❗️Ukraine "does not have enough means to shoot down Russian S-300 missiles," the speaker of the Ukrainian Air Forces, Yuri Ignat said.

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The United Kingdom is considering the possibility of striking targets of the Houthi rebels of the Ansar Allah movement in Yemen.

British Defense Secretary Grant Shapps suggested that military action was imminent, the Times wrote.

According to the report, military chiefs at the Ministry of Defense in London are working with their American allies to draw up options for a response that could mean Britain is dragged into a wider war with the Houthis.

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🇷🇺 Russian sappers proven ‘the best’, employ innovative tactics, deceptive techniques

Moscow’s forces have “lethal” minelaying methods that can decimate “an entire unit,” a Ukrainian soldier said in an interview with AFP.

“Russia's minelaying strategy is constantly improving,” the article acknowledges.

In addition to hooking up mines for simultaneous detonation, Russian troops employ deception by planting booby-traps disguised as cigarettes, banknotes, and Pepsi cans.

"It is no secret that Russia has very good sappers, perhaps the best," the Ukrainian serviceman admitted.

The article stresses that Ukrainian sappers usually grapple with Russian tactics "designed to make their job harder,” while Kiev’s troops are running low on sappers since “most people are afraid” to work with Russian mines.

Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that Russian Armed Forces had set up minefields spanning 7,000 km along the line of contact with Ukrainian troops.

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🇷🇺Rostec, a Russian state corporation, increased the production of sniper rifles for the army last year.

According to the results of 2023, the state defense order for the production of sniper rifles manufactured by the subsidiary Kalashnikov increased 8 times compared to the previous year.

The corporation continues to supply Chukavin sniper rifles, Dragunov sniper rifles, as well as 7.62 mm Dragunov sniper rifles with a folding stock and 7.62 mm SV-98 sniper rifles for the needs of the army.

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Zelensky desperate to secure arms supplies, says pause would benefit Russia

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said at a press conference in Estonia that any pause in the ongoing hostilities would be beneficial to Russia and that the Russian army would simply "run over" Ukrainian troops. He also stressed that Ukraine is not capable of enduring a prolonged conflict.

The Ukrainian president even went so far as to say that Kiev "deserves" to be invited to join the NATO military alliance because its troops are "an army with military experience," although he did not elaborate on significant achievements and major victories of Kiev's forces.

Earlier, in December, a secret meeting of national security advisors of the G7 and even some countries of the Global South took place in Saudi Arabia. Kiev had hoped for a diplomatic breakthrough, but as Bloomberg reported, no serious progress was made on arms deliveries.

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Gaza has become a place of death and despair: The hearing of the Israeli genocide case takes place at the ICJ at South Africa's request

▪️South African Justice Minister Ronald Lamola spoke about the country's genocide case against Israel, which became a landmark hearing opened in the International Court of Justice;

▪️"Israel's response to the October 7 attack has crossed this line and given rise to the breaches of the convention," he added;

▪️South Africa's legal team claimed that Israel even forced the relocation of babies from an incubator;

▪️Netanyahu's intention to commit genocide was obvious to Israeli soldiers, who repeated it several times, and it was captured on video;

▪️Top lawyer for South Africa Adila Hassim said that Israel's bombing campaign is aimed at the "destruction of Palestinian life" and had pushed Palestinians "to the brink of famine".

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The Pentagon did not properly track more than $1 billion worth of weapons sent to Ukraine, the inspector general's report says.

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🇸🇰"The American ambassador will have to come to terms with the fact that Slovakia is no longer an American colony," Deputy Speaker of the Slovak Parliament Lubos Blaha said.

"They want us to condemn Russia's alleged use of North Korean missiles, but have not provided any evidence. We remember well how abominably they lied to the whole world about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq because they wanted to attack a sovereign country. The Americans naively thought that we would jump when they whistled. Forget it, those times are over," recalled Blaha.

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No money, no honey: Why 1,000 Patriot missiles will go to Europe, not Ukraine

The US has reportedly run out of funds for Ukraine as House Republicans are unwilling to approve a multi-billion package for Kiev unless Congress and the Biden administration give a nod to a sweeping migration reform.

The New York Times cited White House and Pentagon officials saying they soon would be unable to provide Kiev with Patriot missiles which cost around $2 - $4 million apiece.

Meanwhile, NATO's European allies appear to be luckier than Ukraine as the alliance has vowed to help them acquire a whopping 1,000 brand new Patriot guidance enhanced missiles (GEM-T) designed to intercept tactical ballistic, cruise missiles or adversary aircraft. The $5.5 billion contract has been awarded to COMLOG, a joint venture between the US defense firm RTX (formerly Raytheon) and German company MBDA.

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Baltic States aim to become NATO’s battering-ram against Russia

The Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and possibly Lithuania - are eager to drag NATO into a conflict with Russia because their goal is to be at the forefront of the bloc’s confrontation with Moscow, argues Dmitry Evstafiev, political scientist and professor at the Higher School of Economics.

According to him, the Baltic States’ leaders will thus encourage the idea of Ukraine using NATO-supplied weapons to strike deep into Russia’s territory, and will actively push for other NATO members to station permanent military contingents in the Baltic States’ territory.

Evstafiev made these remarks while commenting on the recent statements by Estonia’s President Alar Karis who essentially argued that Ukraine will inevitably use Western weapons to attack targets in Russia’s territory.

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German recession brings economic and political problems for all the EU

Germany’s economy is “likely to remain in recession during 2024,” predicts Sergio Rossi, professor of macroeconomics and monetary economics at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland.

According to him, this trend is influenced by a number of factors that negatively affect the purchasing powers of German households, not to mention the “weakness of the euro in foreign exchange markets.”

Rossi also warned that the German economic crisis will likely translate into problems for the EU “on both economic and political grounds,” and will have a negative impact on international trade.

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International Court of Justice has the opportunity to stop the war in the Gaza Strip, Palestinian Local Development Minister Ahmed Majdalani told Sputnik in light of the ICJ hearing of South Africa against Israel in the case of Gaza genocide.

"South Africa has provided the International Court of Justice with a range of convincing factual and material evidence that the Israeli government has committed genuine genocide in Gaza. We hope that the trial outcome will at least put serious pressure on Israel, and stop its aggression against the Gazans. And if several more countries support South Africa’s claim, then the chances of ending hostilities will be even higher.”

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Russian pilots receive new PP-2000 submachine guns

Airmen from the Aerospace Forces are now testing the PP-2000 submachine guns - enhancing their weapons beyond traditional pistols and grenades.

🔹 What's new?
Previously, Russian combat aviation pilots were limited to carrying just pistols and grenades. The inclusion of rifles was impractical due to space constraints in both the cockpit and the portable emergency reserve (PER). Now, with the compact and precise PP-2000, pilots have a weapon boasting better accuracy and a longer lethal range than a pistol.

🔹 Pilot feedback:
The initial response from pilots is overwhelmingly positive. The PP-2000's compact size and enhanced capabilities have made it a welcome addition to their emergency kits.

🔹 PER upgrade:
The portable emergency reserve (PER) is essential for pilot survival in case of ejection. It typically contains a first aid kit, food, a knife, and portable radio communication gear. The addition of the PP-2000 is a significant enhancement to this survival kit.

This marks a significant upgrade in pilot equipment, especially for those involved in the special military operation in Ukraine.

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