Russian Archives - Defence Monitor

28 Jun

Seoul sanctions Russian individual involved in Pyongyang’s illegal weapons-financing activities

Seoul, June 28, South Korea on Wednesday imposed unilateral sanctions on a Russian individual of Korean descent involved in the illegal financing of Pyongyang's weapons of mass destruction programs, the Foreign Ministry here said. Choi Chon Gon of Russia was among the total of four entities -- two individuals and two organisations -- newly added to Seoul's sanctions list against Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development programs, Yonhap News Agency quoted the Ministry as saying Choi, previously a South Korean national, founded a North Korea front company named Hanne Ulaan LCC in Mongolia for the purpose of evading international sanctions while…

17 Jun

First batch of tactical nuclear weapons moved to Belarus: Putin

Moscow, June 17 (IANS) Russia has already stationed a first batch of tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus, Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted by a media outlet as saying. Putin made the remarks during his speech at St Petersburg International Economic Forum. He told the forum that they (tactical nuclear weapons) would only be used if Russian territory or state was threatened, the BBC reported. The US government says there is no indication that the Kremlin plans to use nuclear weapons to attack Ukraine. "We don't see any indications that Russia is preparing to use a nuclear weapon," US Secretary of…

10 Jun

Ukraine achieves no targets in counteroffensive: Putin

Moscow, June 10 (IANS) Ukraine has launched a "counteroffensive" but has "failed" to accomplish its goals, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said. "First, it can be stated with absolute certainty that this offensive has begun. The use of strategic reserves of the Ukrainian forces proves it. Second, in no areas of combat the Ukrainian troops have achieved their tasks. This is an absolutely obvious thing," Putin told reporters in Russia's Sochi on Friday, Xinhua news agency reported. There were "significant losses" of Ukrainian troops in the past five days of "very intense fighting", but Kiev still preserves the offensive potential, Putin…

02 May

Over 20,000 Russian troops killed in Ukraine war since Dec 2022: US

Washington, May 2 (IANS) US National Security Council (NSC) spokesman John Kirby said that Russia has suffered more than 100,000 casualties in its ongoing war against Ukraine, including over 20,000 killed in action, since December 2022. Kirby made the remarks during a press briefing on Monday and added that 80,000 troops have also been injured, the BBC reported. "Russia's attempt at an offensive in the Donbas (region) largely through Bakhmut has failed," Kirby told reporters. "Russia has been unable to seize any real strategic and significant territory. We estimate that Russia has suffered more than 100,000 casualties, including over 20,000 killed…

17 Apr

‘Russian troops lost over 2,000 armoured vehicles, 145 UAVs since war began’

Kiev: As of Sunday, the Russian troops have lost 2,002 armoured combat vehicles and 148 UAVs since the beginning of the war, claimed the Ukrainian Army. General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine claimed in a Facebook post that the total combat losses of the Russian forces between February 24 and April 17 comprise approximately: 20,300 military personnel, 773 tanks, 2,002 armoured combat vehicles, 376 artillery systems, 127 multiple rocket launchers, 66 units of air defence equipment, 165 planes, 146 helicopters, 1,471 automotive equipment and eight ships/boats. Further, as per the post, the Russian forces have also lost 76 fuel…

15 Dec

Arianespace to launch 36 sats of OneWeb of Bharti-UK govt on Dec 18

Chennai: Europe's satellite launch company Arianespace will be launching 36 OneWeb constellation satellites on December 18, using medium lift Russian rocket Soyuz out of Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia.OneWeb, a low earth orbit (LEO) broadband satellite communications company, is a consortium between the UK government and Indian telecom group Bharti Global Ltd. In November 2020 OneWeb announced that it has emerged from US Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition. A consortium of UK Government and Bharti Global, has invested $1bn of new equity to offer broadband connectivity services, via a constellation of 650 LEO satellites. According to Arianespace, the 36 OneWeb satellites have been…

27 Aug

Russian spacecraft with humanoid robot docks at ISS

Moscow: A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a humanoid robot successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday following a failed attempt."The docking has taken place," said the Mission Control Centre. The docking of Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft with the Russian Fedor, short for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research, robot took place several minutes ahead of the schedule, it said.The docking was rescheduled after a failed attempt on August 24. During the first attempt of docking, a fault occurred in the ISS equipment responsible for the safe approach and airlocking, and then the Mission Control Centre decided to withdraw the spacecraft to…

12 Nov

ESA-Roscosmos Mars rover’s landing spot revealed

Moscow: ExoMars rover, the European Space Agency (ESA) and Russian Roscosmos' joint venture to the Red Planet that will set out in 2020, will likely land on Mars' equator called Oxia Planum, the media reported.The Oxia Planum had housed a massive pool of water in the prehistoric era. Scientists will look for "biosignatures", the Sputnik news agency reported on Sunday. The rover will drill into the surface of the Red Planet to search for evidence of ancient life after it lands there in 2021. The teams were earlier expected to confirm the site in mid-2019, just ahead of the much-anticipated 2020 launch,…

18 Feb

Aerobatics, flying display boost waning air show

Bengaluru: Daring feats by roaring fighters and stunning aerobatics by jet trainers and helicopters delighted people at the air show that has waned over time, with lesser participation in the 11th Aero India expo here on Saturday. Touted to be Asia's premier aerospace event and held at the Yelahanka base of the Indian Air Force (IAF) on the city's outskirts, the five-day biennial event has attracted thousands flocking to the air base for the awesome flying and static display of fighters, jets, trainer aircraft and choppers by global and Indian aerospace majors. "We came to witness the flying and static display…

14 Feb

IAF gets AEW&C; India only fourth country to develop eye-in-sky technology

Bengaluru: An indigenous Airborne Early Warning and Control System (AEW&C) christened 'Netra' was handed over to the IAF on Tuesday at the ongoing 'Aero India 2017' here, ushering India into an elite club of nations that have developed such technology on their own. The United States, Russia and Israel are the other countries which have developed the technology for the system. The indigenous system mounted on an aircraft can track area within 240 degrees of its sides at any given point of time. The handover of the system -- mounted on a Brazilian Embraer-145 jet -- by the Defence Research and Development…