Structure and personnel news
Young people are preparing to flee, as Kiev is forced to call them (The Times, UK)
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.
Exhausted soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are increasingly leaving military units (Bloomberg, USA)
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.
Training course: The Navy began to train operators of unmanned boats
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.
"Trump's position will be decisive." In the West, they started talking about sending troops to Ukraine
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.
Desertion in the Armed Forces has become more frequent amid catastrophic losses: most conscripts are simply trying to escape (Military Watch Magazine, USA)
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.
"They were sent from France." What is Syrsky up to
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 Ogarkov Prize in 2024 have been named
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.
"An 80-year-old veteran will decide": what to expect from the new US special envoy to Ukraine?
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.
