Israel is struggling to get enough reservists to report for duty as it prepares a new Gaza City invasion.

A commando master sergeant said after 400 days of fighting:

“People are dying for nothing… Netanyahu is prolonging the war for his own political survival.”

Dalit Spektor, whose husband has served 580 days, said:

“The war is political, because none of us believes in our leadership. If it was up to me, I would ask you not to go.”

Commanders are even recruiting via WhatsApp groups, writing:

“I’m looking for combat soldiers, mainly medics and snipers… If there are reservists who are interested please message me privately.”

Source: WSJ

NEW: Finland and Poland are exploring an unusual defense strategy: restoring peatlands and wetlands to stop Russian tanks.

Both countries see rewetting bogs as a natural anti-tank barrier, forcing invaders into predictable, easier-to-defend routes.

France quietly told hospitals to get ready for mass-casualty scenarios by March 2026, with capacity for up to 50,000 wounded troops.

Officials stress it’s precautionary planning, not a war forecast.

Source: Le Canard enchaîné

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping began bilateral talks in Beijing, praising their countries’ ties as at an “unprecedented level.”

Putin:

“We were always together then, and we remain together now.”

Xi responded that China-Russia relations have “withstood the test of international changes” and vowed to build a “more just global governance system.”

The meeting comes before China’s largest-ever military parade, marking WWII’s 80th anniversary.

Both leaders criticized the West, with Xi condemning “bullying” and Putin blaming the West for the Ukraine war.

Ukrainian FPV drones breach a Russian facility, hitting both personnel and equipment.

NEW: China will allow visa-free entry for Russian citizens with regular passports for up to 30 days.

DR Congo: Peace talks in Doha stall as clashes intensify between government forces and AFC/M23, with tensions rising after statements by Tshisekedi and Nangaa.

Sudan Doctors Network:

18 killed and over 100 injured in deliberate RSF shelling of El Fasher neighborhoods yesterday.

Somalia: Airstrikes hit outskirts of Ceelbuur, Galgaduud, killing senior Al-Shabaab commander and militants, and destroying explosives facility.

Source: Somalia Security Insight

WATCH: Indian extremists in Bhopal held a mock funeral for President Trump.

Turkish President Erdogan tightly held Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian’s hand and sleeve in China.

Pezeshkian expressed hope Erdogan would visit Tehran soon.

Interesting: Four German far-right AfD candidates suddenly died within weeks, forcing multiple districts into reprinting ballots under tight deadlines.

Putin’s Aide Ushakov:

No meeting with Zelensky was agreed between Putin and Trump.

While many speak of a trilateral meeting, there was no such agreement.

Germany now sees Viktor Orbán’s anti-Ukraine stance as a security threat.

Berlin is considering freezing €43 billion in EU funds and pushing to suspend Hungary’s EU voting rights under Article 7.

EU leaders are also weighing ways to bypass Hungary’s veto power.

Source: Átlátszó

Putin, smiling, on how he’s doing:

“If I’m alive, that’s already good.”

Slovak PM Robert Fico to Putin:

Today we (the EU) are like that frog at the bottom of a well, thinking the sky is only as big as we see.

But the world is different.

Putin:

Russia never had, does not have, and will not have the desire to attack anyone.

Hysteria in the EU on this is provocation or incompetence.

Under Trump, the U.S. began to hear Russia.

Putin:

We have never opposed Ukraine’s EU membership.

Trump to the Daily Caller:

We settled seven wars. Actually more than that, because there are two of them that nobody found out.

Putin:

A consensus on providing security guarantees for Ukraine is possible.

Trump to the Daily Caller:

Biden says he has Stage Nine cancer. That was, what? Two, three months ago.

Stage Nine. I’ve never heard of more than stage four. Stage four is the highest. I’ve never — if you’re stage four, you’re dead.