 Russia prepares for long-term standoff in Baltic, Lithuanian military intelligence warns. Russia's military is preparing for a protracted standoff with NATO member states in the Baltic Sea region as the Kremlin expands military capability westward, Lithuania's spy agencies said. It is noted that President Vladimir Putin's military is increasingly using air, naval and nuclear forces to project Russian potential in the Baltic, according to a joint report by the Baltic nation's military and domestic intelligence agencies. The development is part of a major realignment of Russia's armed forces in its western regions. The Lithuanian military intelligence assesses that Russia will have sufficient resources to sustain its war against Ukraine at the current intensity for at least the next two years. According to Lithuanian intelligence, the aggressor country's capability is sustained by high oil prices, invasion of international sanctions and state investments. In a joint report by the Counterintelligence Department of the State Security and Military Intelligence and Security Service of the Ministry of National Defence of Lithuania, it is noted that Russia has reformed and strengthened its army, which was severely battered during the fighting in Ukraine in 2023, and is on the path to expanding its military potential along its border with NATO countries. Moscow is able to evaluate the lessons learned and improve its combat effectiveness, the Lithuanian agencies added. Russia has world's most diverse nuclear arsenal, U.S. General. Russia poses a serious challenge to America's military dominance, Air Force General Antony Cotton, who heads the U.S. Strategic Command said. Moscow already possesses a nuclear arsenal that exceeds Washington's and is actively modernizing it. He told the U.S. Senate's Armed Forces Committee in a prepared statement. Together with China, Russia is swiftly improving its position against the U.S. and its allies in multiple domains. The general warned adding that the pace of these changes is increasing and is now much faster than that seen just a few years ago. He pointed to a recent statement from Russian President Vladimir Putin, who said in early February that the Russian strategic and nuclear forces had been almost completely modernized. The naval component of the nation's nuclear deterrence triad had been almost 100% upgraded, he said. Russia is currently in possession of the largest and most diverse nuclear arsenal of any nation. Cotton said, specifically pointing to Moscow's Samat intercontinental ballistic missiles and brand new submarines also capable of carrying nuclear weapons. According to the U.S. General, Moscow is also expanding and modernizing its nuclear options beyond the classic nuclear triad. In particular, he drew Senators' attention to the Kinzel and Siakon hypersonic missiles, both of which he claimed could carry nuclear payloads. The U.S. strategic forces are currently operating in the face of challenges, unlike anything America has ever encountered. Cotton warned adding that the combined potentials of Russia and China, together with North Korea's and Iran's nuclear ambitions, add new layers of complexity to our strategic calculus. He urged Senators to facilitate a rapid upgrade of the U.S.'s own arsenal, adding that it is absolutely critical we continue at speed with the modernization of our nuclear triad. Ukrainian Air Force reveals remaining A-50 aircraft in Russia. In Russia, fewer than eight long-range A-50 radar detection aircraft remain. One such aircraft was destroyed February 23 by the Ukrainian Defence Forces, reports Air Force spokesperson Yuri Inat during a televised marathon. The successes we have today, this extended arm, the ability to reach the enemy where they absolutely don't expect it, speak to the fact that the adversary will have fewer capabilities in this direction after losing the A-50. The spokesperson noted that the destroyed aircraft had been modernized. As explained by Inat, the A-50 is essentially a radar that can observe and scan, detecting all aerial targets within a radius of 600 km and identifying electronic warfare systems. We need to look at the intelligence data. The head of the main intelligence directorate, Kirill Obudanov, said there were eight aircraft before this. Not all of them were operational, and not all of them were modernized. So there were only a few of them left, Inat added. On February 23, Defence Forces of Ukraine reported that a Russian A-50 aircraft was shot down over the Sea of Azov. This is the second A-50 that the Armed Forces of Ukraine have destroyed since the beginning of the war. According to the main intelligence directorate, the A-50U is a new, modernized version of the aircraft. The cost of the destroyed aircraft is $350 million. The Russians used such an Airborne Command Post for long-range radar detection, control and guidance for strikes against Ukraine with missiles from strategic aviation.