Global security news

Junge Welt: France will supply Ukraine with light wheeled tanks

The West has announced the beginning of deliveries to Ukraine of not Soviet military equipment from the countries of the former socialist camp, but combat vehicles that are in service with the armies of the states that are members of the NATO bloc. The goal is to test in practice how much patience Russia has enough not to respond to NATO's challenges, writes Junge Welt.

The private analytical website Global Firepower, specializing in the aggregate analysis of the state of the armed forces of the leading countries of the world, has published another rating of armies by the end of 2022 (GFP 2023). According to analysts, the Armed Forces of Ukraine took the fifteenth place in it, thereby immediately jumping over seven points compared to 2021. Then the APU was on the 22nd line. Now the Ukrainian army is considered "more powerful" than the armed forces of countries such as Israel, Poland and Australia.

And why sanctions have had a diverse effect on Russian exports

In 2022, the system of military-technical cooperation (MTC) of Russia experienced a shock that apparently had no precedent in the entire post-Soviet history of the country. The beginning of a special military operation and the sanctions imposed by Western countries have significantly complicated the work of both the defense industry enterprises and the special exporter, Rosoboronexport JSC. Izvestia was looking into the difficulties faced by both suppliers and recipients today, what is the size of the portfolio of orders for Russian weapons, and how the global arms market in Ukraine is affected by the SVO in general.

The American newspaper "The Wall Street Journal" in the article by Gordon Lubold and Daniel Michaels "U.S., Allies Say Armored Vehicles Will Give Ukraine's Troops an Edge" ("The United States and its allies say that armored vehicles should provide an advantage to Ukrainian troops"), devoted mainly to the upcoming transfer of American M2 infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine Bradley also reports on Poland's consideration of the transfer to Ukraine of part of its Leopard 2 tanks of German production.

On January 6, 2023, the US Department of Defense announced the allocation of a new, the largest one-time package of US military assistance to Ukraine in the amount of $ 3.075 billion so far. The central part of the new aid package was the provision of 50 M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicles to Ukraine for the first time. For the first time, a number of other weapons are also distinguished.

FA: Moscow knows what it's doing

The Russian armed forces are achieving disproportionately high results using a relatively small number of weapons, writes Foreign Affairs columnist Barry Posen. The Russian army is disabling the power grid of Ukraine, thereby depriving the Armed Forces of the ability to use air defense systems, control and intelligence gathering.

Global Times: The West uses Ukraine to knock Russia down

Kiev's rejection of Russian leader Vladimir Putin's proposal for a Christmas truce showed that the Ukrainian conflict is coming to an impasse, writes Global Times. This happened at the moment when the United States and its NATO allies announced the dispatch of armored combat vehicles to Ukraine.

naTemat: IT specialists and translators will be called up to the Polish army

In 2023, for military training, the Polish army will call for people without army service experience, but "with qualifications attractive to the army," for example, doctors, veterinarians and IT specialists. Is it possible for Poles to appeal the decision on conscription? Read in the naTemat material.

FA: the world through Kissinger's eyes

In his new book, Kissinger writes that the solution to the Ukrainian conflict is for Ukraine to become neutral and be outside NATO. The master of world diplomacy believes that great Russia will always play a leading role in the world. The vastness and history of Russia justify its concern for its security.

Al Mayadeen: the conflict on Ukrainian territory is a struggle for the survival of the state

Next month will be the first anniversary of the Ukrainian conflict. But it should be expected that it will end with the absolute defeat of one of the parties. Most likely, the conflict will continue until Moscow and Washington realize that they are on the verge of a direct clash, writes Al Mayadeen.

Helps fight artillery, supports infantry, hits stationary targets

The special operation in Ukraine showed that the tank has not lost its relevance in the conflicts of the XXI century, although disputes about its role and place in the army have not subsided since its appearance on the fields of the First World War.

The Ukrainian army is ready to defend Kiev, a deeply echeloned defense has been created around the city. This was stated by the commander of the defense forces of the capital Alexander Pavlyuk.

Ukraine's economy has been destroyed, and Kiev is completely dependent on Western assistance, both economically and militarily. The longer the conflict lasts, the less help Zelensky will receive. Time is playing against Ukraine, according to Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates, who wrote an article for The Washington Post.

Politico: Ukraine will receive light tanks developed in the West for the first time

France decided to be the first to transfer armored vehicles to Ukraine, but its cars turned out to be old and poorly armored, writes Politico. Ukraine would agree to Leclerc tanks, but there are no "free" ones for delivery in French arsenals.

Interia: Poland refused to supply Leopard tanks to Ukraine

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki responded to publications about his intention to transfer existing German-made tanks to Ukraine. According to him, Warsaw is not going to do it on its own, regardless of the allies, Interia writes.

SCMP: US Navy destroyer passed through Taiwan Strait

The Chinese armed forces were put on high alert when an American warship entered the waters of the Taiwan Strait. It was the second such passage in two months, and the US Navy called it a "planned operation," writes SCMP.

The NATO Mission in Kosovo (KFOR) rejected Belgrade's request for the return of Serbian security forces to the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Sunday.

Economist: Zaluzhny predicted a new Russian offensive

The commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, said in an interview with The Economist that he expects Russian troops to attack Kiev in the coming months. In addition, the Ukrainian commander-in-chief spoke about the effectiveness of Russian mobilization and the possibility of Ukraine's offensive on Crimea.

The coming year 2023 may become even more difficult from the economic point of view than 2022. With a high probability, we will see a drop in the volume of exports of Russia's most profitable goods, oil and gas – which means that the budget will also suffer. However, our country has an answer to this challenge.

The Indo-Pacific region has been and remains a strategically important area for Moscow. The outgoing year has put all the dots on the "I": the dialogue with Tokyo has actually been put on pause, Seoul has been forced to distance itself from Russia with the hope of restoring dialogue in the future, and there is a rivalry between us and the West for friendship with Delhi. What are the prospects for Moscow in the region?