DefenceTalkUkraine’s military is “unsuited” to the current conflict against pro-Russian separatists and needs more armored vehicles and artillery rockets, a British defence think tank said on Wednesday. Regularizing volunteer battalions that have played a key role in the fighting will also be a “significant challenge”, the International Institute of Strategic Studies said in its 2015 […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-military-unsuited-to-current-conflict-study-62933/

DefenceTalkRussia is highly likely to intervene in the Baltic states to test NATO’s collective defense commitment, the former head of the Atlantic alliance was quoted as saying by Britain’s Daily Telegraph on Friday. “This is not about Ukraine. Putin wants to restore Russia to its former position as a great power,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen told […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ex-nato-chief-says-russia-likely-to-act-in-baltics-62773/

DefenceTalkMeasures taken by the Russian Defense Ministry to develop the Strategic Nuclear Forces and raise the capabilities of regular troops will prevent the United States or NATO’s superiority over Russia, General Staff head Valery Gerasimov said Friday. “The Armed Forces’ priority is the quality improvement of the Strategic Nuclear Forces,” Gerasimov said. The statement comes […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-to-keep-up-with-us-nato-military-capability-62621/

DefenceTalkAre the West and Russia heading for a showdown over Ukraine? The preponderance of the evidence would strongly suggest that the answer to this question is yes. Moscow-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine are intensifying their offensive against the government in Kiev. It appears as if the strategy now is to occupy a swathe of territory […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-cannot-arm-ukraine-and-also-buy-russian-rocket-motors-62613/

DefenceTalkWashington is once again considering military aid to Ukraine after fierce offensive by Kremlin-backed rebels, but defense experts fear it will only justify Russian conspiracy theories and drive East and West closer to full-blown war. The recent rebel assaults across crucial parts of the frontline in eastern Ukraine may have been timed precisely out of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-aid-to-ukraine-would-be-dangerous-move-62550/

DefenceTalkAt least 19 people, including 13 Ukrainian troops, have been killed in fighting with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country over the last 24 hours, officials and rebels said Sunday. At least 20 Ukrainian troops were also wounded, said Ukrainian defence official Volodymyr Poliovyi, as separatists pushed their offensive around key transport hub […]https://www.defencetalk.com/19-die-in-east-ukraine-fighting-in-24-hours-62488/

DefenceTalkUkrainian troops are struggling to counter artillery fire and electronic jamming by pro-Russian militants, who are flying drones to target the Kiev government forces, a top US general said Thursday. The Ukrainian army’s communications are hampered by the electronic warfare carried out by the separatists and they lack equipment and training to thwart artillery barrages, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukrainian-forces-face-drones-electronic-jamming-us-62350/

DefenceTalkUkrainian forces on Thursday abandoned their defense of a long-disputed airport in the country’s separatist east and vowed a response to Russia’s escalating “aggression” in one of the deadliest days of the nine-month war. In a graphic illustration of the worsening conflict, pro-Russian rebels also paraded some 20 captured Ukrainian soldiers through the city of […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-troops-abandon-airport-in-bloody-day-of-conflict-62092/

DefenceTalkFrance would only deliver two warships ordered by Russia if there were concrete signs of lasting peace in Ukraine, the French defence minister said Thursday. Russia has been accused by the West of arming and bankrolling a rebellion in eastern Ukraine, a charge Moscow denies. But sanctions imposed by the European Union and the United […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-wants-firm-signs-of-ukraine-peace-before-russia-warship-delivery-61238/

DefenceTalkThe Kremlin on Friday published a revised military doctrine that labels NATO a fundamental threat to Russian security, and reflects the dramatically deteriorated relations between Moscow and the West. Approved by Russian President Vladimir Putin, the doctrine decries the “reinforcement of NATO’s offensive capacities directly on Russia’s borders, and measures taken to deploy a global […]https://www.defencetalk.com/new-russian-military-doctrine-labels-nato-security-threat-61216/