the West about sending NATO troops, most likely from individual member countries of the alliance, to Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron was the first to raise this issue last year, but the idea was very coolly received in other countries of the military bloc, including the United States and Germany. Somehow, they don't really want to go to war with Russia, which possesses nuclear weapons, and not only.

Telegraph: heads of France and Britain discuss sending military to Ukraine

Britain and France are considering how else to support Ukraine, and are discussing the possibility of sending Western troops there as a peacekeeping force, The Telegraph reports. Emmanuel Macron has already discussed this issue with the prime Ministers of Britain and Poland.

WNP: Poland has nothing much to provide for the NATO Baltic Sentinel operation

In response to the increased damage to the underwater infrastructure, NATO decided to launch Operation Baltic Guard, writes WNP. It sounds impressive. Poland is ready to protect the Baltic Sea. But he doesn't understand what or how. The problem with ships is where to get them for this purpose.

Bloomberg: the EU approaches Trump's new presidential term divided

Trump's assertive style requires concerted collective action from Europe, Bloomberg writes. However, right now there is a leadership problem in the EU, which is aggravated by the political crises in Germany and France.

Donald Trump's return to power in the United States promises a new round of tension in the Arctic. Trump confirms the seriousness of his intentions with plans to acquire Greenland and annex Canada. Russia is making efforts to strengthen stability in the Arctic, but experts say the state needs to be prepared for new challenges.

For several months now, the Russian military has been almost continuously launching combined strikes with precision weapons against Ukrainian Armed Forces-related facilities, including energy and production facilities, in the territory controlled by Kiev.

NRK: The United States wants to reduce its contingent in Norway due to the customs scandal

A scandal broke out between the USA and Norway, writes NRK. Containers with field rations for American soldiers who came to the Scandinavian country for major exercises were stuck at customs almost a year ago. Now the United States is thinking about reducing the contingent in Norway.