DefenceTalkRussia continues to build up along its border with Ukraine and has moved sophisticated weapons systems into the country, the Pentagon press secretary said here today. Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby told reporters that Russian military forces are part of those movements. Russian forces are, “facilitating the movement and then helping the separatists use the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-russia-intensifies-efforts-inside-ukraine-60455/

DefenceTalkRebels in east Ukraine appear to have seized swathes of territory from retreating government forces, while Western intelligence says Russian army units are operating inside the country. After weeks of government offensives that have seen troops push deep into the last rebel bastions, the tide appeared to be turning once again in the four-month conflict, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/rebels-seize-ground-as-west-claims-russia-army-is-in-ukraine-60453/

DefenceTalkA Ukrainian warplane was blown out of the sky over rebel-held territory Wednesday as fierce clashes between government troops and pro-Russian insurgents left dozens of civilians dead. Fighting intensified as Kiev appeared to ramp up a deadly offensive to crush the ailing rebellion in the east ahead of a fresh round of diplomacy that will […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-warplane-shot-down-as-clashes-kill-dozens-60408/

DefenceTalkA Ukrainian fighter jet tumbled to earth in a fireball Thursday after it was blasted out of the air while flying low over rebel-held territory in the east of the country. An AFP crew saw the Sukhoi warplane explode in mid-air and the parachute of at least one pilot opening up in the clear blue […]https://www.defencetalk.com/fighter-jet-shot-down-over-rebel-held-east-ukraine-60336/

DefenceTalkFrance’s contract to sell a pair of Mistral aircraft carriers to Moscow has come under fire in recent months, as relations between the West and Russia have deteriorated over Ukraine. Last month, President Barack Obama said it would be preferable if France pushed the “pause button” on the deal. “I have expressed some concerns, and […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-criticized-for-warships-contract-with-russia-60248/

DefenceTalkPro-Russian rebels on Wednesday shot down two Ukrainian fighter jets in eastern Ukraine just days after the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, a Ukrainian military spokesman told AFP. “Two Sukhoi Ukrainian fighter jets have been shot down. The fate of the pilots is not known,” spokesman Oleksiy Dmytrashkivsky said, adding the planes were brought […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-rebels-shoot-down-two-fighter-jets-60241/

DefenceTalkRussia on Saturday launched a blistering attack against Washington after US President Barack Obama said that a missile fired from territory controlled by Moscow-backed rebels downed the Malaysian Airlines flight over Ukraine. In his most extensive comments on the tragedy that killed 298 people aboard MH17 flight en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, Obama […]https://www.defencetalk.com/russia-slams-us-for-implicating-rebels-in-jet-crash-60216/

DefenceTalkOn Thursday, when a Malaysian Airlines plane was apparently shot down over Ukraine, a Ukrainian Buk anti-aircraft missile battery was operational in the region, the Russian Defense Ministry said, contradicting Kiev’s statements. The battery was deployed at a site from which it could have fired a missile at the airliner, the ministry said in a […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukrainian-buk-battery-radar-was-operational-when-malaysian-plane-downed-60196/

DefenceTalkNATO’s secretary general has once again warned of Russia’s military capacities. A look at the country’s armed forces shows modernizing equipment, more flexible soldiers and nuclear parity. “Russian defense spending has grown by more than 10 percent in real terms each year over the past five years,” said NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen at […]https://www.defencetalk.com/aging-russian-military-scales-up-rearmament-59920/

DefenceTalkDozor-B armored vehicle in amount of 200 units of Kharkiv Morozov Machine-Building Design Bureau production – member enterprise of Ukroboronprom State Concern – will be supplied to Armed Forces of Ukraine and National Guard to put it into the service. It was announced by Oleksandr Turchinov, Acting President of Ukraine on June 4, 2014 at […]https://www.defencetalk.com/ukraine-orders-200-dozor-b-small-lavs-59883/