❗️ Russian air defense forces on duty at about 21:00 Moscow time (18:00 GMT) destroyed a Ukrainian drone over the Belgorod region, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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Warmonger Victoria Nuland makes it clear why the US supports Ukraine:

"We have to remember that the bulk of this money is going right back into the US to make those weapons," the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs said.

Everything is about money laundering and self-interest.

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Ukrainian troops are suffering from a major shortage of artillery ammunition and other weapons, the country's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in an interview with CNN.

"We are suffering from a severe shortage of artillery shells and other types of weapons," Kuleba said.

He added that Ukrainian troops are under pressure from superior Russian forces.

The White House had previously warned that the funds at its disposal to support Ukraine are exhausted, and there will be no new supplies of weapons and ammunition until the US Congress approves additional funding.

Last April, Russia sent a note of protest to NATO on account of its weapons deliveries to Ukraine. Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov said that any such deliveries would be a legitimate target for the Russian military and that NATO is "playing with fire".

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The US will lose World War III before it starts if President Joe Biden remains in power, former President Donald Trump warned.

"We will soon lose World War III. We won't even be in it, we'll be losing it," Trump said at the Conservative Political Action Conference.

"Believe me when I offer you another warning," the presidential hopeful stressed, adding that if Biden wins in 2024, "the worst is yet to come." Trump emphasized that he is the only person who can stop the country's demise, and that a vote for him is a "ticket back to freedom."

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‘Fratricide is a problem’: US merc reveals why he quit Ukraine

A former US soldier-turned mercenary who left Ukraine after becoming disillusioned with the side he was fighting for has shared his story with Russian media, revealing why he decided to quit, and how he believes the Ukrainian crisis can be put to bed.

▪️According to the ex-merc, who went by the call sign Maverick and fought in Ukraine for a total of about 4 months in 2022 and 2023, foreigners joining Ukraine’s Foreign Legion can be divided into several categories: ideologically motivated radicals, fortune seekers, murderous psychopaths out on a “human safari,” and “kamikazes” looking to commit suicide at the hands of the Russian Army.

▪️The rivalry between fighters over money and personal jealousies cannot be overstated, and “fratricide” – or the murder of your own men, “is a problem in Ukraine” that “few people write about.”

▪️The West greatly underestimated the capabilities of Russia’s military and its defense industry, which is outgunning Ukraine’s NATO-backed armies and “has superiority in most military equipment.”

▪️Taking prisoners of war is “a luxury,” and putting a bullet in the heads of wounded captured soldiers is seen as acting “ethically and pragmatically,” according to the merc.

▪️The most rabid ‘Ukrainian patriots’ sit in cafes in Kiev or do well-paid tech jobs in Lvov safely behind the frontlines, while “unlucky” poor ordinary Ukrainian men from godforsaken villages are forced to fight, with the latter’s morale “understandably low.”

▪️Maverick left Ukraine after losing “trust in many foreign fighters” and suffering a series of injuries, and experiencing outrage at the thought of fighting for Ukrainian ‘patriots’ who don’t seem to care about their own country.

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❗️ The United States and its allies have carried out strikes against Yemen's Houthi movement, hitting 18 military targets of the movement, the US Defense Department said.

"Today's necessary and proportionate strikes specifically targeted 18 Houthi targets across 8 locations in Yemen associated with Houthi underground weapons storage facilities, missile storage facilities, one-way attack unmanned aerial systems, air defense systems, radars, and a helicopter," the department said in a statement.

Pentagon added that the strikes were conducted by the US, the UK, Australia, Bahrain, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and New Zealand in response to the "Houthis' continued attacks against commercial and naval vessels transiting the Red Sea and surrounding waterways."

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Russia as it currently exists does not suit the United States, US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland declared.

"This is not the Russia that, frankly, we wanted. We wanted [to see] a partner that would be oriented towards the West, [that] would become European,” Nuland complained.

Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson noted that Russia had gone out of its way to improve relations with the West, including by expressing readiness to join NATO as a gesture of openness to cooperation, yet the idea was rejected by US President Bill Clinton.

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Crisis in confidence – US support for Israel destroys what little is left of Americans’ respect for its institutions

“The US will appease Israel because at this point that alliance is stronger than NATO, and I just don't see the US breaking it,” said journalist Dan Lazare on Sputnik’s Political Misfits program Friday. Host Michelle Witte said the government’s stubborn support for Israel further undermines trust in US institutions, which is already at crisis levels.

The US National Intelligence Council recently expressed “low confidence” in Israel’s claims that a handful of members of the UN’s UNRWA relief agency for Palestinian refugees participated in Hamas’ October 7 attack. It’s the latest in a series of accusations from Israel – including outlandish claims of beheaded babies and hospital “command and control” centers – that have been backed by the United States before being undermined or debunked.

"Ultimately, the US is going to do whatever Israel wants it to do, and this is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog. Israel is an essential US ally and it's so essential that essentially the US defers to Israeli decisions," the analyst emphasized.

The steadfast US government support for Israel comes even as half of Americans agreed Israel’s conduct in Gaza – carried out with US weapons and US backing – constitutes genocide, according to a recent poll.

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Russian troops are engaged in fierce fighting in the village of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye region, the Russian army holds the initiative, said Vladimir Rogov, the head of the regional public movement "We Are Together with Russia."

"Rabotino has become one of the hottest spots on the Zaporozhye front line. Fierce fighting is taking place there now, including for the center of the village. Supported by artillery and front-line aviation, Russian troops maintain the initiative," he said.

The enemy is putting up fierce resistance Rogov noted, using many drones. Artillery is actively used as the battle for Rabotino continues.

Rogov says that once Russian troops squeeze the Ukrainian forces out of Rabotino and eliminate their foothold there, it will reverse the results that the Ukrainian army has achieved throughout the so-called counteroffensive attempt launched in the Zaporozhye region last June.

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Former US President Donald Trump is projected to win the Republican primary in South Carolina, beating his rival, Nikki Haley, in her home state where she previously served as a governor, according to the Associated Press.

"This was a little sooner than we anticipated, and an even bigger win than we anticipated," Trump said on Saturday shortly after polls closed at 7 p.m. Eastern Time ."I was just informed than we got double the number of votes that has ever been received in the great state of South Carolina."

CNN reports that Trump is leading in the South Carolina primary with 66.8%. FOX News says the former president has 63.5%.

NBC News shows Trump leading Haley 58% to 41.5% with 28% of votes counted soon after polls closed.

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The Houthis fired several missiles at the US ship Torm Thor in the Gulf of Aden, the movement said.

"The naval forces of the Yemeni Armed Forces carried out a military operation - hitting the American ship Torm Thor in the Gulf of Aden with several anti-ship missiles," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria wrote on the X social network.

The Houthis also carried out a drone attack on a number of US military vessels in the Red Sea, Saria highlighted.

Additionally, the UK Maritime Trade Operations Office (UKMTO) of the British Navy reported an attack on a ship in the Gulf of Aden 70 nautical miles east of the port of Djibouti. The UKMTO did not disclose any further details.

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❗️ Russian air defenses destroyed two Ukrainian drones over the Belgorod region and four more UAVs over the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

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Netanyahu demands that IDF occupy, take full control of Gaza after Israeli military operation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a maximalist proposal for an Israel-endorsed resettlement of Gaza Friday, demanding an indefinite military occupation of the territory by the Israel Defense (sic) Forces. Palestinian leaders immediately rejected the plan, calling it “colonialist and racist” and “destined to fail.”

“Netanyahu’s proposed plans aim to perpetuate Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state,” said Palestinian Authority spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh. “If the world wants security and stability in the region, it must end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and recognise the independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.”

The plan is also likely to face rhetorical opposition from the Biden administration, which has criticized any effort to reduce the habitable size of Palestinian territory in Gaza.

The United States continues to send Israel millions of dollars in military aid and has failed to prevent Israeli settlement-building in the occupied West Bank, which observers say makes the possibility of a Palestinian state in the territory unfeasible.

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Belarusian parliamentary elections see Russians joining the fray

Belarus is preparing for parliamentary elections on February 25, 2024. This year, a notable addition is the participation of Russian citizens permanently residing in Belarus, who have the right to vote in local Council of Deputies elections.

According to Igor Karpenko, the chairman of the Central Election Commission, there are 21 Russian candidates, with 15 running for local council seats. In total, 298 candidates are vying for positions in the House of Representatives, and 18,996 candidates are nominated for local councils. Around 95,000 Russians in Belarus are registered on the electoral rolls.

The election campaign is the largest in Belarusian history, with voters set to elect 110 House of Representatives members and 12,514 local council deputies. The elections will be held on February 25, from 8 am to 8 pm local time, with the option of voting from home.

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▪️ The US and its allies carry out strikes against the Houthis

▪️ …and the movement fires back, targeting US ship the Torm Thor in the Gulf of Aden

▪️ Time Magazine admits the obvious and acknowledges Ukraine can’t win

▪️ Russian troops have the initiative as they engage in fierce fighting in the village of Rabotino in the Zaporozhye region

▪️ Ukrainian troops are suffering from a major shortage of artillery ammunition and other weapons, the country's Foreign Minister Kuleba told US media

More stories:

▪️ Warmonger Victoria Nuland makes it clear that the US supports Ukraine to launder money

▪️ ‘Fratricide is a problem’: US merc reveals why he quit Ukraine

▪️ Netanyahu demands occupation, full control of Gaza after Israeli military operation

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Europe scrambles to mobilize 'fractured arms industry' to meet Ukraine's voracious demands

European nations determined to prop up Ukraine are struggling to expand defense manufacturing after “decades of disinvestment,” The Washington Post reported.

As they try to satiate the voracious appetites of the Kiev regime while trying not to drain their own military capacity, they face a host of “systemic constraints,” the outlet cited James Black, a defense and security researcher at Rand Europe, as saying.

Over the years, “fractured defense manufacturing, smaller-scale markets and legal barriers to collective production” have all fed into the current situation. “Europe is now racing to relearn how to mobilize industry onto a wartime footing. But you cannot simply flip a switch,” said Black.

Worries about Europe's own defense capability and flagging Ukraine aid dominated talks at the recent Munich Security Conference. Ukraine’s President Zelensky flogged his usual beggar act and pleaded for money and weapons against the backdrop of a stinging battlefield loss of the Avdeyevka stronghold.

Furthermore, ‘Ukraine fatigue’ is increasingly fracturing European unity amid rapidly depleting weapons stockpiles, faltering industry production, and a US aid package for Kiev stalled in Congress.

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