According to Ukrainian media, border guards reported that military draft dodgers in Ukraine have resorted to disguising themselves as animals in their attempt to escape the country.

Security camera footage that has been published captures the moment two men, under the cover of darkness, crawl on all fours while attempting to cross the border.

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NATO chief praises Trump for anti-China stance

“You shifted your policy on China in 2017 under President Trump, and since then, NATO has gone a long way in helping European allies fully appreciate the challenges posed by China and respond to it,” NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said during a speech at conservative think-tank in Washington on Wednesday.

Stoltenberg pledged that the alliance would help the US take on the “China challenge,” but did not offer specifics on what support it was willing to provide.

In recent years, NATO has sought to expand its military footprint in the Asia-Pacific region and declared that it views China as a “threat” that needs to be contained. Beijing has promised a “resolute response” to any NATO expansion into Asia.

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Huge air vulnerability, massive gap in NATO’s arsenal exposed in Ukraine

Retired US Marine Colonel Mark Cancian pointed out in an interview with Business Insider that the hybrid air defense systems, known as FrankenSAM, used by the armed forces of Ukraine, have exposed NATO's vulnerability to Russia’s military power.

"Ukraine's use of experimental "FrankenSAM" defense systems has highlighted gaps in NATO's own arsenals," the publication said.

According to Cancian, the utilization of such weaponry by the Ukrainian army highlights a deficiency in ground-based air defense systems within the North Atlantic military bloc, including the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Moscow harbors no geopolitical or economic ambition to engage in hostilities with NATO members.

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🇮🇷 Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi asserted that while his country has no intention of initiating a war but it will "respond strongly" to any attempts at bullying.

"We will not start any war, but if anyone wants to bully us they will receive a strong response," Raisi said in a televised speech.

"Before, when they (the Americans) wanted to talk to us, they said the military option is on the table. Now they say they have no intention of a conflict with Iran," he said.

"The Islamic Republic's military power in the region is not and never has been a threat to any country. Rather, it ensures security that the countries of the region can rely on and trust," Raisi added.

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❗️ Ukraine’s actions are cynical; in order to achieve selfish goals, it is ready to commit any crime, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, commenting on the downing of Il-76

❗️ Statements by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the achievements of the Russian army in January in the special operation zone

▪️ Ukrainian forces' losses in January exceeded 23,000 people killed and injured;

▪️ Russian forces maintain strategic initiative along line of contact after Ukraine’s counteroffensive failed;

▪️ Russian forces now in control of Veseloe, Tabaevka, Krakhmalnoe settlements after fighting in Kupyansk, Krasny Liman, Donetsk directions;

▪️ Groups of Russian troops continue to reduce the enemy's combat potential;

▪️ Russian troops destroyed more than 3 thousand Ukrainian weapons in January, including Leopard tanks, Patriot and HIMARS launchers;

▪️ Russia in January carried out 127 strikes with high-precision weapons on military infrastructure, facilities of defense industry of Ukraine;

▪️ Kiev throws its remaining reserves into battle and hastily carries out the next forced mobilizations to prevent the collapse of the defense;

▪️ To demonstrate to Western curators at least some success, the Zelensky regime is carrying out terrorist attacks against Russian civilians.

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❗️ French Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne revealed the death of two French citizens in Ukraine.

According to him, "two French aid workers" were killed there. "Three others were injured," Sejourne stated.

Previously, Russian troops struck a location housing foreign mercs in Kharkov. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the strike killed more than 60 French mercenaries.

"Two humanitarians? I would like to confirm that. Because the 400 French people who went to kill Palestinian children and babies are also humanitarians?" netizens quipped, questioning the minister in the comments.

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A member of the Ansar Allah Politburo, Ali al Qahum, commented for Sputnik on the ongoing attacks of the Western coalition on the territory of Yemen.

“The US and UK are confused. They have failed to provide protection to Israel in the Red Sea and cannot support it in continuing its criminal aggression against Gaza and the oppressed Palestinian people.”

“We see that Western countries are preparing for an escalation of the situation in Yemen. But I want to assure you that the Houthis are also preparing for retaliatory actions. He will be tough. And the area and scale of military operations will be wider. In this war, all options are open. We will spare no effort or means to defend our sovereignty and help our Palestinian brothers.”

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🇵🇱 Polish farmers plan to go on strike and block the Ukrainian border on 9 February in protest against European agricultural policy

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"Units of the Russian Armed Forces are moving forward, expanding control zones, and improving their position along the front line," Shoigu said.

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🇭🇺 Hungary doesn’t care what the Ukrainians think of Budapest’s foreign policy, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.

"We are a sovereign country and do not seek any 'kosher certification' from the Ukrainians," he commented.

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NATO is gearing up to simulate a nuclear conflict scenario with Russia during upcoming exercises, says military expert Igor Korotchenko.

According to The Sun, a UK-based daily, the British Navy is preparing to launch a Trident 2 ICBM from a submarine in the Atlantic, marking the first time this has happened since 2016.

Korotchenko, in an interview with Sputnik, stated that missile launches to verify characteristics are a routine occurrence. However, this time they have chosen to perform these launches in tandem with the largest NATO exercises focused on a potential conflict with Russia since the end of the Cold War.

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The head of the US National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Jill Hruby addressed a specialized summit to shed light on the agency’s endeavors and the global challenges it faces

Agency work:

▪️ NNSA faces its greatest challenges since the creation of the hydrogen bomb.

▪️ Revitalizing old nuclear infrastructure inherited from the Second World War is necessary to ensure its operation for 50 years to come.

▪️ The United States is pursuing uranium enrichment strategies for defense and civilian energy needs.

▪️ In the coming decades, the country will need to restart the production of highly enriched uranium.

▪️ NNSA delivered more than 200 modernized weapons to the Pentagon in 2023.

▪️ The new defense budget approves the creation of a sea-launched nuclear cruise missile (SLCM-N) with combat readiness by 2034.

Global challenges:

▪️ The worldwide nuclear landscape has become not only more dangerous, but also more dynamic.

▪️ The United States views Russia’s actions in the nuclear sphere as “destabilizing.”

▪️ Artificial intelligence poses a threat of becoming a proliferation pathway for weapons of mass destruction, this even includes nuclear arms.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Russia has no need to use nuclear weapons. He noted that Russia has more nuclear weapons than NATO countries. According to him, the United States is the only state in the world that has used nuclear weapons against a non-nuclear state, thereby creating a precedent.

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