🪖Assault units from Russia’s Battlegroup Vostok have cleared up to 600 buildings in the liberated village of Vremevka, dismantling fortified Ukrainian positions.

Footage released by Russia's Defense Ministry shows the Russian flag being raised over one of the buildings.

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💬 Hezbollah leader congratulates Palestinians on Gaza ceasefire deal

"We congratulate the Palestinian people and the Resistance on this agreement, which shows the resilience of the Resistance, which achieved what it wanted, while the enemy was unable to take what it wanted," Naim Qassem, secretary general of the Lebanese movement Hezbollah, said in a speech aired by Lebanon's Al-Manar TV channel.

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📹Footage from the Iranian Supreme Court, where the judges were assassinated.

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‘We have a gift’: CIA tapped into vast troves of Soviet, Russian military secrets, intel after 2014 Ukraine coup

In 2015, Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate head Valeriy Kondratyuk visited Washington to meet with senior officials with his luggage “stuffed with top-secret Russian military documents.”

“I was like, ‘holy sh*t!’, and he’s like, ‘yes, we have a gift’,” a former US official told ABC News.

The docs were said to include top secret info on Russian weaponry. Further “gifts,” from Russian EW tech to its military OOB, came later.

One ex-official said the info was worth “billions.”

‘Something to exploit’

Ukraine’s Security Service was also quickly compromised, with its new chief inviting the US and British to “help” immediately after the 2014 coup.

“There were those of us on the agency side who were like, ‘hey, this is something to exploit,’” one ex-US official recalled.

The CIA rebuilt Ukrainian intelligence as an anti-Russian shadow army, providing training and equipment, facilities, “including around a dozen secret forward-operating bases on the border with Russia,” and staging “joint operations together around the world.”

Terror ops inside Russia

In 2016, the CIA launched ‘Operation Goldfish’, which provided Ukraine with comms tech, combat and espionage training with the CIA and MI6, for ops inside Russia and abroad posing as Russians.

Kondratyuk lobbied Kiev’s newfound friends to do “sabotage operations” in Crimea and elsewhere in Russia, including by “pre-positioning explosives,” long-before the 2022 escalation. This led to a disastrous 2016 attack on a Crimean base that triggered a battle with Russian special forces.

The operation was executed by Unit 2245, a group of commandos trained by the United States. Among its officers was Kyrylo Budanov, the notorious current chief of Ukrainian military intel who has bragged about the murder of Russian public figures.

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Sweden has deployed a battalion of 550 troops to Latvia to strengthen NATO forces in the Baltic region

The mission is the kingdom's first since joining the alliance.

The unit was shipped across the Baltic Sea under conditions of secrecy. The battalion will be stationed at Camp Valdemar, Swedish media report.

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🇮🇷 One of the judges killed during the armed attack on the Iranian Supreme Court, Ali Razini, had previously been the target of an assassination attempt in 1998, when he held the position of chief prosecutor in Tehran. At that time, he was injured in an explosion caused by a magnetic limpet mine planted in his car.

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Hungary received a record 7.6 billion cubic meters of gas from Russia via the TurkStream pipeline in 2024, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said.

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🇷🇺 Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova weighed in on the recently-signed '100-year partnership' agreement between Ukraine and the UK, sharply criticizing the deal.

Here’s what she had to say:

🔸 Zakharova dismissed the agreement as "null and void," calling it insignificant and lacking substance.

🔸 She argued that Britain’s involvement reflects its long-standing ambition to secure a foothold in the Azov-Black Sea region.

🔸 She stated that there is no legitimate basis for Ukraine and Britain to collaborate in the Azov Sea.

🔸 Zakharova described the agreement as a publicity stunt by the Ukrainian government, aimed at creating an illusion of strong alliances.

The agreement was signed during a visit by British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer to Ukraine on Thursday. The published document outlines plans for the establishment of military bases in Ukraine and cooperation on long-range weapon systems.

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NATO’s spending reality check: 5% is a long shot

NATO members won’t be able to meet US president-elect Donald Trump’s demand to raise military spending to 5% of GDP in the near future, Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro said.

Montenegro told the Lusa news agency that Portugal is focused on reaching a target of 2% of GDP for defense spending before even considering a higher percentage.

“The government anticipated hitting 2% by 2029, and we’re firmly committed to that goal,” he said. “We may need to reassess it when necessary.”

He also criticized European leaders’ comments on statements by the incoming US president. “I think it’s pointless for European leaders to constantly respond to every remark by the president-elect of the United States,” Montenegro said.

Trump previously announced his intention to push NATO members to increase military budgets to 5% of GDP. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already rejected this demand, and Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz suggested that it might take a decade for NATO-member states to achieve it.

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America’s new nuclear toys land in Europe

The US has begun deploying modified nuclear bombs in Europe, Jill Hruby, head of the National Nuclear Security Administration, said at a Hudson Institute conference.

“Our strategic partnership with the UK is very strong as is their commitment to their nuclear deterrent. NATO is strong,” Hruby said.

“The new B61-12 gravity bombs are fully forward deployed, and we have increased NATO’s visibility to our nuclear capabilities through visits to our enterprise and other regular engagements.”

The B61-12 bombs, which have glide fins and guidance systems allowing precision strikes from high altitudes, are replacing older B61 versions stored at NATO bases.

Those facilities currently hold about 100 tactical bombs, carried fighter jets like the F-35A and F-16, although most US nuclear weapons remain on its own territory.

In January, the Telegraph newspaper reported that the US may station nuclear weapons in the UK for the first time in 15 years, claiming a “growing threat from Russia”. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called the placement of US nuclear arms in Europe a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In response, Russia announced the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus.

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🗣Houthis claim attack on Israel’s Defense Ministry

Ansar Allah has announced it launched a strike targeting the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv. This comes right after a ceasefire agreement was reached in Gaza.

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⚔️Another round of bickering between Fico and Zelensky

The Ukraine-Slovakia gas transit drama is heating up, with Slovak PM Robert Fico suggesting a meeting in Slovakia to discuss the issue. But Volodymyr Zelensky isn’t having it:

🗣 Zelensky on X: “Ok. Come to Kiev on Friday.”

🗣 Fico on Facebook*: "During the conversation, I informed the German Chancellor that we have been proposing for several days now to hold a meeting with Zelensky on Tuesday evening in Davos, at the World Economic Forum, where we will both be present."

🗣 "Apart from a childish invitation to Kiev, Zelensky has not yet responded to this offer."

The gas transit drama between Zelensky and Fico escalated from a fair online battle to Zelensky roasting the Slovak PM in an interview with Bloomberg.

🗣 Zelensky: “He may go to Davos but end up somewhere in Sochi [a Russian city].”

🗣“We don’t know who buys his tickets, as he constantly misses his destinations.”

*banned in Russia for extremism

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Ukraine losing its lithium wealth: Major blow to the West

Ukraine once held close to 500,000 tons (up to 10% of world reserves) of lithium, a critical material for batteries used in devices ranging from smartphones and laptops to electric vehicles. Two of these deposits are now under Russian control.

What are the four lithium deposits?

🇷🇺 Under Russia’s control:

🔸 Shevchenko Lithium Ore Field (Donetsk People’s Republic)

🔸 Krutaya Balka deposit (Zaporozhye region)

🤡 Under Ukraine’s control:

🔹 Polokhovskoye deposit

🔹 Dobra deposit

How large are they?

🟠 Shevchenko deposit: Estimated reserves of 13.8 million tons of lithium ore (Ukrainian State Geology and Subsoil Service, 2018).

🟠 Krutaya Balka deposit: Lithium reserves unspecified, but suitable for open-pit mining.

🟠 Polokhovskoye deposit: Estimated 270,000 tons of lithium (State Commission on Reserves of Ukraine, 2018).

🟠 Dobra deposit: Two separate sites, Stankuvatska and Nadiia, with combined reserves of approximately 1.2 million tons of lithium ore.

Which Western companies are eying Ukrainian lithium?

◼️ Rod Schoonover, founder of the US-based Ecological Futures Group, highlighted Ukraine’s lithium reserves as a strategic asset, calling Kiev a “promising partner” for the West.

◼️ European Lithium Ltd, an Australian company led by British businessman Tony Sage, acquired European Lithium Ukraine LLC in 2021. The company had permits for extraction and processing at the Shevchenko deposit.

◼️ In January 2024, European Lithium paid €184 million for the Shevchenko deposit, which is now under Russian control, according to Vladimir Rogov, a Russian official involved in the integration of new regions.

How much are the deposits worth?

🔶 Lithium prices range from $8,184 to $12,276 per ton, depending on grade and market dynamics.

🔶 13.8 million tons of untapped Shevchenko deposit lithium would be worth approximately $141 billion, depending on market conditions and extraction feasibility.

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❄️Frozen future? Europe’s energy crisis worsens amid gas war

Ukraine’s halt to the transit of Russian gas, combined with sanctions imposed by the US on Russian oil and gas companies, pose a significant risk of plunging Europe into a new energy crisis.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán raised these concerns during his visit to Belgrade, where he held talks focused on energy challenges with Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.

"Recent developments in Europe’s energy supply are alarming," Orbán said in a video message aired on Hungarian television. "Ukraine has blocked a pipeline that supplied gas to Hungary, and the US administration has introduced sanctions that have driven up energy prices across Europe. The continent is hurtling toward another energy crisis."

The outgoing US government imposed sanctions on Russia's oil and gas sector on January 10, targeting companies like Gazprom, Neft and Novatek, 183 tanker vessels and top executives.

Serbia’s NIS, partly owned by Gazprom, was also affected, with the US demanding the cancellation of Russian investments by February 25.

Combined with Ukraine’s block on Russian gas transit on January 1, the actions have disrupted supplies to Austria, Italy and Central Europe, raising energy prices and prompting regional efforts to minimize the impact.

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✅ 300 million cubic meters a day? Russia-Iran pipeline promises major energy boost

The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership treaty signed between Moscow and Tehran on January 17 shed light on a new project to deliver Russian gas to Iran.

🔍 Key details:

🟠 The gas pipeline’s route has been agreed on, it will pass through Azerbaijan, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev confirmed.

🟠 Negotiations are in the final stages, volumes have already been agreed, and the sides are developing an approach to pricing, Tsivilev added.

🟠 Russia will cover the infrastructure costs.

📊 Volumes:

▫️ The project is expected to start with deliveries of up to two billion cubic meters annually, with the prospect of increasing to 55 billion cubic meters.

▫️ When Gazprom and the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) signed a strategic memorandum on Russian gas supplies in June 2024, the Iranian side noted that about 300 million cubic meters of gas per day will be supplied daily (109 billion m3/year) via the Caspian Sea for domestic consumption and supplies to neighboring countries.

▫️ The declared volume of 55 billion cubic meters annually is comparable to the capacity of the Nord Stream twin undersea pipeline system to Europe, sabotaged in 2022.

▫️ The 30-year deal will supply Russian gas to Iran both for domestic consumption and for neighboring countries.

❓Why does Iran need Russian gas?

Despite holding the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves (34 trillion cubic meters, after Russia), Iran is facing a fuel shortage as demand for natural gas exceeds production.

1️⃣Most of these reserves are untapped due to US-led sanctions that stall investment and technology improvement.

2️⃣Iran’s main gas fields are concentrated in the south, and large consumers are in the north, in a region with a fairly harsh climate.

3️⃣In winter, Iran faces a daily shortfall of at least 260 million cubic meters of gas, straining the electricity supply.

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🇷🇺📑🇮🇷 New Russia-Iran pact will help Tehran withstand Western threats, increase Moscow’s Mideast clout

💬 “The Comprehensive Strategic Agreement between Iran and Russia is a mutually beneficial treaty that meets Iran’s interests, especially given the growing threat to Tehran from the EU three and the US,” Iranian international relations expert Ruhollah Modabber told Sputnik.

“The commitment by Iran and Russia to provide mutual assistance in the event of aggression by a third state is an extremely important point of this agreement,” according to Modabber.

“Additionally, Tehran and Moscow agreed to expand the exchange of information and intensify contacts between their security councils and intelligence services, which is very important for neutralizing new threats from the West and NATO, especially in the Caucasus and Central Asia,” the observer emphasized.

🤝 Win-win agreement

Iranian sociologist and public opinion researcher Mohammad Agasi says the new pact has distinct benefits for both countries. Iran, for instance, will be able to:

🔸 reduce international sanctions pressure,

🔸 gain access to advanced Russian defense, nuclear and energy technologies,

🔸 expand economic, investment and trade cooperation with Moscow, which means economic growth. Russia, Agasi notes, can use the agreement to:

🔸 strengthen its influence in the Middle East,

🔸 gain access to Iran’s energy market,

🔸 expand military-technical and bilateral defense and security cooperation with the Islamic Republic.

As an added bonus, Agasi said, the expansion of cultural cooperation alluded to in the agreement will mean various exchange programs, tourism, etc., leading to “a deeper understanding and coming closer together between the two peoples.”

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