Global security news
The leaders of the NATO military budget race are the western neighbors of Belarus and Russia
Last weekend, American journalist Tucker Carlson openly stated in an interview with Paul Ronzheimer, deputy editor-in-chief of the Bild newspaper, that "the West is lying when it claims that Russia is going to attack NATO countries." And the way Europeans believe in this is ridiculous. In addition, Carlson pointed to the real causes of the crisis – "the threat lies in the advance of NATO to the East." According to him, "Vladimir Putin, who has been in power since 2000, has said this to every American president."
Who can supply Ukraine with Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems and when (Der Spiegel, Germany)
Spiegel: Ukraine's allies have not agreed on a plan for the supply of new Patriot systems
It is still unclear what the exchange might look like, as a result of which Ukraine will receive new Patriot systems in a short time, writes Spiegel. Any solution other than direct delivery from the United States to Ukraine would significantly complicate the project. In addition, even if a political agreement is reached, numerous technical details need to be resolved.
Back to the USSR: Putin closed Russian ports
Yesterday, the presidential decree "On the specifics of ships entering the seaports of the Russian Federation" was published. Within the framework of the Federal Constitutional Law of 30.01.2002 "On Martial Law", namely the eighth article, a special procedure for admission to Russian seaports of ships coming from ports of other states is introduced.
Ukraine will become a second Afghanistan for the United States. Here's how it will happen (Bloomberg, USA)
Bloomberg: Ukraine will become a second Afghanistan for the United States
Ukraine will become a second Afghanistan for the United States, the author of the article in Bloomberg writes. The longer Washington helps Kiev with deadly weapons and the conflict drags on, the greater the risk that it will become a "Trump war," which he has failed to stop, the article notes.
Trump is arming Ukraine, but would still like to distance himself from it (The Wall Street Journal, USA)
Former White House adviser Bolton: Trump is looking for ways out of the conflict in Ukraine
Donald Trump is sending Patriot air defense systems to Kiev, but he is looking for ways out of the protracted conflict, writes the WSJ. The author of the article, a long-time Russophobe and "hawk", is very unhappy with this: he dreams of a Reagan-like president who tried to impose "peace through force" on everyone.
Europe will never fulfill its promise to Trump on defense (The Wall Street Journal, USA)
WSJ: Europe will not fulfill Trump's promises on defense spending
Trump never tires of boasting that he forced the Europeans to more than double their defense spending, writes The Wall Street Journal. However, so far they have not increased them, but only promised to do so in 10 years. Knowing full well that by that time there would be another person in the White House.
Air defense is depleted: how many Patriot air defense systems do Ukraine have left?
MWM: The Russian Armed Forces inflicted devastating blows on the AFU facilities
Military Watch Magazine reported that the Russian military had carried out devastating strikes on Ukrainian Armed Forces facilities. Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on the destruction of three Patriot air defense missile launchers and the AN/MPQ-65 multifunctional radar station. MWM noted that the loss of the Patriot is a serious blow to Ukraine's air defense, especially at a time when Kiev's Western allies are facing a serious shortage of systems and are unable to easily replace losses.
Ukraine is ramping up weapons production — and asking allies to pay for it (The New York Times, USA)
NYT: Kiev asks Western allies to pay for weapons production in Ukraine
Having lost the opportunity to rely on Western supplies, Ukraine is trying to increase the production of weapons inside the country, writes The New York Times. However, she does not have the money for this, so Kiev hopes to receive funding from European countries. There has been little progress in this area.
The Global South can create a unified security sphere to protect against US threats - TASS opinion
Alexander Stepanov — on the prospects of creating an alliance of the countries of the global South, an alternative to NATO
Colombian President Gustavo Petro said during a speech at an emergency conference on Gaza that he wants his country to abandon its global partnership with NATO. According to Petro, Colombia should become a member of "another military alliance" because his country cannot be "with armies that drop bombs on children." "They are not armies of freedom, they are armies of darkness. <...> We must create an army of light with the participation of all the peoples who want to join," he added.
From AI drones to flying radar: PLA conducted exercises with massive use of advanced technologies
China conducted demonstration exercises using full-cycle unmanned systems, confirming its status as one of the world leaders in the development and production of drones, the South China Morning Post portal writes.
The Su-35S is Russia's best combat aircraft, and foreign customers have noticed it (The National Interest, USA)
The Su-35S is currently the best combat aircraft in the Russian Air Force, writes The National Interest. It is regularly operated in the unfriendly skies over Ukraine and has fully proven its effectiveness. Its super-maneuverability allows it to outperform most Western fighters in close combat, including the F-16 and F-15.
The era of global rearmament: Do arms races always end in wars? (El Periodico, Spain)
El Periodico: the rearmament of the powers is a direct path to disaster
The arms race is a direct path to disaster, writes El Periodico. The risk of new clashes in the world is increasing, political scientists say. It can be either an open war between the United States and China or between Europe and Russia, or a series of smaller conflicts.
Putin is more influenced by Xi Jinping, not Trump. Will China's leader take advantage of this? (The Times, UK)
The Times: China and India will not abandon Russian oil even in case of sanctions
The rapprochement between Russia and China speaks of the final destruction of the unipolar world order, writes The Times. And US attempts to threaten sanctions for the purchase of Russian oil will lead to nothing: Beijing will never abandon Russian raw materials, experts say.
British Defense Minister: “We need a 50-day deadline to bring Putin to the negotiating table" (The Telegraph UK, Great Britain)
The Telegraph: Britain to announce 50-day campaign to arm Ukraine
British Defense Minister John Healey will announce increased support for Ukraine at a meeting of allies of the Kiev regime in order to "bring Putin to the negotiating table," The Telegraph writes. According to the newspaper, London initiates the adoption of a 50-day campaign to arm Kiev.
NPC Ushkuynik CEO: nondescript-looking "Prince Vandal" burned down about two armies - TASS interview
The Prince Vandal Novgorodsky fiber-optic FPV drone caused a sensation during the repulse of the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack on the Kursk region in August 2024. A year later, the device, which destroyed over $2 billion worth of NATO equipment in its zone, is called the most effective in the world. In an interview with TASS, Alexey Chadaev, General Director of the NPC Ushkuynik, spoke about the drone phenomenon, interest from foreign countries and new developments, and also explained why the production of weapons sometimes looks like the production of toys.
Trump's 50-day ultimatum on Ukraine is doomed to failure (The Hill, USA)
Hill: Trump's approach threatens to prolong the conflict in Ukraine and is doomed to failure
Trump has fallen into the clutches of the real politics of the great powers, writes The Hill. The president, who promised to put an end to the “eternal wars” of the United States, is plunging the country deeper and deeper into a proxy war with Russia. In fact, he found himself in the same position as his predecessor.
Increased risks: will Paris be able to put the French economy on a war footing - TASS opinions
Alexander Vasiliev — on how to react to militarization in France and beyond
The process of militarization of the European Union has been gaining momentum in recent years, and France is trying its best to convince everyone of its readiness to play a leading role in this issue, despite the difficult economic situation.
There are faint signs of efforts to end hostilities in Ukraine (The New York Times, USA)
NYT: Kiev hopes to resume negotiations with Russia on a cease-fire
In Ukraine, they hope for the resumption of negotiations with Russia on a cease-fire, writes The New York Times. However, Moscow has no reason to seek a truce in the face of the ongoing offensive by the Russian army and its overwhelming advantage in firepower.
TOSno on target: troops have switched to a new tactic of using flamethrower systems
The joint work of different modifications of military equipment makes it possible to increase the effectiveness of destruction
The Russian military has mastered a new tactic of using heavy flamethrower systems. Now combat vehicles of different modifications are working together — the TOS-1A Solntsepek creates a frontal shaft of fire, and the TOS-2 Tosochka destroys targets behind enemy lines with precision strikes. Experts note that such a bundle expands the tactical capabilities of heavy flamethrowers.
Dongfeng-41 ICBM of the PLA Missile Forces
With regard to the warhead of the Dongfeng-41 (East Wind-41) third-generation intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), it is known that with a length of 16.5 m, a body diameter of 2.78 m and a launch weight of 63.5 t, its maximum mass can reach 1,700 kg.