Zelensky ready to throw fresh batch of Ukrainian fodder into meat grinder

A considerable number of Ukrainian men who were previously exempted from military service may be drafted soon, a local lawmaker claims, as the Kiev regime’s manpower crisis continues to worsen.

Previously, workers employed at production facilities classified as critically vital to Ukraine were granted a deferral.

If an enterprise loses its “critically vital” status, however, its employees may become fair game for the Zelensky regime’s press gangs, warns Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Fedienko who says that some of the previously exempt workers may be drafted in late February.

Kiev’s callous disregard for the lives of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians has led to alarming manpower shortages, a reality that has become increasingly evident on the front lines and is now impossible to overlook, even for Western media.

Despite the dire predicament, the Ukrainian leadership seems more than happy to send its troops – often poorly trained and equipped with a hodgepodge of NATO and Warsaw Pact-era weaponry – into suicidal attacks against Russian forces or to sacrifice these men in pointless last stands.

During the first week of 2025 alone, Ukraine lost nearly 13,000 soldiers and Zelensky’s generals so far show no inclination to change their tactics.

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Are Turkiye & Israel on the verge of going toe to toe over Syria?

The downfall of Bashar Assad’s government in Syria last month, unsurprisingly, did not usher in lasting peace to the region as Israel and Turkiye seem poised to clash with one another.

This week, the Nagel Committee, convened by Tel Aviv to assess defense budgetary needs, issued a stark warning: Israel must brace for a direct confrontation with Turkiye, which is reportedly intent on “restoring its Ottoman-era influence,” as The Jerusalem Post put it.

The committee asserted that collaboration between Syrian factions and Turkiye may pose a serious security threat to Israel that could be “even more dangerous than the Iranian threat,” and thus proposed increasing the defense budget by roughly $4 billion.

Meanwhile, Turkish journalist Ibrahim Karagul contends that Israel “might invade Damascus” in order to divert Turkiye’s attention from the PKK and YPG, Kurdish entities that Ankara designates as terrorist groups. While Türkiye “strives to unify Syria,” Karagul argues in an article for Yeni Safak, Israel “seeks to occupy parts of it.”

“Any war with Israel would begin in the East of the Euphrates, as Israel’s priorities are directly aligned with the dynamics in that region,” the journalist claimed.

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French Defense Minister confirms desertion among Ukrainian soldiers trained in France

"When half of the [Ukrainian 155th mechanized] brigade was undergoing training in [France], there were 55 incidents of desertion," French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu told Europe 1 radio.

Commander of the Ukrainian ground forces Mykhailo Drapaty confirmed reports of desertion among soldiers serving in the 155th brigade.

The Midi Libre newspaper reported last week that Ukraine launched an investigation into suspected desertion after some 1,700 of the 2,300 French-trained soldiers deserted shortly after being deployed to the frontline, but Lecornu told Europe 1 that the reported figures had not been confirmed.

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Trump reportedly weighing national emergency to impose import tariffs

US President-elect Donald Trump may declare a national economic emergency to introduce import tariffs on both allies and adversaries, CNN reported citing sources familiar with the matter.

Trump is reportedly considering using the International Economic Emergency Powers Act (IEEPA) as it grants wide-ranging jurisdiction over how tariffs are implemented without strict requirements to prove that the tariffs are needed on national security grounds.

IEEPA unilaterally authorizes the president to manage imports during a national emergency, the broadcaster reported. Trump used the law during his first term to threaten Mexico with steep tariffs on all its imports if it refused to curb illegal migration to the US.

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Russia plans to maintain its "multifaceted assistance" to Syria following the change in leadership, which will include humanitarian aid, according to Vassily Nebenzia, Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN.

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No alternatives in sight: US goes ahead with Russian uranium purchases despite restrictions

In spite of the Biden administration’s efforts to curtail reliance on Russian nuclear fuel, the United States has persisted in purchasing enriched uranium from Russia, according to a recent analysis by Sputnik.

In November 2024, Russia delivered 21.8 tons of enriched uranium valued at $49.3 million to the US, marking the lowest volume since September 2023, when shipments totaled 14.4 tons worth $32 million. Since the beginning of last year, the US has imported 334.9 tons of uranium from Russia, a decrease of 1.8 times compared to 2023. The value of Russian uranium exports to the US has also dropped significantly, falling to $623 million—down 1.6 times from previous figures.

In mid-November 2023, the Russian government imposed temporary restrictions on enriched uranium exports to the US. However, companies can still send fuel to America under one-off licenses issued by the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control.

These restrictions were enacted in response to former President Biden's signing of a law in May 2024 that banned Russian uranium imports until 2040. Notably, the law permits continued shipments through a system of waivers. The US Department of Energy is authorized to issue these waivers until 2028 in cases where there is no viable alternative to Russian enriched uranium or when such shipments align with national interests.

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Telegram CEO extols platform’s longtime support for free speech, unlike others whose values shift with political winds

"I’m proud that Telegram has supported freedom of speech long before it became politically safe to do so. Our values don’t depend on US electoral cycles.

“Today, other platforms are announcing they’ll now have less censorship. But the real test of their newly discovered values will come once the political winds change again. It’s easy to say you support something when you risk nothing," Pavel Durov, CEO of the platform wrote on his Telegram channel, as Mark Zuckerberg acknowledged the massive amount of "mistakes and censorship" plaguing Meta's platforms.

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Sizing up Israel Foreign Ministry's biblical map: ‘Promised land’ provocation or expansion plan?

An alleged Biblical map of the Kingdom of Israel, shared by the Israeli Foreign Ministry's Arabic-language account on X, has touched off heated debates on social media and raised alarm among Arab officials.

What’s behind the commotion?

▪️The map depicts the boundaries of the ancient Kingdoms of Israel and Judah as described in the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible.

▪️The biblical land overlaps with areas of modern-day Palestine, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

▪️The post recounts the biblical story of the Kingdom of Israel, said to have existed 3,000 years ago, celebrates the revival of the Jewish people, and refers to Israel as "the only democracy in the Middle East."

Fierce social media debate erupts

▪️Many Arab-language users criticized the map, arguing that the biblical version of Israel’s history is allegedly not thoroughly supported by archaeological evidence or other historical sources.

▪️Some netizens took issue with Israel’s claim of being the “sole democracy in the Middle East”.

▪️Some characterized the post as a provocation, accusing Israel of being what they call an "occupying power" and of having "stolen" the land from Arabs.

Arab officials blast biblical map as deliberate provocation

▪️The PA: The Palestinian Authority condemned the map as a violation of international resolutions and laws.

▪️Jordanian Foreign Ministry: Amman denounced the map as "baseless" and "false," urging Tel Aviv to halt "provocative actions and reckless statements."

▪️Qatari Foreign Ministry: Doha warned that the publication of the map could undermine any peace prospects in the region, especially amid the ongoing Gaza war.

What is "Greater Israel"?

▪️Arab News associated the map with the concept of "Greater Israel," which envisions the expansion of Israel to the territorial boundaries outlined in the Tanakh.

▪️The Movement for Greater Israel was established after the Six-Day War of 1967, during which Israel captured the Sinai Peninsula, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Old City of Jerusalem, and the Golan Heights.

▪️The idea is popular with Israeli officials and the nation’s media. In 2024, Israel’s Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated that "the future of Jerusalem is to expand to Damascus."

▪️In September, The Jerusalem Post published an article suggesting Lebanon could be part of Israel’s "promised land," though the piece was later removed.

▪️Following the downfall of now ex-Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel fully occupied the Golan Heights. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that this territory will remain an integral part of Israel "for eternity."

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Mideast expert doubts overextended Israel will clash with Türkiye or sustain occupation of Syria

A potential clash between Israel and Türkiye over Syria is unlikely to materialize soon, Ori Goldberg, an expert on Israeli politics, told Sputnik in light of a defense budget report by Tel Aviv's Nagel Committee.

"All these would-be wars against Syria, Türkiye, and other countries—they’re just tactics for deflection, meant to divert attention from how Israel has absolutely no sense of an endgame or direction regarding Gaza," Goldberg asserted.

The Nagel Committee's report suggested that Israel should gear up for a potential war with Turkiye and aligned Syrian factions, citing Erdogan’s alleged Ottoman aspirations.

In contrast, Turkish media has warned that Israel might attempt to capture Damascus as a means of limiting Turkiye’s strategic options in Syria.

"Israel is making very aggressive noises, but it doesn't truly have the capacity or capability to maintain the occupation of Syria or seize Damascus," Goldberg argued.

"Israel is vastly [and] profoundly overextended," he insisted.

The expert also questioned whether the incoming Trump administration would support Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's current aggressive policies.

Goldberg pointed to a video shared by US President-elect Donald Trump on his Truth Social platform. The video features Columbia University economics professor Jeffrey Sachs, who accused Netanyahu of warmongering and attempting to drag the US into a war against Iran.

"Israel has no clear sense of what it wants," Goldberg concluded. "And because of this lack of clarity, it is full of hot air. Trying to interpret these provocations as genuine chances for military engagement is not a productive exercise—at least, not at this stage," the expert claimed.

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