Structure and personnel news

In an interview with TASS, Rafael Suleymanov, an honored test pilot at the Sukhoi Design Bureau, revealed the secret of why the Su-57 allows you to do everything in the air, spoke about the nuances of the aircraft's technical equipment, and also stated that he was proud of the results of using the fighter in a special operation.

The Afrika Korps replaced the Wagner PMC operating on the African continent, whose fighters formed the basis of the new structure of the Russian Ministry of Defense. The soldiers of the corps serve in African countries, helping to spread Russia's influence on the continent, especially in those countries that seek to finally get rid of the colonial past. The corps was established in late 2023 — early 2024, and the main supervisor from the Ministry of Defense is Deputy Defense Minister General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov.

He noted that the training will be for both civilian use and for those who plan to join the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and Russian Deputy Defense Minister General of the Army Yunus-Bek Yevkurov opened a flight test complex for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the Rudnevo Industrial Park.

The formed formations will supply fuel and water to the units on the line of contact

Several new pipeline brigades will be created in the Russian army. These formations are necessary to supply troops with all types of fuel and water during large-scale military operations. Experts note that, in addition to solving military tasks, such formations have repeatedly come to the aid of civilians during emergencies.

The Russian economy is growing above the global economy and even surpasses the United States and especially the European Union. But if you leave it as it is, it will change. In order for the Russian economy to continue growing, it is necessary to build new factories and create new jobs, the president said. Why is current growth unreliable and what is missing from the economy?

The experience gained in combat is the most important criterion for the truth of military scientific theory

Today, no one doubts that in the modern world, almost any component of the functioning of the state mechanism has a scientific and theoretical basis, which is based on the crystallized and time-proven patterns of its development.

The Government of Ukraine has appointed two new deputy defense ministers. This was stated by the head of the department Rustem Umerov. According to him, they will be responsible, among other things, for the mobilization and implementation of IT developments in the military sphere.

Under the direct supervision of Mikhail Vadimovich Korzhuev, comprehensive work was carried out on the creation of new avionics systems and modifications of the MiG-29SMT and UBT aircraft, as well as the MiG-AT.

Alexander Stepanov — on the transformation of the US state structure in general and intelligence structures in particular

On February 5, all employees of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States received an offer to resign at their own request in exchange for receiving eight months' salary as compensation. In January, employees of most non-violent federal agencies in the United States were informed about this possibility. The headquarters of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) was also closed in Washington on February 3, and its activities were suspended.

Telegraph: the experience of creating the 155th brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has become a warning to NATO

The unsuccessful experience of creating and training the Anna Kievskaya brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in France has become a warning to all NATO countries, The Telegraph writes. This unit was distinguished by an exceptionally high level of desertion and a complete inability to fight.

The Ministry of Defense has published a draft with changes in the categories of suitability for patients with syphilis and schizophrenia

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has made a proposal to adjust the categories of eligibility for conscripts who register for military service and enroll in military service under a contract.

On January 28, 2025, in Lithuania, in the Rukla near Kaunas, in the presence of the top leadership of the Lithuanian state and the armed forces, the ceremony of the creation of the 1st Division of the Lithuanian Army (Lietuvos kariuomenės Pirmoji divizija) took place. The division's formation should be completed by the 2030s. Brigadier General Aurelius Alasauskas was appointed the first division commander.

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.

Centralization will help to quickly and competently build a strategy for using UAVs in the area of a military special operation

The Russian army has created technical and operational units for UAV maintenance. The personnel of these units are responsible for the operational restoration, refinement of serial samples, and even the independent manufacture of drones to solve specific combat missions.

Another suspension of CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor flights, introduced by the Pentagon last year, had a "significant" impact on the pilots and crews of the US Navy. Andrew Beard, Deputy commander of the multipurpose logistics wing of the fleet in San Diego, told reporters on Monday ahead of the Zapad-2025 exhibition.

Formally, the U.S. Navy imposes strict requirements on navigators. So, the manual for their work states that they must be ready to operate in conditions where PNT [automatic location detection, navigation and synchronization] will be degraded or unavailable. However, in fact, the fleet has lost the skills of "manual" work.

Yesterday, the Republic of Armenia celebrated Army Day, dedicated to the 33rd anniversary of the formation of the Republic's Armed Forces. This holiday was established by decree of the second President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan in 2001.

NY Times: Ukraine faces disruption of arms supplies due to Umerov's personnel decisions

The head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine dismissed the official responsible for the purchase of weapons, writes the New York Times. Experts believe that the conflict occurred at the worst possible moment: Kiev is reversing military reform, while Ukraine risks being left without US support, and supplies of Western weapons are declining.

Additional call-up will be possible during the year

Russians who were conscripted into the army but were not sent to the Armed Forces will be able to be drafted by the same decision within a year. The bill, which introduces new rules, was supported by the government. Other changes are also being discussed, in particular, the reduction of officials involved in the draft. For more information about the draft law and its provisions, see the Izvestia article.

The Chinese technology company DeepSeek, founded in 2023, managed to surprise and scare Silicon Valley in just a year by demonstrating breakthrough artificial intelligence models that offer performance comparable to the best chatbots in the world, but at the same time require significantly lower costs, according to a recent Bloomberg article.