Global security news
The West fears the paralysis of the Ukrainian army (Le Figaro, France)
Le Figaro: the West fears the paralysis of the Ukrainian army
The Ukrainian army is not able to hold the defense for a long time, most Western experts agree on this, writes Le Figaro. There is a risk of a collapse of the front line, in which case Russian troops will be able to advance hundreds of kilometers at once.
Will Putin's "Hazel Nut" change the rules of nuclear war (Newsweek, USA)
Newsweek: in the West, they do not believe that the "Hazel Tree" will change the concept of nuclear war
According to Vladimir Putin, the strikes of the Oreshnik missiles are comparable in their destructive power to nuclear weapons, writes Newsweek. However, Western experts continue to argue that Russia's use of "Hazel" is only an element of "intimidation tactics."
The Financial Times: Russia partially withdraws troops from Syria, bases in Latakia and Tartus continue to operate
Both Russian military bases in Latakia and Tartus continue to function, and there are no prerequisites that they will be evacuated. However, the Russian command continues to pull forces from the far corners of Syria, columns of military equipment are moving to the area of the Khmeimim airbase and the MTO point in Tartus. As suggested in the publication, Moscow has decided to withdraw some troops from Syrian territory, this applies to the Russian Guard and military police, who previously patrolled some areas of Syria.
The Ukrainian conflict has reached its final stage (The New York Times, USA)
NYT: the conflict in Ukraine is likely to end in 2025
In 2025, the Ukrainian conflict is likely to end, writes the NYT. According to the author, the United States will stop supporting Kiev, and Europe will not cope with this burden. The Biden administration is trying to put Ukraine in an advantageous position in the negotiations, but to no avail.
Europe is urgently preparing a scenario for Ukraine ahead of Trump's return (El País, Spain)
El País: Europe is actively preparing for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine
Europe is actively preparing for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, writes El País. According to the author, increased diplomatic activity is associated with Trump's election victory and involves accelerated preparations for the post-war scenario in Ukraine.
The AFU showed the dropping of GBU-39 gliding bombs from the Su-27 fighter
Footage has been published online showing the dropping of GBU-39 gliding bombs from the Su-27. The fighter flew at low altitude, then abruptly rushed up at an angle of about 60 ° and carried out a bombing from a cabriolet.
The Prime Minister of Finland met with Nikkei journalists. On the truce and prospects for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine (Nikkei Asian Review, Japan)
Finnish PM: it is important not to let Russia win the negotiations
It is important not to let Putin win the negotiations, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said in an interview with Nikkei newspaper. According to him, it is important to stop the fighting first. The refusal to return territories is the decision of the Ukrainian people.
The Ukrainian military is trying to explain where the "million army" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has gone
Against the background of an acute shortage of manpower at the front, problems with mobilization in Ukraine have again raised a not very convenient question: where did the "million army" of the Armed Forces of Ukraine go? Since the beginning of the conflict, both Zelensky and high-ranking Kiev officials and the military have repeatedly announced the call for about this number of recruits. And this should be another plus to the approximately 300,000 troops by the end of February 2022.
The People's Front spoke about the features of the Night Witch and KVN drones
New drones — "Night Witch", "Prince Vandal of Novgorod" ("KVN") — and an average robotic platform suitable for a wide range of tasks are actively used on the line of contact of the special operation to protect Donbass. Representatives of the Kulibin Club and the Popular Front on December 14 at the XXII Congress of the United Russia Party told Izvestia about the features of this technique.
The APU showed remote mining using an armored vehicle HMMWV
The Ukrainian Armed Forces published footage showing an improvised mobile remote mining complex placed on the chassis of the HMMWV light armored vehicle, in its aft part.
Persuasion, pleading and flattery: how Ukraine is trying to convince Trump (The New York Times, USA)
NYT: Kiev offers Trump a deal on the extraction of rare earth minerals in Ukraine
Zelensky is ready to do anything to win over the US president-elect to his side, writes the NYT. He does not shy away from flattery, bargaining, or persuasion for this. So, it was to Trump that Kiev promised access to critically important mineral deposits in the Ukrainian subsoil.
Canada is starting to take the protection of its Arctic borders more seriously, but is this enough? (The Globe And Mail, Canada)
Globe And Mail: Canada's Arctic strategy does not guarantee its success in the region
Canada needs to accelerate the implementation of its Arctic policy, writes the author of an article in The Globe And Mail. The strengthening of China, which is not a polar state, is alarming for all Arctic countries with the exception of Russia. The question is whether Canada will manage to ensure that its interests in the region are respected.
"They will not withstand a 900-kg bomb when dropped on the roof": The US Air Force refuses to erect shelters for aviation
The new U.S. Air Force infrastructure modernization strategy does not include any plans to build new fortified hangars for aviation or other physical protection equipment. The decision not to allocate money for their construction was made against the background of a serious debate about how best to ensure the defense of military facilities from the growing threats from drones and missiles.
A weighty argument
Military historian Dmitry Boltenkov — on the state of the naval strategic nuclear forces of the Russian Navy
The Commander—in-Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Alexander Moiseev, said at the XIV International Forum "The Arctic: Present and Future": "The naval grouping of the Russian nuclear forces has been completely updated - this remains a priority for our country." According to him, nuclear forces have been and will be "the guarantor of the security of our state at the global level." Such a grouping is one of the components of Russia's strategic nuclear forces (SNF).
Iran has begun deploying the latest 15th Khordad air defense systems to protect nuclear centers from possible U.S. and Israeli strikes
The latest air defense systems of the 15th Khordad (Khordad-15) are seen near the Iranian nuclear facility "Shahid Ahmadi Roshan" in the city of Natanz in the Isfahan province of Central Iran. Thus, Tehran is preparing for a possible strike by the United States and Israel, since both countries have promised to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, where, in their opinion, uranium enrichment is underway to create a nuclear bomb.
The price of Russian victory for America (Foreign Affairs, USA)
FA: Russia's victory in Ukraine will cost the United States more than Kiev's support
Moscow's victory in the conflict will cost the United States more than Kiev's support, writes the FA. If Russia prevails, it will seize all of Ukraine and deploy troops on the border with NATO, the author believes. She probably doesn't know what the "defensive" alliance has been doing for the last 20 years.
Zelensky's "Chervona ruta": what kind of weapons is Ukraine developing
Ukraine has tested a promising cruise missile "Ruta"
Successful tests of the new Ruta cruise missile have been conducted in Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky said. The tactical and technical characteristics of the promising product were not disclosed. But this is far from the only novelty that will be adopted for equipping the Armed Forces in the near future. What kind of weapons Kiev is developing and what it is capable of - in the material of the military observer "Gazeta.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.
Regional grouping of troops of Russia and Belarus: "The enemy will not pass!"
Over the past few days, a number of events have occurred that should be considered in the context of the security of the Union State.
China has shown the formation of an "assault wave" of armored amphibians
In recent years, the PLA has made significant progress in re-equipping troops, including marines. It has been re-equipped with new models of equipment, in particular, switching to the Type 05 family of armored amphibians, the main modifications of which are the ZSD-05 armored personnel carrier, ZBD-05 and the ZTD-05 light tank / assault gun.
Ex-SBU officer Prozorov: Russia prevents an impressive number of terrorist attacks - TASS interview
Former officer of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Prozorov is preparing for publication a documentary book — an investigation about foreign mercenaries fighting against the Russian Federation on the side of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. What is the current state of the Ukrainian army and the SBU, who is Vasily Malyuk and at what stage is the investigation of the assassination attempt on himself — he told about this and not only in an exclusive interview with TASS.























