🇷🇺🇺🇦🇦🇿⚡- Azerbaijan arrests former Wagner Group members, citing war crimes committed in Ukraine.

🇺🇸🇵🇭⚡- President Trump welcomes Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House.

🇺🇸🇵🇭⚡- "We are all very happy to be here to once again reaffirm the very strong ties between the Philippines and the United States," - Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines.

🇺🇸🇵🇭⚡- "We must remember that the United States is our only treaty partner in the Philippines," - Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines.

🇺🇸🇵🇭⚡- "Our strongest, closest, most reliable ally has always been the United States," - Ferdinand Marcos Jr., President of the Philippines.

🇺🇸🇵🇭⚡- "We have excellent military relations with the Philippines," - President Donald Trump.

🇺🇸🇵🇭🇨🇳⚡- "I wouldn't mind if the Philippines got along with China," - President Donald Trump.

🇺🇦⚡- BREAKING: Ukrainian Rada in a very surprising decision voted in favor bringing two 'anti-corruption' agencies under the Ukrainian Prosecutor General Office.

The bill was supported by President Zelensky and his Servant of the People Party. The two formerly independent agencies are National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, NABU, and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, SAP.

🇺🇦🇪🇺⚡- The EU has strongly criticized the decision, fearing Ukraine is sliding back towards corruption rather than combating it.

Politico believes the decision could "threaten Kiev's EU membership bid".

🇺🇦⚡- Ukrainian Rada Opposition have opposed the move, with some threatening a 'Maidan 2.0' scenario.

The two independent anti-corruption agencies NABU and SAP that the government has now taken control over have strong ties to Russia. Ukraine's SBU and especially GUR have carried out numerous raids against the agencies, in particular NABU, over alleged ties to Moscow.

The decision widens the gap between President Zelensky and GUR Chief Budanov.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 - Note, ironically two days before the start of Russia's 'military operation' in Ukraine, Russian President Putin criticized NABU and SAP as 'US tools'. Even though Ukrainian Intelligence have arrested several individuals from the agencies over ties to the Kremlin.

"US Embassy in Ukraine directly controls NABU, and SAP," - Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, February 22, 2022.

🇺🇸🇸🇾🇮🇱⚡- "US, Syrian and Israeli officials to meet on Thursday to discuss the situation in As Suwaida," - Axios.

🇹🇷🇸🇾⚡- A squadron of Turkish jets flying over the Turkish-Syrian border.

🇺🇦⚡- Ukrainian President Zelensky signs the unpopular bill into law, which now allows for the Prosecutor General Office to take over anti-corruption agencies NABU and SAP.

🇮🇱⚡- "Israel is deploying additional defense systems throughout the country," - Hadashot Bazman.