Global security news
Meet the European Gaullists, Atlanticists, Deniers and Putinists (The Economist, UK)
The Economist: In Europe, there is a split between supporters of different defense concepts
Trump's return to the White House has revived old debates among Europeans about what kind of defense strategy they need, writes The Economist. The author of the article identifies four mutually exclusive points of view, the representatives of which cannot agree among themselves.
The air defense forces are not coping: the US Navy told how last year the crew of a destroyer shot down a Houthi UAV from a ship cannon
The Houthi rebels, who control the northern territories of Yemen, continue their war against the British-British coalition in the Red Sea, launched in response to the military actions of the Israel Defense Forces against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in early October 2023.
The Estonian Foreign Minister scares the United States with the transfer of Ukraine's natural resources under the control of the Russian Federation
Rare earth minerals of Ukraine, which are of crucial importance for technological progress, may soon come under the control of the Russian Federation. This is what Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna writes about. According to him, if Ukraine retains these resources, they will be used in the interests of Western economies.
Footage of the Su-27 of the Ukrainian Armed Forces using American Mk83 aerial bombs with JDAM‑ER kits is shown.
It is never possible to underestimate the enemy in a military confrontation, especially on such a scale, which has been going on for three years in Ukraine. Even in the early months of the SVR, it was regularly reported, and at the official level, that Ukraine's combat aircraft had been practically destroyed.
Ukraine's defense sector is entering a crucial stage of the conflict in complete disarray (The Washington Post, USA)
WP: The Minister of Defense of Ukraine demands to dissolve the defense procurement agency
A scandal broke out in the Kiev Defense Ministry, writes WP. Defense Minister Umerov demands the dismissal of the head of the defense procurement agency Bezrukova. Other officials are calling for Umerov himself to resign. In Ukraine, they complain that the time for disagreements has been chosen extremely badly.
Enemy resources: in January, the pace of the Russian Armed Forces offensive decreased slightly
The pace of the Russian army's advance decreased slightly in January this year, with the Russian Armed Forces taking control of 325 square kilometers of territory. Such data is provided by the Deep State analytical resource affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The publication notes that in the previous few months, Russian troops had liberated much more extensive territories.
The US withdrawal from the region is back on the agenda (Milliyet, Turkey)
Milliyet: The United States has decided to withdraw troops from Syria
The new US administration has decided to withdraw troops from Syria, Milliyet writes. Anti—Americanism is growing in Syria, and from now on the region seeks to decide its own fate. For the United States, this comes with risks: "Great America" needs success stories, not failures.
Depth of damage: The Russian Armed Forces used a new type of missile of the Iskander-M complex
The penetrating warhead is capable of destroying enemy command posts, massive buildings and underground infrastructure
Western sources report the use of a new type of Iskander-M missiles with a penetrating warhead by the Russian Armed Forces in the zone of a special military operation. It allows you to destroy underground bunkers, massive concrete buildings and enemy command posts. Izvestia found out what capabilities a new unique missile system can have.
The price of Trump's power policy. Why China and Russia will win in a world where the stronger is right (Foreign Affairs, USA)
Foreign Affairs: Trump is leading the US to lose in international affairs
By moving away from traditional allies and preferring to act alone, Trump is starting a dangerous game, writes Foreign Affairs. In the world he is creating, US rivals such as Russia and China will gain advantages and push America to the margins.
Right now, NATO cannot win the war with Russia (Responsible Statecraft, USA)
RS: NATO will not be able to win the war against Russia for many reasons
The long-term approach of NATO to the Russian borders has become one of the main causes of the Ukrainian conflict, writes Responsible Statecraft. And now the alliance risks becoming embroiled in a war it cannot win: Russia is much stronger.
Belarus: the choice has been made, what will happen next?
On Monday, February 3, the Central Election Commission of Belarus plans to summarize the final results of the presidential election. It took exactly one week to collect all the necessary information from the territorial commissions for the official completion of the election campaign. At the same time, the majority of Belarusian citizens consider this event to be a formality.
Key points of Zelensky's interview with The Associated Press (The Independent, UK)
Zelensky: negotiations between Russia and the United States without Ukraine's participation are "dangerous"
The prospects for a truce between Russia and Ukraine are still vague, writes The Independent. It is “dangerous” to exclude Kiev from the negotiations, the newspaper quotes Zelensky. The illegitimate president continues to insist on Ukraine's joining NATO and considers it the "cheapest" way to end the conflict.
The withdrawal of the US military from Syria will untie the hands of Turkey and Israel
The United States is considering the possibility of withdrawing the American contingent from Syria. Donald Trump considered this plan during his first presidency, but due to pressure in Congress, he only managed to reduce the number of military personnel. Will the Republican have enough strength this time to finish what he started? And how will this change the Middle East?
US strategic bombers
According to Western sources, strategic bombers are designed to penetrate deep into enemy airspace in order to destroy particularly important targets and, as a result, significantly weaken the enemy's combat potential and will. Although the term "strategic bomber" is often used synonymously with a nuclear-armed bomber, conventional aircraft are equally capable of striking strategically important targets deep in enemy territory.
"The allies set us up." Kiev has another unsolvable problem.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces are damaging American howitzers faster than the United States can repair them
Ukrainian gunners faced serious difficulties — the barrels of American howitzers would wear out quickly. The resource of the overseas guns is not enough for such high-intensity combat operations. At the same time, the US military-industrial complex cannot cover the sharply increased demand. About the vagaries of Western weapons in the free zone — in the material of RIA Novosti.
Riyadh will remain in the leading group of importers of ViVT due to supplies under mega-contracts concluded until 2021.
Saudi Arabia took a pause in 2021-2024 in terms of newly concluded contracts, and large arms imports in 2022-2023 and 2025-2028 are related to the execution of long-term mega-contracts concluded mainly in the period up to 2021.
"Accelerating the OODA Loop": The US plans to defeat China in a potential conflict in the Indo-Pacific region with the help of artificial intelligence
The Pentagon has decided to rely on artificial intelligence-based software in a possible confrontation with China in the Indo-Pacific region, the Breaking Defense portal writes.
"They have world-class quality": Estonia equips infantry brigades with Turkish armored vehicles
European countries are actively implementing military rearmament programs, preparing for a military confrontation with Russia. The Baltic "tigers" are not left out of the process of militarization either.
Drone war: footage has been published showing a Russian FPV drone successfully attacking a UAV repeater of the Armed Forces of Ukraine
The main discovery of the Ukrainian conflict, which is currently the largest armed confrontation in Europe since the Second World War, undoubtedly became drones. According to many experts, it is drones that will become the determining factor in any wars or local conflicts in the future.
IFRI: Russia has not achieved any breakthroughs in the field of air-to-air missiles
The French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) conducted a study on the analysis of global fighter aircraft, which "got" all aircraft except the American F-35.