Structure and personnel news

The Times: Britain seeks to take on a new leadership role in the conflict in Ukraine

Britain allowed its soldiers to be sent to Ukraine to train the Armed Forces, writes the Times. London is carving out a new leadership role for itself in this conflict. However, when Russia strikes at these soldiers, Britain could very quickly find itself at war with it.

Colonel Khodarenok: unmanned troops can be separated into a separate branch of the armed forces

A new branch of the armed forces will be created in Russia - the troops of unmanned systems. The formation of the new structure is planned to be completed in the third quarter of 2025. This was stated at the final board of the Ministry of Defense by the head of the military department Andrei Belousov. What these troops should be and why their creation is so important is in the material of the military observer of the Newspaper.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.

The organizational structure of the units will be formed next year

Troops of unmanned systems will appear in the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the third quarter of 2025. This was announced by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov at an expanded meeting of the board of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The analysis was carried out based on the functionality of the Deputy Ministers of Defense of the Russian Federation

TASS analyzed how the tasks of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, set today by Andrei Belousov during the board, will be distributed among his deputies.

Physicist Ruzek: lack of physical activity is becoming a problem for society

Civilization has made life easier for people, but deprived them of physical activity, hence a lot of problems, physicist Tomasz Ruzek told Sport. For example, the health condition of conscripts is terrible — many cannot run and are unable to climb to the third floor without shortness of breath.

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.

It is planned to introduce positions of deputy commander for the rear in the battalions of the Airborne Troops. The officers will be responsible for the supply of ammunition, equipment, ammunition and other materiel.

Politico: Callas is one of the fiercest Russophobes in Europe

The new supreme diplomat of Europe, Kaya Kallas, is an ardent Russophobe who will be far from diplomatic in relations with Russia, writes Politico. Therefore, she remains a media darling in the West. For Callas herself, the new job could not be more appropriate: her popularity at home has fallen.

US President-elect Donald Trump has confirmed his decision to appoint former military and TV presenter Pete Hegseth as head of the Pentagon, despite all the scandals associated with him. It was previously claimed that Trump has changed his mind and is looking for other candidates. Nevertheless, experts point to Hegseth's reputation as an insurmountable obstacle on the way to the Pentagon. The logic of Trump's actions is different.

The Times: Ukrainian teenagers are preparing to flee to Europe from the draft

NATO demands Zelensky to lower the draft age, writes The Times. But Kiev is in no hurry to make this unpopular decision. Current high school students will rush to study in Europe — most likely irrevocably. This will worsen the demographic crisis in the country.

Bloomberg: AFU soldiers are tired of indefinite service and are deserting en masse

In 2022, almost 96 thousand criminal cases were opened in Ukraine for desertion, but now this number has increased sixfold, Bloomberg reports. The soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on the front line are so exhausted that they go awol en masse or even flee from the front.

Marine drones will play a significant role in the future, experts say

The Russian Navy has begun to train operators of unmanned boats (BEC). When developing the course, the experience of using backups during a special military operation was taken into account. Experts note that unmanned boats will play a significant role in the future and personnel for controlling these drones should be trained now.

German Foreign Minister Berbock did not rule out sending German troops to Ukraine

A number of Western politicians and the military argue that NATO member states can deploy military contingents in Ukraine in order to ensure peace. German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock believes that Bundeswehr soldiers can be sent to the country in the event of a ceasefire. Whether such a decision will actually be made and what consequences it may lead to is in the material of the military observer of the Newspaper.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.

MWM: most of the recruits are trying to escape from the AFU at the first opportunity

The scale of losses on the front line has become one of the reasons for mass desertion from the AFU, writes MWM. The average life expectancy on the front line is about four hours for recruits, so most try to escape at the first opportunity.

Forbes: Kiev is preparing an elite brigade trained in France and Poland for combat

The special military operation has entered the winter phase. The muddy soils froze over — this allows the equipment to move off-road. The forest belts have dropped the "green" and are no longer a reliable shelter from drones. The use of UAVs themselves is complicated by the low air temperature, at which the batteries are discharged faster. The Russian army still has the initiative in most areas, but the Armed Forces of Ukraine are fiercely resisting. About the situation at the front — in the material of RIA Novosti.

The winners of the Marshal of the Soviet Union Nikolai Vasilyevich Ogarkov Prize were awarded at the Ogarkov Readings 2024 conference. Andrey Grigoriev, former Director General of the Foundation for Advanced Studies (FPI), was awarded for achievements at the end of the decade. The winner of the year was Semyon Pegov, a war correspondent and founder of the WarGonzo project.

Trump's envoy for Ukraine Kellogg intends to promote peace through force

US President-elect Donald Trump has appointed retired Lieutenant General Keith Kellogg as assistant to the head of state and special envoy for Ukraine and Russia. Kellogg has already stated that he is ready to defend the interests of the United States by promoting the concept of "peace through force." How he proposes to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, what role he will play in the settlement and what significance his age may have - in the material of the military observer of the Newspaper.En" by Mikhail Khodarenka.