The annual multinational Cobra Gold military exercise marks its 42nd edition in 2024. The largest international war games in the Asia-Pacific region, this year the drills kicked off on February 27 with an opening ceremony at Thailand's U-Tapao Naval Aviation Base.

In total, more than 10,000 military personnel from 30 countries are participating in the exercise, which consists of naval, air, land, and humanitarian segments, including more than 8,000 from Thailand and the United States. More than 20 countries are represented in the exercise by small contingents participating in some drills and as observers.

The People's Republic of China and India are participating only in the humanitarian segment of the exercise. The Cobra Gold war games will last until March 10, 2024.

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To Biden and the American elites: Your sanctions have failed to weaken Russia

Christopher Helali, international secretary of PCUSA, has addressed Joe Biden, saying that the sanctions against Russia have failed to weaken the nation, but are instead bolstering its resilience.

“The Russian people are strong. The Russian economy is thriving. There's food, there is energy, anything you want here. And it's absolutely amazing to see. So, to President Biden and the rest of the elites in the US: you have failed,” he told Sputnik on the sidelines of the World Youth Festival in Sirius, Russia.

He observed a thriving Russian economy with abundant resources, signaling a shift away from Western influence towards the East. Helali applauded Russia's assertion of sovereignty and independent foreign policy, viewing it as a positive departure from the established world order.

“What I have seen is a country that has stood up, they won't take orders from Washington or Brussels or anybody else, and that is willing to defend its borders, its national security. And for me as an American, this is a tremendous breath of fresh air to see [it],” Helali said.

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❗️The US Supreme Court unanimously overturns Colorado's decision to exclude Trump from the ballot.

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Is the US Flying F-35s in Ukraine-related NATO missions?

During a speech on February 28, Singaporean Minister of Defense Ng Eng Hen said that the United States was using the stealth fighter to conduct reconnaissance missions on behalf of Ukraine.

"More recently, the US used their F-35s to locate and identify surface-to-air missile sites of Russian units in Ukraine, and this information was shared with NATO countries,” he said according to Singaporean MOD website

Sputnik correspondent Russell Bentley (@TXDPR) writes that this statement is noteworthy given Singapore’s close military and intelligence ties to the US.

If officially confirmed, the US conducting F-35 missions on behalf of Ukraine would be the latest sign that NATO is preparing for a major military escalation. French President Emmanuel Macron recently floated the idea of sending troops in Ukraine. Additionally, German military brass was caught discussing an attack on Crimean Bridge during a leaked phone call.

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Jack Teixeira, a defendant in the Pentagon Documents leak case, pleaded guilty and agreed to a prison term of 16 years, according to a court document.

Earlier, Teixeira was accused of leaking sensitive and classified Pentagon documents, including information about national security issues and Ukraine.

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What NATO hardware has Russia destroyed in Ukraine?

Here’s a list of some of the pricey Western defense hardware destroyed to date:

🔺NATO main battle tanks including the M1 Abrams ($10mln apiece), Challenger 2s ($5.3mln each), and Leopard 1 and 2s ($5-$6.25mln apiece).

🔺M113 APC ($100k-$200k apiece) and Bradley IFV ($3.3-$4mln each), some of them captured intact.

🔺Patriot and SAMP-T extended range air and missile defenses. US officials confirmed that Russian strikes had “damaged” a Patriot battery in May 2023, and Russia’s MoD reported on the destruction of a SAMP-T in January 2024. These systems are among the costliest items in this list, going for $1.1bln and $44mln, respectively, with the interceptor missiles alone priced at between $1mln and $6mln each.

🔺The Russian MoD has reported on the destruction of other air defenses, including a $406 million NASAMS short-to-medium-range air defense system, and the IRIS-T, a European consortium-made short-range SAM going for $152 million per battery.

🔺Russian air, missile and drone strike rampage has also included the targeting of an array of NATO radars, including the AN/TRQ-36, a US-made fire finder radar priced at $1.5mln apiece, and Ukraine’s sole Skyguard II radar, delivered by Italy in early 2023.

🔺Russian forces have destroyed hundreds of NATO-built artillery pieces, from towed M777 and FH70 howitzers to an array of self-propelled guns, from the Czech-made DANA and the Slovak-made Zuzana to the French CAESAR, the German PzH 2000, the US M109 Paladin and the Swedish Archer. These guns’ prices vary wildly, from $600k for the FH70 to $20mln for the PzH 2000.

🔺When it comes to self-propelled rocket artillery, Russian operations have included a hunt for the deadly M142 HIMARS and M270 MLRS (priced at $4.3mln to $3.6mln, respectively).

🔺Russia’s air defenses have honed their skills targeting French SCALP EG and British Storm Shadow missiles, which go for $2.5mln each, even capturing a Storm Shadow intact last July.

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The New York Times doubts that Taurus missiles, if provided by Germany to Ukraine, or F-16 fighters would be of any decisive importance to Ukrainian troops.

As an example, the publication notes that Germany’s decision to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine last year did not help the Ukrainian Armed Forces carry out a successful counter-offensive.

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An Australian at WFY-2024 shouts “Glory to Russia” during the March of the World’s Youth, organized by the Tavrida art cluster. Young people from 188 countries take part in the procession.

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Macron's frustrated voters want more than 'political posturing on Ukraine'

Emmanuel Macron's electorate “want more than a geopolitical and international stance on Ukraine,” Alexis Poulin, a leading EU policy analyst and Co-Editor of Le Monde Moderne magazine, told Sputnik.

The French President’s sabre-rattling with Russia ahead of the upcoming European election in June comes as “the balance clearly is not looking good for Emmanuel Macron's party… where he could have a major defeat,” said the pundit.

Polls show support for cutting arms supplies to Kiev has surged among the French amid plunging production and an unprecedented decline in food consumption in the country.

Marine Le Pen's RN (National Rally) party is likely to become France’s largest political party, said Alexis Poulin, as its political posture “resonates with the French public… as does a more cautious approach to international relations, given that Emmanuel Macron is clearly on the Washington line and even further, with NATO. That could resonate even more.”

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🔺What NATO hardware has Russia destroyed in Ukraine?

🔺Is the US Flying F-35s in Ukraine-related NATO missions?

🔺What makes Russia's newest T-14 Armata far superior to other existing tanks?

🔺US-made F-16s “too much of a prima donna” for use in Ukraine

🔺Russian forces have destroyed another US-made Abrams tank using the latest ‘Upyr’ FPV drone. What makes the Upyr (lit. ‘Vampire’) live up to its ghoulish name?

🔺Russian FM Sergey Lavrov's speech at the World Youth Festival

🔺Main statements from the Dmitry Medvedev's speech at the Russian Znanie Society’s educational marathon

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Germany using Nord Stream attack playbook to avoid responsibility for military leak

Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has blamed Moscow for leaking the sensitive contents of German generals' confidential call, completely overlooking the fact that the Bundeswehr top brass were discussing nothing short of an open attack on Russia, international observers say.

"On this tape it was revealed that German generals were discussing attacks on Russia or more specifically, attacking the infrastructure of the Crimean Bridge. And it also revealed that the Taurus missiles will be supplied to Ukraine," Glenn Diesen, professor of international relations at the University of South-Eastern Norway, told Sputnik.

By accusing Russia of launching a "disinformation" attack, Germany appears to be sticking to the same playbook it used in the aftermath of the Nord Stream sabotage attack in September 2022 when Russia was groundlessly blamed for destroying its own pipeline.

"It's the same pattern of behavior," Gunnar Beck, AfD European Parliament MEP, told Sputnik. "The German government is presented with clear evidence. And they deny it and they go on the attack against Russia. Who’s benefiting from this clearly [are the] fervently anti-Russian interest groups within the German government."

A trannoscript of chatter between high-ranking German officers was released by Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of RT and Rossiya Segodnya, Sputnik's parent media group.

"They're now being caught red-handed, planning attacks on Russia, which makes them participants," Diesen emphasized.

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Maine withdraws decision to keep Trump off ballot after Supreme Court ruling

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows announced on Monday she retracted her previous decision to declare former President Donald Trump ineligible for the presidential primary after the US Supreme Court reversed a similar move by a Colorado court.

"Consistent with my oath and obligation to follow the law and the Constitution, and pursuant to the Anderson decision, I hereby withdraw my determination that Mr. Trump’s primary petition is invalid," Bellows said in a statement.

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US F-35s are participating in missions over Ukraine, Singapore's Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen said

"More recently, the US used its F-35s to determine the location of anti-aircraft missile systems of Russian units in Ukraine, then this information was transmitted to NATO countries," the Bulgarian Military quoted the minister as saying.

The publication specifies that a similar case was reported last April and it was based on a statement by a US pilot. He confirmed that the F-35 he was piloting was used to locate the Russian S-300 system deployed near the Belarus-Ukraine border.

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