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In an unprecedented move, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Finland have signed a defense pact that is likely to anger Moscow. The 4 Scandinavian countries have issued a Joint Declaration of Intent (DJI), which states their intent to combine their respective air forces into one unified air defense unit.
The JDI was signed at Ramstein Air Force Base earlier this month but was only announced in recent days.
Danish Air Force Commander, Gen. Jan Dam, said regarding the pact, "Our combined fleet can be compared to a large European country."
Given that the unification of the 4 countries' air forces means that all will have to come to the defense of any one country that is under attack by a common enemy led DefenceNews.com to call the pact the establishment of a "mini NATO."
While Russia was never directly named in the JDI agreement, the move is clearly in response to growing concerns about Moscow's increasing aggression since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
According to the chief of the Norwegian Air Force (NAF), Maj. Gen. Rolf Folland, the 4 countries combined will have roughly 250 advanced combat aircraft at their disposal. Folland also suggested that a joint air operations center in the future could also possibly have commanders from the U.S. and Canada to offer the group further coordination and guidance.
"There is obvious interest in a regional initiative for a joint air command on NATO's northern flank. We know the conditions in the High North well, and we have a lot to learn from each other. With a total of almost 250 modern combat aircraft, this will be a large combat force that must be coordinated," Folland said.
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On Monday, Germany delivered 18 Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine’s border and handed them over to the Ukrainian government. The tanks, along with about 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, were delivered in compliance with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’ assurance that the tanks would be delivered by the end of March.
Prior to delivering the tanks to Ukraine, the Ukrainian tank crews and forces assigned to the Marder vehicles both underwent several weeks of training with the German army at training sites in Muenster and Bergen.
In addition to the German-supplied tanks and vehicles, 3 more Leopard tanks from Portugal were also delivered.
As the Leopard 2 tanks arrive in Ukraine, claims have begun to circulate on social media that the tanks are known to get stuck in deep mud, which is scattered across parts of Ukraine. However, there has been no evidence to support the assertions. An entire battalion of the newer German Puma tanks failed drills several months ago, which could be a source of the claims being made by some in the European media.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are wrapping up training on the UK-supplied Challenger II tanks, with British Defence Secretary Ben Wallace saying that the Ukrainian soldiers “return to their homeland better equipped, but to no less danger.”
“It is truly inspiring to witness the determination of Ukrainian soldiers having completed their training on British Challenger 2 tanks on British soil. We will continue to stand by them and do all we can to support Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Wallace added.
While it is uncertain at this time where the newly delivered tanks will be deployed, it’s likely that they will be headed to the frontlines in Bakhmut in the Donetsk region – a city almost completely surrounded by Russian forces that has been continuously pummeled by Russian heavy artillery around the clock for weeks.
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Ukraine is urging the United Nations (UN) to call an emergency Security Council meeting to condemn what the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry is calling “nuclear blackmail” on the part of the Kremlin.
According to a statement issued by the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry on Sunday, “Ukraine expects effective measures to counter the Kremlin’s nuclear blackmail by the United Kingdom, China, the USA, and France, in particular, as permanent members of the UN Security Council.”
“We demand to immediately convene an extraordinary meeting of the UN Security Council for this purpose,” the statement added.
The request from Ukraine came in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin announcing over the weekend that Russia has made an agreement with neighboring Belarus to place tactical nuclear weapons on its territory, which Ukraine views as a serious escalation aimed at not only Ukraine but also its Western allies.
Putin attempted to justify the move by claiming that it was needed to counter NATO, saying, “We are doing what they have been doing for decades.” It is likely that Putin was referring to the tactical nukes that the U.S., and therefore NATO, have had placed in Turkey, across the Black Sea from Russia’s southern border, for decades. The nuclear weapons in Turkey are part of a “nuclear sharing” policy between NATO allies.
Putin claimed that Russia could have nukes stationed in Belarus by the summer, but numerous analysts believe that to be unlikely. Regardless, many in the West viewed the claim as the Kremlin’s determination to use Russia’s nuclear arsenal to pressure Ukraine’s Western allies to shy away from supporting Kyiv.
Putin’s remarks were condemned by Western leaders as being irresponsible, even though many in the West doubt that Russia will make changes to the way it deploys nuclear weapons.
Amid other claims, Putin has stated that 10 Belarusian aircraft have been retrofitted to carry Russian nuclear weapons and also noted that a storage facility for the weapons would be ready by July 1.
Analysts have been quick to point out that even if Putin followed through on his remarks and did transfer some of Russia’s nuclear warheads to Belarus, it would not significantly alter the Russian nuclear threat as it already has the ability to target a large range of territory from within its borders.
There is also the ongoing history of Western allies having U.S. tactical nuclear weapons stationed in a host of European countries, which Russia has long condemned, so Putin’s insistence that the warheads are being repositioned to counter NATO is by far more of an excuse than it is a credible reason.
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In the early hours of Thursday morning, the Chinese military said that it drove away a U.S. guided missile destroyer that had "illegally" enter Chinese-claimed waters in the South China Sea.
According to the Southern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), the USS Milius entered waters near the disputed Paracel Islands before being warned by the PLA and allegedly driven away by the Chinese military. The U.S. and its Western allies have long denied that the waters belong to China after Beijing militarized several island chains in the region years ago.
While China's account of Thursday's incident indicates that the PLA forced the U.S. destroyer to leave the waters, the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet denies the claims.
Lt. j.g. Luka Bakic referred to the destroyer's actions as part of a routine operation in international waters and said of the incident, "USS Milius is conducting routine operations in the South China Sea and was not expelled" and added that "The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows."
The Chinese continue to disagree with a PLA spokesman calling the event an "illegal incursion into Chinese territorial waters... without permission from the Chinese government, harming peace and stability" in the region.
"The theatre forces will maintain a high state of alert at all times and take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and peace and stability in the South China Sea," the spokesman concluded.
The Parcel Islands are claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, both U.S. allies, which has caused encounters with rival vessels to quickly escalate into intense standoffs.
The U.S. for years has consistently maintained that incidents that the PLA is calling "illegal incursions" are really 'innocent passages' that follow international maritime law, which means that permission is not needed to transit through the disputed waters. Beijing, however, has always challenged Washington's stance on U.S. intrusions into waters the Chinese see as theirs.
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In a show of appreciation to Slovakia for sending Kyiv Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets, the U.S. has offered to help Bratislava finance the purchase of several attack helicopters and Hellfire missiles.
According to Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad, the deal would be for the U.S. to provide $660 million in financing toward the $1 billion cost of purchasing 12 Bell AH-1Z attack helicopters, 500 AGM-114 Hellfire II missiles, and training for Slovak troops. Slovakia would be responsible for the remaining $340 million.
In a separate show of support, the EU plans to compensate Slovakia with $213 million for giving the MiG-29s to Ukraine. While the offer is still being considered, Nad acknowledged that receiving the helicopters would “significantly increase the defense capability of Slovakia.”
Without the MiG-29s that Slovakia sent to Kyiv, the country does not have an air force and is currently relying on Poland and the Czech Republic to monitor its airspace. While Slovakia signed an agreement in 2018 to purchase 14 U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets, the new combat aircraft are not expected to be delivered until 2024, leaving the country very vulnerable in the interim.
The offer to help Slovakia purchase attack helicopters indicates that Washington had a hand in Slovakia’s decision to send its 13 MiG-29s to Ukraine – a decision that came after Poland announced that it would be sending its own MiG-29s to Kyiv.
As a result of the deals with Ukraine for the jets, Poland and Slovakia are now the first NATO members to provide Ukraine with fighter jets. A move that is sure to be seen as escalatory by Moscow and the Kremlin.
While a year ago, in March 2022, the Pentagon was staunchly against Poland sending its MiG-29s to Kyiv because officials thought that Russia would see it as NATO directly entering the war, those concerns have clearly faded as NATO has consistently become more involved in the defense of Ukraine over the past year.
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Recently released data has revealed that the U.S. military saw a spike in the rate of myocarditis diagnoses in 2021. Myocarditis is a potentially fatal form of heart inflammation that has been linked primarily to Covid-19 vaccines, which all military personnel were under a vaccine mandate for, but it can also be a less frequent side effect of contracting the Covid virus.
According to data from the Defense Medical Epidemiology Database (DMET), the diagnoses of myocarditis increased by 130.5 percent in 2021 when compared to the average number of diagnoses from years 2016 to 2020.
A whistleblower downloaded the unnerving data and presented it to Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI).
According to U.S. officials, all 4 of the current authorized Covid-19 vaccines in the U.S. can cause myocarditis, and officials went so far as to issue a warning for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine this month.
The data was downloaded by the whistleblower in 2023, about a year after the Pentagon announced that it had corrected a data corruption problem with the DMED system.
Unfortunately, myocarditis was not the only serious vaccine complication to see an increase in 2021. According to the data, cases of pulmonary embolism rose 41.2 percent, ovarian dysfunction climbed 38.2 percent, and "complications and ill-defined descriptions of heart disease" increased 37.3 percent.
When presented with the data, Johnson called it "concerning."
The disclosed data showed higher increases in the diagnoses than the Pentagon had previously released, which military officials were quick to blame on the previous DMED issues that had been allegedly corrected in early 2022.
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On Tuesday, the U.S. Army opened its first permanent garrison on NATO's "eastern flank" at Camp Kosciuszko in Poland. NATO's eastern border stretches from the Baltics to the Black Sea and is comprised of 8 countries, all of which are former members of the Warsaw Pact or the USSR. Now, the U.S. Army's V Corps will have a permanent presence in the region.
According to comments from the V Corps' commanding general, Lt. Gen. John Kolasheski, the garrison represents Washington's deepened military commitment to Eastern Europe. "The relationship of the U.S. and Poland serves as an example of the deepening ties throughout the alliance," Kolasheski said before adding, "today's activation ceremony is a tangible reminder of the growth in our relationship."
During the fall of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, many Western leaders reassured Russia that NATO would not establish bases in Eastern Europe or expand its borders into former USSR states. All subsequent U.S. presidents since George H.W. Bush made those promises to Moscow have violated that vow and expanded NATO's border ever closer to Russia's.
The garrison was described as "historic" by Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Błaszczak, who added that Warsaw has been "striving for this for years - for this word 'permanent' - and it has now become fact."
Błaszczak concluded that "this is a historic moment, a sign that the United States is committed to Poland and NATO, and that we are united in the face of Russian aggression."
Given that the U.S. only has 2 officers currently stationed at Camp Kosciuszko and 200 additional troops that rotate in and out of the base, with the Pentagon having already kept about 10,000 troops in Poland, Artur Kacprzyk, an analyst at the Polish Institute of International Affairs, claimed that the significance of the new garrison "is primarily symbolic."
While an American diplomate has confirmed that Camp Kosciuszko was built to confront Russia, the garrison is not near the Russian border. Poland has been a key player in getting Western arms shipments and other equipment to Ukraine, given its proximity to the war-torn country. According to a tweet from U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski, the decision to open a permanent base in Poland proves that "the United States is committed to Poland and the NATO alliance, and that we are united in the face of Russian aggression."
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The Pentagon announced this week that it intends to continue patrolling international territory despite Moscow putting the U.S. on notice after an incident last week in which an American MQ-9 Reaper drone was intercepted and then subsequently crashed into the Black Sea. The Kremlin has announced that it has closed some of the airspace over the Black Sea as part of a ‘special operation’ taking place in Ukraine.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov issued a new warning indicating that Moscow will take “countermeasures” against any U.S. or NATO drone flights over the area of the Black Sea where the previous drone interception incident occurred.
Ryabkov cautioned, “We warn them against trying to play on their nerves, testing our patience.” According to Ryabkov, the U.S. drone “was in a zone where we introduced a special regime associated with conducting military exercises.”
He went on to reiterate that Russia would protect its security and sovereignty “by all means available” and that “no American drones, whether reconnaissance, strike, strategic, or any other kind,” will “shake their determination.”
While U.S. drone flights have remained in international airspace, the Pentagon has shifted the flight paths further away from Crimea after last Tuesday’s drone collision with a Russian jet over concerns that another such incident could lead to a direct conflict with Russia. According to one U.S. official, the drone flight paths were altered “to avoid being too provocative” with Moscow.
The official did note that while the drone paths will remain further away from the Crimean Peninsula “for the time being,” there is already “an appetite” to move the flight paths closer to Crimea.
Russian forces are reportedly working to recover the U.S. drone that crashed into deep waters in the Black Sea last week.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping has been in Moscow meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and laying out Beijing's 12-point peace plan to end Russia's war in Ukraine since Monday. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made it known that he is also willing to meet with Xi to discuss Kyiv's peace formula for a possible end to the war that entered its second year last month.
"We believe that many of the provisions of the peace plan put forward by China are consonant with Russian approaches and can be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement when they are ready for that in the West and in Kyiv," Putin told Xi.
"However, so far we see no such readiness from their side," Putin added, assigning blame for the lack of peace talks on Ukraine.
Zelensky, however, said Tuesday that the Ukrainian government has already reached out to China and invited officials in Beijing to engage in talks regarding how to implement Kyiv's peace plan and that he is waiting to hear back from the Chinese.
"We offered China to become a partner in the implementation of the peace formula across all channels. We invite you to dialogue. We are waiting for your answer," Zelensky said during a Tuesday press conference and added, "We are receiving some signals, but there are no specifics yet."
Last month, Zelensky surprised many when he responded positively to Xi offering Beijing's 12-point peace plan as a starting place for negotiations.
"I think the fact that China started talking about Ukraine is not bad. But the question is what follows the words," Zelensky said last month.
"I think some of the Chinese proposals respect international law, and I think we can work on it with China. Why not? Our goal is to gather many around us to isolate one [Russia]," Zelensky concluded.
After China released its peace plan a few weeks ago, Beijing has begun to emerge as a mediator between the two countries, but not everyone is happy about the possibility of China-led peace negotiations. Washington has been forced to take a backseat amid unprecedented Russian and Chinese cooperation.
There is also likely mounting pressure being put on Zelensky to reject any friendly approaches from China, as many in the West see Beijing's attempt at mediating negotiations as a way to keep Russia strong and on the offensive in Ukraine. It will be interesting to see if China and Ukraine are able to materialize talks that bring in Moscow, although Washington is sure to be quite displeased.
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Four GOP Congressmen are pushing the hesitant Biden administration to send cluster munitions to Ukraine. The munitions, which indiscriminately drop hundreds of smaller individual bombs over a large area, have been banned in some 120 countries and are seen as far less accurate compared to other, more conventional weapons. Despite this, 4 Congressmen sent a letter to the Biden White House criticizing its “reluctance to provide Ukraine the right type and amount of long-range fires and maneuver capability to create.”
The letter was signed by the following 4 Republican members of Congress:
The Congressmen want the cluster munitions provided as part of the next major weapons package approval.
While Ukraine has specifically requested the MK-20 air-delivered cluster bombs, Kyiv claims that it will not be dropping the small bombs en masse as they are designed to be but rather will be dropping the individual bombs from either drones or 155mm artillery cluster shells.
While the U.S. has a history of producing, using, and selling cluster munitions to its allies, those practices stopped in 2016 when Textron Systems Corporation stopped producing MK-20s, and the U.S. stopped selling them to Saudi Arabia. However, it is estimated that there are still approximately 1 million cluster munitions in Pentagon stockpiles.
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While North Korea has been conducting smaller missile tests for days in response to the U.S. and South Korea holding their largest joint military exercises in several years, Pyongyang announced Monday that it launched a ballistic missile over the weekend as part of a simulated nuclear attack on South Korea.
According to state media, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the drill, which was held to push back "aggression" from the country's enemies. The ballistic missile launch was symbolically held on the same day that U.S. B-1B strategic bombers joined the aerial military drills with Seoul.
North Korea said that the ballistic missile launch was "carried out under the tense situation in which a large-scale war drill is being frantically scaled up by the U.S.-South Korean allied forces to invade the DPRK and U.S. nuclear strategic assets are massively brought to South Korea."
Many in the U.S. see the missile launch as being in response to the U.S. bombers joining the joint military exercises. While some reports indicate that the ballistic missile included a mock nuclear warhead, North Korea has claimed that it had "no adverse effect on the security of the neighboring countries."
The missile reached an altitude of 50km (31 miles) and flew approximately 800km (497 miles), according to Japan's Defense Ministry. The mock warhead was launched from the North Pyongan province in North Korea and landed in the ocean between the Korean Peninsula and Japan, where it exploded roughly 800 meters above the water.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) have noted that it is remaining alert and is prepared for additional missile launches from Pyongyang, "while maintaining a full readiness posture through close cooperation with the U.S."
South Korea is not the only concerned country in the region, with Japan's Defense Ministry saying in a statement that North Korea's continued missile launches "threaten the peace and security of Japan, the region and the international community."
Pyongyang previously warned that it was ready to initiate the "toughest counteraction against the most vicious plots of the U.S. and its followers," in response to the 11-day Freedom Shield joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul. The exercises have been called the largest joint drills between the two countries in 5 years.
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A renewed bipartisan push is surfacing among Congressmen to pressure the Biden administration to approve sending F-16 jets to Ukraine, as Russia has almost completely encircled the city of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine.
On Tuesday, a bipartisan group of 8 senators sent a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin with renewed calls to give U.S.-made fighter jets to Ukraine.
According to the letter, the senators argued that F-16s are desperately needed at this “critical juncture” and claimed that the jets would give the Ukrainians the advantage they need to defeat the Russians. The senators stated that providing the jets to Kyiv would be a “game changer on the battlefield” and added, “After speaking with U.S., Ukrainian, and foreign leaders working to support Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference last month, we believe the U.S. needs to take a hard look at providing F-16 aircraft to Ukraine.”
Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) has headed the bipartisan effort. The lawmakers are also pressuring the Pentagon for more information regarding what the timetable would need to be and what resources it would take to train Ukrainian pilots to fly the F-16s if the administration agrees to send the jets.
Joining Senator Kelly in the renewed effort are Democratic senators Tammy Duckworth (IL), Tim Kaine (VA), Martin Heinrich (NM), and Jacky Rosen (NV). Also backing the letter were Republican senators Lisa Murkowski (AK), Tommy Tuberville (AL), and Ted Budd (NC).
The Biden administration and defense officials, however, are still insistent that anti-air defense systems, artillery, and ammunition rank higher on the list of priorities for Ukraine and even testified to Congress recently regarding the same.
In addition to the 8 senators who drafted the letter, other Congressmen are also pushing for more, including Republicans Tom Cotton and Lindsay Graham.
While Cotton has accused the White House of taking “half measures” regarding the war in Ukraine and has a list of escalatory measures he would like to see taken, Graham has begun arguing that the U.S. should fire on Russian aircraft.
Meanwhile, Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, confirmed during a Wednesday press conference that he recently spoke with Russian Defense Secretary, Sergei Shoigu, for the first time since October, which is a good indication that the two countries are not yet ready to enter a direct conflict, as some senators appear to be pushing for.
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Beijing has not wasted any time expressing its discontent with the new AUKUS nuclear submarine deal between the U.S., Australia, and the UK that was announced by Joe Biden on Monday at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Biden emphasized during the announcement that the agreement to provide nuclear submarine technology to Australia is not "a challenge to anybody" and added that "These boats will not have any nuclear weapons of any kind."
However, China disagreed as its foreign ministry accused the U.S. and its allies of having a "Cold War mentality," which sets them on a "dangerous path" and will "only motivate an arms race." Beijing spokesperson Wang Wenbin also noted that the submarine deal for Australia's military will "damage the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, and harm regional stability and peace."
During a daily briefing, Wang added, "The latest joint statement issued by the U.S., U.K., and Australia shows that the three countries have gone further down the wrong and dangerous path for their own geopolitical self-interest, completely ignoring the concerns of the international community."
Beijing's recent comments are not the first time that China has accused Australia of violating its own 'nuclear weapons free' policy by securing nuclear-powered subs. Wang reaffirmed China's long-held assertion that it poses a "serious risk of nuclear proliferation and violating the object and purpose of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons."
Wang went on to accuse the 3 nations of "coercing" the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into granting them an endorsement, saying, "The three countries claim that they will abide by the highest nuclear non-proliferation standards, which is pure deception."
Australia also garnered China's attention when Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles commented in a press conference on Tuesday that "the biggest conventional military build-up... seen since the end of the second world war," is happening in the region. While Marles did not name China specifically, his remarks clearly referenced Beijing.
Also, much to China's chagrin, recent reports have surfaced indicated that the U.S. Navy is planning a full-service submarine base in Australia, which would be a major hub capable of overseeing all submarine deployments in the Asia-Pacific region. The base would have the capabilities to not only oversee sub deployments but also to produce and repair boats as well.
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In a rare move on Sunday, North Korea launched at least one missile in the Sea of Japan from a submarine in response to large-scale joint military exercises between the U.S. and South Korea. While Pyongyang has conducted a smattering of land-based launches over the past year, it is rare for North Korea to launch missiles at sea.
Although North Korea claims to have launched two cruise missiles from a submarine, the South Korean military only tracked one missile fired from the sub, which was located near the North Korean port city of Sinpo.
The missile launches come as a warning to the U.S. and South Korea as the two countries begin 11 days of joint military drills, which are the largest in 5 years. The North Korean launches came within the first 24 hours of the U.S. drills.
According to North Korean state media, Pyongyang vowed to take "the toughest counteraction" against the joint military exercises and said that the "strategic cruise missiles" were launched Sunday morning from an "8.24 Yongung" submarine in the Sea of Japan. It is the same submarine that was used to test North Korea's first submarine-launched ballistic missile in 2016.
While North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has recently warned of "unprecedented strong responses" to the joint exercises if they took place, his sister, Kim Yo Jong, has warned that "the frequency of using the Pacific Ocean as our shooting range depends on the nature of the U.S. military's actions," according to a statement published on the state-run Korean Central News Agency.
With the U.S. government stretched thin between assisting Ukraine in its defense against Russia and Beijing ramping up its threats of reunification with Taiwan while strengthening ties with Saudi Arabia, a U.S. ally in the Middle East, the last thing the U.S. or its military needs right now is a conflict with North Korea.
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While the government's Covid-19 vaccine mandate for U.S. troops is no longer in effect, the Pentagon sent a letter to lawmakers recently saying that it could still remove as many as 16,000 unvaccinated troops from service.
According to the letter from the Under Secretary of Defense for Military personnel Gilbert Cisneros, military officials "continue to review cases on an individual basis to determine appropriate action" for personnel who did not get vaccinated and who also did not request an exemption.
The letter noted that there are 16,000 of those cases and approximately 69,000 unvaccinated troops, although 53,000 of those had requested either a religious, medical, or administrative exemption.
The 16,000 who remain unvaccinated and did not request a waiver are still subject to separation, according to the Pentagon, despite Republicans using the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to force the Biden administration to rescind the mandate last year.
Jim Banks (R-IN0), Chairman of the Military Personnel Subcommittee, criticized the Pentagon's decision to punish troops who did not file for an exemption, saying, "It's incredibly divisive and cruel to fire patriotic service members for refusing to comply with a partisan and harmful rule that no longer exists. To me, the only explanation is that the Biden administration wants to purge conservative service members from the military."
When questioned by Banks during a hearing as to why troops are being punished regarding a mandate that is no longer in effect, Cisneros said it was due to the mandate being a "lawful order" at the time it was issued and that troops who remained unvaccinated without seeking an exemption "disobeyed a lawful order."
"Those who refused the vaccine and did not put in a request for an accommodation refused a lawful order," Cisneros answered.
When asked what purpose enforcing a rescinded mandate served, Cisneros replied, "In order to maintain good order and discipline, it's very important that our service members follow orders when they are lawful."
Despite Cisneros' answers, the DOD has never publically answered questions regarding whether or not the Covid vaccine mandate was lawful.
The DOD will also not reveal whether or not Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin requested or received an exemption from President Biden.
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The Pentagon is concerned amid a rise in “troubling” reports that cooperation is increasing between Moscow and Beijing regarding China’s efforts to build new nuclear weapons. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Department of Defense (DOD) made an official accusation regarding the reports.
The Assistant Defense Secretary for Space Policy, John F. Plumb, said during a Wednesday House Armed Services’ strategic forces subcommittee hearing, “It’s very troubling to see Russia and China cooperating on this.”
“They may have talking points around it, but there’s no getting around the fact that breeder reactors are plutonium, and plutonium is for weapons. So I think the [Defense] Department is concerned. And, of course, it matches our concerns about China’s increased expansion of its nuclear forces as well because you need more plutonium for more weapons,” Plumb added.
Despite Plumb’s comments during the hearing, the DOD appeared to have a hard time keeping up with which radioactive material Russia was supplying to China.
Plumb also discussed Beijing diversifying its high-tech weapons arsenal with assistance from Russia. Changes to the arsenal include high-altitude surveillance balloons, like the one shot down by the U.S. last month, and even hypersonic missiles with nuclear tips.
“China is engaged in a significant and fast-paced expansion and diversification of its nuclear forces. Also, Russia and China view space as a warfighting domain,” Plumb told the subcommittee.
Meanwhile, Congressmen are calling on the Biden administration to disrupt the relationship between China and Russia to interrupt the sharing of weapons technology between the two countries.
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), who is the subcommittee chairman, said, “I’m hopeful that we will see a comprehensive strategy from the administration to break this relationship – and ideally shatter Rosatom.”
The DOD’s accusations come dangerously close to the recent pull out of Russia from the New START nuclear arms treaty, with Putin announcing last month that Moscow was suspending the agreement.
Lamborn said about the New START suspension and the exchange of treaty-mandated nuclear information, “It is curious that we provide Russia with this benefit under the treaty when Russia is no longer reciprocating.”
Many in Washington are beginning to view the Russian and China ‘threats’ as intertwined, largely in part to Russia’s war in Ukraine and Beijing’s continued support for Moscow.
In recent weeks, American intelligence has begun to report that Beijing is considering providing lethal weapons to Russia for its use in Ukraine.
Last week Rep. Mike Tuner (R-OH) told NBC’s Meet the Press, “The problem with China entering this is because you’ve got the West giving weapons to Ukraine.”
“You’ve got Russia depleting their stores. We obviously – the West together have an ability to impact Ukraine greater than Russia alone does,” Turner added.
Unfortunately, with China’s backing, Russia would become a much more powerful enemy for Ukraine and its Western allies to contend with. In the meantime, the U.S. government continues put pressure on Beijing over its ‘no limits’ partnership with Moscow.
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In an effort to expand and overhaul its navy, Australia has signed a deal with the U.S. to purchase 5 Virginia-class nuclear submarines beginning in the next decade. Both U.S. and European officials have disclosed the deal as part of a landmark defense agreement between the U.S., Australia, and the U.K. in an effort to counter China.
The agreement is central to the newly formed AUKUS partnership. The sub deal is expected to be announced on Monday when President Joe Biden meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in San Diego.
At the time of the partnership's formation 18 months ago, Biden said, "We all recognize the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term," adding that "We need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region and how it may evolve."
The Virginia-class submarines cost $3 billion each and will be built in Virginia and Connecticut. Some sources, however, have said that the subs will be built in the UK and Australia using U.S. technology and assistance.
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While the AUKUS partnership has many defense components, one of the most critical is the development of Australia's nuclear submarine capability.
While Western leaders have been careful never to call out China directly, it's clear that the AUKUS partnership is aimed at countering China's influence in the Indo-Pacific. Meanwhile, Beijing has accused Australia of violating prior commitments to provide nuclear weapons or technology to its military.
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Last week, Undersecretary of Defense Colin Kahl, testified before the U.S. House Armed Services Committee that Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to make a nuclear bomb in "about 12 days."
Ali Safavi, who is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Paris-based National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), stated that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has confirmed that Iran is, in fact, capable of producing enough weapons-grade enriched uranium to produce a nuclear weapon in "just 12 days."
According to Safavi, in order to produce one nuclear warhead, Iran would only have to utilize 3 advanced centrifuge cascades and only half of its existing supply of 60 percent enriched uranium, leaving plenty of uranium for additional weapons.
If Iran were to utilize its remaining 60 percent enriched uranium, combined with its stock of uranium that is 20 percent enriched, the country would have enough weapons-grade uranium to build 4 additional atomic warheads within a month.
Iran also maintains stocks of 5 percent enriched uranium and could produce two more weapons' worth of enriched uranium from that stockpile in 2 months.
Overall, Iran has enough enriched uranium to potentially build 7 nuclear weapons within 3 months.
"The urgency of addressing the imminent threat posed by Iran's nuclear program cannot be overstated," Safavi said. "With the regime's unwavering determination to obtain a nuclear weapon, the recent internal unrest within Iran, which has weakened the regime even further, may only serve to further motivate them towards this goal," Safavi added.
Additionally, on January 22, the IAEA also discovered uranium particles enriched to 83.7 percent during a monthly interim verification at the Fordow Fuel Enrichment Plant. The IAEA has not been satisfied with Iran's explanation for the highly enriched material and is still conducting a probe for more credible answers.
While it takes far more than just enriched uranium to produce an atomic weapon, Iran's Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND) has been operating under the Iranian Ministry of Defense to develop all the necessary components of a nuclear warhead for the past 30 years. Such components include enriched uranium material, an explosion mechanism, and a launching device - like the Shehab 3 missile.
Despite prior setbacks, including the assassination of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh Mahabadi, who was the head of SPND for several years, the organization is still operational and continues its efforts to build a nuclear weapon for Iran.
While Iran appears to have built all or most of the components for a nuclear warhead, the detonation mechanism requires testing before it can be used as part of a weapon, and it is currently unclear as to whether or not the regime has completed the necessary testing of the mechanism, as such, it is unclear what Iran's timeline for the creation of an operational nuclear warhead might be.
What is certain, though, is that Iran has more than enough enriched uranium and the centrifuge facilities to create multiple nuclear weapons once all of the components have been developed and tested.
Safavi expressed a need for urgency on the part of the United States and Europe to condemn Iran's nuclear program and activate Article 6 of the Security Council resolution to enforce sanctions against the country.
"To prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, decisive action is paramount. The international community must prioritize this policy of decisiveness and remain steadfast in their efforts," Safavi said.
"Article 6 of the Security Council resolution and the practical implementation of sanctions must be enforced without waiver, as failure to do so could have dire consequences for regional and global peace and security," Safavi concluded.
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As Russia pushes into a second year of war with Ukraine, the Biden administration has continuously committed to sending more and more financial and military aid to Kyiv. Biden has even gone so far as to say that the U.S. will support Ukraine indefinitely as the war continues with no end in sight. Meanwhile, at home, U.S. arms manufacturers are struggling to meet the heightened demand, and arms and ammunition for American forces are at dangerously low levels.
As top officials in the Biden administration seem to announce new aid packages for Ukraine weekly, Americans are beginning to wonder when Washington will realize that U.S. national security is at risk due to the administration’s blind aid agreements.
Not only is Biden sending arms and munitions to Ukraine faster than American manufacturers can produce them, but Ukrainian troops have been burning through the supply at such an alarming rate that the U.S. military has had to train Ukrainian forces on different fighting tactics that use less artillery.
To date, Biden has sent approximately one-third of U.S. stockpiles of both Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Kyiv. Meanwhile, U.S. arms manufacturers typically produce between 1,000 and 2,100 Javelins a year. Now, the Army is struggling to get the produces to manufacture up to 4,000 a year, and it’s unlikely to happen.
According to some estimates, the Ukrainians are using 6,000 to 7,000 155 mm artillery shells a day, a rate that could deplete the entirety of Britain’s stockpile of NATO-standard 155 mm shells in a mere 8 days. Ukrainian troops are also burning through ammo for U.S.-manufactured HIMARS (high-mobility artillery rocket system) and other types of munitions just as quickly.
The picture of the situation gets even bleaker if one factors in the possibility of the U.S. defending Taiwan should China attack the island. Should the U.S. defend Taiwan if China decides to attack, the U.S. could run out of ammunition, like missiles, artillery shells, etc., in one week.
The ammunition problems are compounded by supply chain issues. In many cases, manufacturers are having to wait months, in some cases over a year, to receive some of the necessary components.
Other concerns include being able to accurately estimate the amount of arms and munitions that are needed. With the war in Ukraine continuing with no sort of timeline to work off of and rising tensions between Beijing, Washington, and Taipei, it’s challenging for the military to accurately assess how many munitions need to be produced.
According to Secretary of the Army Douglas Bush, “The long-term challenge will be how much of that capacity can we sustain over time, post-conflict.”
“We don’t know how long the conflict will last. We don’t know how low our stocks will be,” Bush added.
Meanwhile, many Americans have expressed concern that the Biden administration is putting its support of Ukraine ahead of U.S. national security and is setting the U.S. up for catastrophe should the country get further involved with Ukraine due to Russian provocation, or come to the aid of Taiwan if China decides to attack.
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On Saturday, General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, made an unannounced visit to Syria. The purpose of Milley's visit was to reaffirm the presence of U.S. forces there, despite much of the American public lamenting the government's continued foreign military support.
The U.S. military has roughly 900 troops stationed in northeast Syria, which is the country's rich oil and gas region. U.S. forces are also stationed on the Iraq-Syria border at Tanf base.
When asked by reporters if he thought the Pentagon's presence in Syria was worth the risk, Milley responded, "If you think that's important, then the answer is 'Yes.'"
"So I think that an enduring defeat of ISIS and continuing to support our friends and allies in the region... I think those are important tasks that can be done," Milley added. For several years, U.S. special forces have advised and assisted the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which maintains control of the country's major oil fields.
While the U.S. government has previously tried to portray the United States' continued presence in Syria as related to counter-terror and counter-ISIS measures, former President Trump admitted that the U.S. presence was about "securing the oil." The U.S. also views its continued presence in Syria as a way of countering Iran by continuously pressuring Iran's ally Damascus.
Damascus quickly issued a foreign ministry statement upon Milley's arrival calling the visit a "flagrant violation of Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity, and unity."
According to a source at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and expatriates, "Syria strongly condemns the illegal visit of the U.S. Chief of Staff to an illegal U.S. military base in northeastern Syria, and affirms that it is a flagrant violation of the sovereignty, the sanctity of its lands and unity."
"Syria calls on the U.S. administration to immediately stop its systematic and continuous violations of international law and stop its support for separatist armed militias... and Syria affirms that these U.S. practices will not deviate it from its approach to combating terrorism and preserving its sovereignty, security, and stability," the source concluded.
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Syria is not the only country to be displeased with Milley's surprise visit. Turkey has also wanted U.S. forces to leave the region as they support Kurdish groups, which Turkey views as 'terrorists.'
It is also believed that Milley's visit to Syria was to show that the U.S. will not ease pressure on Assad following the massive earthquake that devastated Syria and Turkey and caused more than 50,000 deaths and billions of dollars worth of damage.
While many Arab countries have sent representatives to Damascus and issued supportive statements to Assad and provided humanitarian aid to Syria, the U.S. is continuing to try and dissuade Arab leaders from re-embracing the Asad government in the aftermath of the recent earthquake and subsequent humanitarian crisis.
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While speaking to the U.S. House Armed Services Committee, Undersecretary of Defense, Colin Kahl, suspiciously testified that Iran could produce enough weapons-grade uranium to make a nuclear bomb in "about 12 days."
According to Kahl, Iran's enrichment capacity has risen sufficiently since the U.S. abandoned the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, aka the "Iran nuclear deal" 5 years ago.
"Because Iran's nuclear progress since we left the JCPOA has been remarkable. Back in 2018, when the previous administration decided to leave the JCPOA it would have taken Iran about 12 months to produce one bomb's worth of fissile material. Now it would take about 12 days," Kahl testified.
"And so I think there is still the view that if you could resolve this issue diplomatically and put constraints back on their nuclear program, it is better than the other options. But right now, the JCPOA is on ice," he added.
Other top officials, however, doubt that Iran is stockpiling uranium enriched beyond 60 percent, which is well below weapons grade. The same officials also have expressed doubts about Iran's technical capabilities to build nuclear weapons.
It is a feat to get enough 90 percent enriched uranium to create a bomb, much less package it into a deliverable, operable weapon. Regardless of whether or not Iran was stockpiling enriched uranium, the country lmay ack the capabilities to produce a nuclear weapon.
Despite the confusion, Pentagon officials continue to maintain that the U.S. needs to enter another nuclear deal with Iran, rather than not having one in place.
NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, on Tuesday, confirmed that NATO and its members want Ukraine to eventually join the military alliance at some point in the future. “NATO allies have agreed that Ukraine will become a member of our alliance, but at the same time that that is a long-term perspective,” Stoltenberg said.
“What is the issue now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent nation, and therefore we need to support Ukraine,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been pushing NATO for a “fast-tracked” process, despite his country being engaged in war with Russia and having an ongoing conflict in the country’s eastern region dating back to 2014 when Moscow annexed the Crimea peninsula and made it part of Russia.
NATO has never admitted a country that is engaged in an active conflict or has had an active conflict on its border, as doing so would automatically trigger Article 5 once the country was accepted into the alliance.
Ukraine is not the only country having difficulty joining NATO, with Sweden and Finland facing recent struggles as they attempt to join the alliance with a joint bid. All NATO members must unanimously agree to allow a country to join, but Turkey and Hungary have refused to admit Sweden. Stoltenberg said of the two holdout members, “My message has been for a long time… that time has come to finalize the ratification process. The time is now to ratify in both Budapest and in Ankara.”
In an effort to support Kyiv, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin added, “I see that the future of Ukraine is to be part of the European Union and also a member of NATO.”
However, CIA Director William Burns cautioned in a 2008 cable that Ukraine being permitted to enter NATO would be the “brightest of all red lines.”
“Ukrainian entry into NATO is the brightest of all redlines for the Russian elite (not just Putin),” Burns wrote in the cable. “I have yet to find anyone who views Ukraine in NATO as anything other than a direct challenge to Russian interests,” he concluded.
Not only is Ukraine’s entry into NATO going to be a slow process and a long way off, but the process for Kyiv to join the EU is expected to take years or even decades, according to some predictions.
Some Ukrainian officials are saying that their nation is already a de facto member of NATO, given how the level of arms and training NATO allies have offered the country already. Putin views assistance from NATO the same way and has made demilitarizing Ukraine one of Russia’s invasion objectives as a result of it.
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A top Department of Defense (DOD) official confirmed on Tuesday that American weapons provided to Ukraine have been captured by Russian forces on the battlefield. The U.S. has provided Ukraine with almost $45 billion in military aid over the past year.
According to the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, Colin Kahl, Moscow has been capturing American weapons from Ukrainian battlefields and selling them on the black market.
“Our assessment is if some of these systems have been diverted, it’s by Russians who have captured things on the battlefield, which always happens,” Kahl said.
Beginning shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Biden administration began transferring an unprecedented number of weapons to Kyiv. From January 24, 2022, to January 15, 2023, Washington has provided Ukraine with $44.3 billion in military aid, according to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Kahl noted that there is “no evidence” to indicate that Kyiv had anything to do with the weapons entering the black market.
During the beginning of the war, CNN reported that Washington was lacking oversight regarding the weapons it sent to Kyiv. A source told CNN last April, “we have fidelity for a short time, but when it enters the fog of war, we have almost zero. It drops into a big black hole, and you have almost no sense of it at all after a short period of time.”
Jonas Oman, founder and CEO of Blue-Yellow, a Lithuanian-based organization that has been supplying the Ukrainian frontlines with military aid, told CBS News at the same time, “All of this stuff goes across the border, and then something happens, kind of like 30% of it reaches its final destination.”
Meanwhile, Congressman Matt Gaetz confronted Kahl about American weapons given to Ukraine ending up in the hands of neo-Nazis. Gaetz cited a 2018 Global Times article that found that American weapons were being used by the neo-Nazi militia Azov Battalion, which was absorbed into Ukraine’s National Guard. Kahl dismissed Gaetz’s question stating that the claim was “Beijing’s propaganda.”
The Azov Battalion has been seen with Western-made anti-tank weapons. According to a tweet by NEXTA in March, “A shipment of NLAW grenade launchers and instructors from #NATO countries arrived in Kharkiv. The Azov regiment was the first to learn about new weaponry.” The tweet included photos of Ukrainian soldiers with Nazi patches on their uniforms.
In July, a report was released by the American organization, the Stimson Center that said, “[The Azov Battalion’s] role in key Ukrainian theatres creates risks that arms could be diverted to Azov troops in contravention of U.S. law.”
According to Kahl, however, weapons given to Kyiv are tracked by Ukraine with scanners provided by the U.S., with the data then transferred to American officials at the embassy in Kyiv.
Despite the oversight that is in place, it is unclear how American arms have fallen into the hands of the Azov Battalion or if the Battalion is trafficking those arms to the Russians.
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Top Zelensky officials are considering a potential ‘strategic pullback’ from the beleaguered eastern city of Bakhmut. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has admitted that he is not prepared to order the continued defense of the city at all costs. Both Ukraine and Russia are suffering tremendous casualties in the fight for the city, but Russia has superior artillery fire, which it has been using nonstop around the clock. The city is almost completely surrounded by Russian troops.
According to Zelensky aide Alexander Rodnyansky, Kyiv has not yet pulled Ukrainian forces out of Bakhmut, but Zelensky may soon decide that the cost of defending the city “outweighs the benefits.”
“Our military is obviously going to weigh all of the options,” he said. “So far, they’ve held the city, but if need be, they will strategically pull back because we’re not going to sacrifice all of our people just for nothing,” Rodnyansky added.
Zelensky has also said that defending Bakhmut has been “most difficult” for Ukrainian troops. However, on Wednesday, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner Grop, said that Ukrainian forces have continued to put up fierce resistance to Russia’s continuous attacks on the city.
“The Ukrainian army is throwing extra reserves into Artyomovsk and trying to hold the town with all their strength,” Prigozhin said. Artyomovsk is the Russian name for Bakhmut.
“Tens of thousands of Ukrainian army fighters are putting up furious resistance. The bloodiness of the battles is growing by the day,” Prigozhin added.
Videos appearing on social media show the devastation. A barren battlefield has replaced a once peaceful, bustling city.
City streets and neighborhoods have been abandoned, bombed, and turned into a war zone.
With Russian forces pounding Bakhmut with nonstop artillery fire, there are no signs that things will improve for Ukrainian troops in the region. According to a retired U.S. Marine fighting in Ukraine, the frontlines in Bakhmut are a “meat grinder” where soldiers only survive an average of “four hours.”
On Tuesday, Zelensky said, “Russia does not count people at all, sending them to constantly storm our positions.”
“The intensity of fighting is only increasing,” Zelensky concluded.
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According to a retired U.S. Marine fighting in Ukraine, the frontlines are a “meat grinder,” and soldiers typically live an average of “four hours.”
Troy Offenbecker has joined the fight against Moscow with Ukrainian forces in the Donbas region, where Russia has been fighting to capture the city of Bakhmut and has slowly been making gains in the area.
Back in January, Germany estimated that Ukraine was losing a “three-digit number” of soldiers every day during the fight for Bakhmut. Three months ago, when that estimate was released, President Joe Biden and his administration believed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was being too careless with Ukrainian lives in his defense of the city.
Offenbecker’s comments make one suspect that the situation is getting more dire for the Ukrainians.
“It’s been pretty bad on the ground. A lot of casualties.” Offenbecker said. He added that “the life expectancy is around four hours on the frontline.”
The marine went on to say that Moscow’s attack on Bakhmut has been relentless and that Russian forces show no sign of letting up. “[The artillery] is nonstop,” Offenbecker said. He added that Russian forces fight around the clock and said, “[The Russians] have maybe run into a shortage of shells lately, but the past couple of weeks, it’s been nonstop. All day and night.”
Russian forces are not the only ones potentially facing a shortage of artillery shells, with NATO telling Zelensky last month that Kyiv’s allies are struggling to find more shells to send to Ukraine. According to Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the U.S. will begin training Ukrainian troops in fighting methods that require fewer munitions.
Western leaders are anticipating a Russian offensive either this winter or spring after the Kremlin ordered a mobilization of 300,000 troops last year. Offenbecker agrees with Ukrainian officials who believe that the much anticipated Russian offensive is now underway. “With the amount of shelling, the amount of armor that they’ve brought in, I think it’s started,” he said.
With both Kyiv and Moscow keeping casualties close to the vest, it is unclear how significant the death toll is for each country. Since the beginning of the war, Zelensky has nationalized his nation’s media, imprisoned citizens who have opposed his administration, and outlawed his political opposition.
Regarding the state of Ukrainian journalism, press union leader Serhiy Guz, “We never know what’s the basis of these accusations, what’s the pro-Russian link…It starts to look like a political accusation rather than a genuine crime.”
“A lot of journalists self-censor now,” Guz concluded.
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On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kyiv is preparing to launch attacks in an effort to recapture Crimea. The plan for the attacks includes forming new military units and sending forces to train in other countries.
“There are military steps, and we are preparing for them. We are ready mentally. We are preparing technically: with weapons, reinforcements, the formation of brigades, in particular the assault brigades, of different categories and nature,” Zelensky said during a press conference.
According to the local news agency, Ukrinform, Zelensky said that Ukrainian forces were being sent to other countries for training on how to use new weapons. “We have to be ready. Then, there will be corresponding fair de-occupation steps, and, God willing, they will be successful,” he continued.
While other top Ukrainian officials, along with Zelensky, have made it known that recapturing Crimea is one of their main goals for the war, it will be difficult as Russia controls much of the territory north of Crimea in the Kherson Oblast region. Assessments from the Pentagon also indicate that retaking Crimea will be unlikely for Kyiv. The Crimean Peninsula was taken by Russia in 2014.
Despite the Pentagon’s doubt, the Biden administration has said that it will remain supportive of Ukrainian attacks on Crimea. “Russia has turned Crimea into a massive military installation… those are legitimate targets, Ukraine is hitting them, and we are supporting that,” said Victoria Nuland, the U.S. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs.
However, the U.S. supporting Ukrainian assaults on Crimea would risk a serious escalation with Moscow. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has acknowledged the risk of causing further escalation, referring to the peninsula as a “red line” for Russian President Vladimir Putin
Putin has exhibited a willingness to escalate the war over attacks on Crimea, given that Russia’s relentless missile and drone assaults on Ukrainian infrastructure did not begin until Kyiv bombed the Kerch Bride, which connects Crimea with the Russian mainland.
Crimea was annexed by Russia in 2014, and, according to polling in the region since Moscow’s takeover, the majority of residents in the Crimea Peninsula are happy that their territory joined with Russia.
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Ukraine's military intelligence service has released a photo of an American-made Black Hawk helicopter painted with a Ukrainian flag and has indicated that it has been used in military operations.
Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence posted two photos of the helicopter on its Twitter account and website on Tuesday. According to a press release that was published at the time the photos were posted, the Black Hawk was recently used for military missions.
"Military intelligence aviation of Ukraine continues its work on the front line of the defense of our country. Reconnaissance pilots have just returned from another combat mission," the press release stated.
"Combat helicopters significantly increase the capabilities of the special units of the Main Directorate of Intelligence and the effectiveness of special operations," it added.
Also pictured in one of the photos is a Ukrainian Mi-24 Hind helicopter.
It is currently unclear how the Ukrainian military obtained the Black Hawk. The White House has approved sending Kyiv Soviet-era Mi-17 helicopters. Those aircraft were formerly owned by the Afghan government before it collapsed in 2021 following the catastrophic U.S. pullout of the country. If the U.S. sent the helicopter, the Biden administration has not publicly announced that it has provided Black Hawks to Kyiv.
To date, President Biden has not sent long-range weapons or fighter jets to Ukraine, despite Zelensky's pleas for such weapons and aircraft.
The Biden administration has, however, been steadily increasing the heavy arms shipments, which had included HIMARS, ground-launched small-diameter bombs (GLSDB), and a Patriot missile batter along with other equipment. Last month the U.S. and Germany agreed to send M1 Abrams and Leopard 2 tanks as well.
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According to 2 unnamed U.S. officials, it is believed that Russia conducted a test launch of an extremely provocative intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) while President Biden was visiting Kyiv Monday.
The sources said that the U.S. believes the test “failed,” but no details of the failed launch were given, other than Putin leaving the test out of his speech Tuesday in Moscow.
According to one official, Russia notified the U.S. of the launch prior to it taking place through deconfliction lines. A second official noted that the test did not pose a risk to the U.S., nor did Washington view the test as something out of the ordinary or as an escalation.
The test reportedly was of the SARMAT missile, which is nuclear-capable and known in the West as the ‘Satan II.’
The reason U.S. officials believe the test was a failure is that, had it been successful, Putin would have most likely touted the country’s nuclear capabilities and the test in his State of the Nation address on Tuesday.
However, Putin made no mention of the launch in his remarks, which lasted almost 2 hours. Although Putin never mentioned the Satan II test, he did announce that Moscow will be unilaterally suspending Russia’s involvement in the New START nuclear treaty, which is meant to limit the development of nuclear capabilities for both the U.S. and Russia.
Assuming that the test launch did occur, there is still the possibility that Russia will release menacing footage of it later this week, should Putin choose to send a threatening message to the U.S. and its Western allies, given the increasing provocations between Russia and the West.
The Kremlin has been known to widely publicize its major weapons test launches by releasing official videos of the events, some of which are released well after the tests.
Should Putin decide to release footage of the Satan II ICBM test launch while Biden is still on his tour of Eastern Europe, it would, without a doubt, be taken as a direct threat to the West and seen as a massive escalation of the conflict between Russia, Ukraine, and its Western allies. Hopefully, no such occurrence takes place.
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On Monday, it was discovered that an unsecured server at the Department of Defense (DOD) had been leaking sensitive military emails online for two full weeks. The incident is being blamed on a misconfiguration that left the server without a password.
The server contained files with sensitive personnel information from the past several years, including completed SF-86 questionnaires, which contain background information for personnel with security clearance. The server is a treasure trove of sensitive information for anyone looking to do harm to the U.S.
The compromised server was hosted on Microsoft's Azure government cloud, which is exclusively for DOD customers. The Azure servers are physically separated from those for commercial customers and can be used to share sensitive information, although no classified material. The exposed server acted as part of an internal email system storing roughly 3 terabytes of internal military emails, several of which pertained to U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), which is the military unit that conducts special operations.
A misconfiguration of the server left it, and its sensitive email contents, without a password and openly exposed on the internet. Anyone could access the server using only an internet browser and the server's IP address.
Data on the server includes military emails, some of which contain sensitive personnel information, dating back years. Included in the exposed emails were several SF-86 questionnaires, which is a document that is completed by anyone seeking security clearance and contains highly sensitive personal background and health information used to vet individuals for possible security clearance. The information contained in the SF-86 questionnaires would be valuable to U.S. adversaries.
Regrettably, this is not the first such breach of sensitive information. In 2015 the U.S. Office of Personnel Management had a significant data breach when a Chinese hacker stole millions of background check files for government employees applying for security clearance.
None of the limited data reviewed by the media thus far has been classified, which is consistent with USSOCOM's civilian network. For security purposes, all classified networks are internal and inaccessible from the internet.
It appears that the vulnerable server was first discovered to be leaking sensitive data on February 8. While it is still unclear exactly how the server came to be dumping data on the public internet, it is most likely due to a misconfiguration, which would have been caused by human error.
The server was finally secured Monday afternoon, and a senior Pentagon official has confirmed that details of the exposure have been passed along to USSOCOM to be handled accordingly.
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In his remarks on Saturday at the Munich Security Conference, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said that Western countries must "help Ukraine to shield its cities from Russian bombs and Iranian drones and that's why the United Kingdom will be the first country to provide Ukraine with longer-range weapons."
According to Sunak, the UK government is working with its NATO allies to "give Ukraine the most advanced air defence systems and build the air force they need to defend their nation."
"[The United Kingdom] is ready to help any country to provide Ukraine planes they need today, but we must also train Ukrainian pilots to use advanced jets," he added.
Sunak's escalation comes as the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has expressed concern that China is considering moving from "providing rhetorical, political, diplomatic support to Russia" to "providing lethal support to Russia." Should that happen, Blinken has warned that it would have "serious consequences" for Chinese-American relations.
Over the past year, the UK has provided almost £4 billion in aid to Ukraine, with £2.3 billion of that given in the form of military aid that included weapons, ammunition, and other military gear and equipment.
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Ukraine earlier this month, the UK parliament began considering sending fighter jets and long-range missiles to Kyiv.
The two types of long-range missiles being considered are the 150-mile range Harppon high-explosive, which is an anti-ship missile, and the 350-mile range Storm Shadow cruise missile. Kyiv has said that if it receives the missiles, they will be used to expand the war by launching an assault on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed from Ukraine back in 2014.
It is also possible that the British long-range missiles could be used to target Russian territory, which could easily escalate the conflict from a localized war to a full-scale global conflict.
Sunak has also suggested that NATO add a "new charter" in its agreement in order to "help protect Ukraine from future Russian aggression."
When Zelensky visited London earlier this month, he and Sunak signed the London Declaration, in which Britain recommitted to its stance of supporting Ukraine's admission to NATO, which Russia has cited as a cause for the invasion, saying that having NATO expand to its doorstep is a "red line."
Despite, threats from the Kremlin, the declaration states, "[t]he UK has continued to lead the way in support for Ukraine to defend itself, including anti-tank weapons and tanks. Our military support to Ukraine is enduring. UK support will continue to contribute across all three domains; Land, Air, Sea."
The UK was not the only country calling for additional aid for Ukraine at the Munich conference. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that the world should prepare for a "long war" and called for Germany's Western allies to continue to supply Ukraine with more weaponry, tanks, and ammunition.
Despite French President Emmanuel Macron initially being a proponent of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, he announced in Munich that now is "not the time for dialogue." Hopes for a peaceful resolution were further diminished when Zelensky stated that he would not accept any peace agreement if it required territorial concessions to Russia, which is likely to be seen as a non-starter for Moscow.
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In a recent interview with the CBS program "Face the Nation," Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that he hoped U.S. President Joe Biden would confirm his conviction to see Russia defeated in Putin's war against Ukraine.
Morawiecki also made it known that he did not agree with French President Emmanuel Macron or German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who both believe that Russia "cannot win this war and Ukraine cannot be defeated."
According to Morawiecki, "We have to change that paradigm, and we have to say, Ukraine must win, and Russia must be defeated." The reason for Morawiecki's determination that Moscow has to be defeated is because "the very nature of Russia is to conquer other countries."
When asked about how he felt about attempting to negotiate with Putin remaining in power, Morawiecki noted that he had just come from the Munich Security Conference and pointed out that Munich had also been the site of another conference in 1938 when other European leaders had thought they had negotiated peace.
"This time around, there was no room for such naivety, and it was up to the Ukrainians to define what would be negotiated with Russia and when," Morawiecki added.
The Prime Minister was also asked if any movement had been made with the U.S. in an effort to increase the U.S. military presence in Poland. Morawiecki said that his country was in talks with the Biden administration to strengthen the U.S. military presence in Poland from the current 11,000 troops stationed there and to make it "more permanent."
Morawiecki warned that "if we fail to integrate Ukraine into NATO and the European Union, Ukraine will always be a buffer zone," meaning that the region will not be secured until Ukraine's ascension to the military alliance has been confirmed.
The Prime Minister deflected a bit when asked if Warsaw would send fighter jets to Kyiv and noted that a year ago, no one imagined that Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks or Patriot systems would be offered to Ukraine.
He then added that fighter jets could only be given, "in combination with other NATO allies, and in particular, under the leadership of the United States."
Morawiecki appears to be taking the same approach that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz took regarding sending tanks to Kyiv, saying that the U.S. must send tanks first.
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On Thursday, NORAD announced that in addition to the interception of 4 Russian aircraft on Monday, Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers were intercepted off the coast of Alaska on February 14 as well.
As in the first incident, NORAD scrambled two F-35 fighter jets to intercept the Russian bombers as they approached Alaska's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ), officials announced Thursday.
According to a NORAD statement, "This is the second intercept of Russian aircraft over two days. This Russian activity near the North American ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat, nor is the activity seen as provocative."
Two interceptions within 48 hours are extremely rare, so it seems odd that NORAD calls the interceptions "routine," given that what has previously been referred to as "routine," is 6 to 7 interceptions a year over the past decade, not multiple interceptions per week.
Not only are the interceptions abnormally frequent, but Russian state media is also actively publicizing the exercises off Alaska and is including videos of the maneuvers.
According to the NORAD statement released after Monday's incident, "Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the North American ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat, nor is the activity seen as provocative."
While tensions with Russia are already running high due to the war in Ukraine, the increased interceptions come following a series of "unidentified objects" that have been located and shot down over the U.S. in recent weeks, including a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon, which was first detected over Alaska.
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As NATO warns that its stockpiles of artillery munitions are running low, the U.S. military is attempting to train Ukrainian forces to change how they fight in order to conserve shells. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, outlined the effort after a meeting in Brussels with the Ukraine Defense Contact group.
Austin told reporters, ”We are working with the Ukrainian soldiers in various places throughout Europe to emphasize additional training on maneuver so that as they place more emphasis on maneuver and shaping the battlefield with fires and then maneuvering, there’s a good chance that they’ll require less artillery munitions, but that’s left to be seen.”
The secretary confirmed that Ukraine has used “a lot of artillery ammunition” and reiterated that the U.S. is doing everything possible to keep supplying Kyiv with more munitions. “We’re going to do everything we can, working with our international partners, to ensure that we get them as much ammunition as quickly as possible and that we’ll do everything we can to sustain our efforts there as well,” Austin added.
Over the course of the past year, the U.S. has sent an overwhelming amount of artillery to Ukraine, particularly 155mm shells. Due to the depletion of U.S. stockpiles and the continuing demand for more munitions from Kyiv, the Pentagon is increasing its production of artillery shells by 500 percent over the next 2 years to meet the demand and replenish stockpiles.
Even with the drastic increase in the production of ammo, NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg said Monday, it is still uncertain whether or not continuing to provide massive weapons caches to Ukraine is sustainable for NATO as Kyiv is burning through more munitions than the military alliance can produce.
“The war in Ukraine is consuming an enormous amount of munitions, and depleting allied stockpiles. The current rate of Ukraine’s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production, and this puts our defense industries under strain,” Stoltenberg added.
Meanwhile, the Chairman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Mark Milley, announced last week that Russia had lost the war and indicated that it was up to Russian President Vladimir Putin to end his “war or choice.”
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As Washington looks for new ways to fund the war in Ukraine, the U.S. Army has begun assessing the possibility of sending thousands of Iranian weapons and more than a million rounds of ammunition to Kyiv.
According to anonymous U.S. and European officials, the weapons and ammo to be turned over to Ukraine would include more than 5,000 assault rifles, 1.6 million rounds of small arms ammunition, a small number of antitank missiles, and more than 7,000 proximity fuses, which were seized recently in the Gulf of Oman while allegedly being shipped to Yemen.
While the weapons and ammunition pale in comparison to what Western allies have sent to Kyiv over the past year, Pentagon officials see the handover of the small weapons cache as a symbolic punishment for Iran, which has been supplying drones to Russia and has recently entered into an agreement with Moscow to build a manufacturing site for Iranian drones inside Russian territory. Both Iran and Russia have denied that Tehran has been supplying Moscow with drones.
According to the U.S. official, “It’s a message to take weapons meant to arm Iran’s proxies and flip them to achieve our priorities in Ukraine, where Iran is providing arms to Russia.”
There are still legal hurdles to clear before the Biden administration can send the weapons to Ukraine. According to the UN arms embargo on Iran, Western countries are required to destroy, store, or get rid of any seized weapons.
President Joe Biden could possibly overcome the legal challenges by creating an executive order or by working with Congress to all the U.S. to seize weapons under the civil forfeiture authorities and then pass them along to Kyiv.
Regarding the U.S. looking for ways to send the seized Iranian weapons and ammo to Ukraine, Yemen’s Deputy Information Minster told the Wall Street Journal, “What change can this make to war?”
NATO Secretary General told NATO defense ministers during a meeting in Brussels on Monday that “The current rate of Ukraine’s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production.” Ukraine’s Western allies recently requested Latin American nations to also donate some of their weapon stocks to Kyiv – a request which was immediately denied.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro responded to the request last month, saying, “We are not with either side. We are for peace.” Meanwhile, Brazilian leader, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told Biden during a meeting that “Brazil is a country of peace. At this moment, we need to find those who want peace, a word that has so far been used very little.”
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said of the idea, “I don’t think sending weapons to prolong a conflict has support in Latin America.”
The Argentinian government gave a similar sentiment when a defense ministry spokesperson said that the country “will not cooperate with the war.”
While the U.S. and its Western allies continue to look for money and weapons to send to Ukraine, Moscow has issued repeated warnings that should Western countries continue to provide weapons and support to Kyiv, they risk becoming directly involved in the conflict.
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Two members of the Tennessee National Guard died instantly when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter they were flying crashed Wednesday afternoon near Highway 53 in Huntsville, Alabama.
Tennessee's Adjutant General, Brig. Gen. Warner Ross, said in a statement, "We are deeply saddened by the loss of two Tennessee National Guardsmen, and our prayers are with their families during this heartbreaking tragedy."
"We ask Tennesseeans to join us in supporting their families during this time of unthinkable grief," Ross added.
The two crew members were conducting a flight-training mission at the time of the crash.
According to Ross, the crash occurred near Highway 53 and Burwell Road in Huntsville at approximately 1500 ET. There were no survivors.
Security footage from a nearby home caught the helicopter plummeting to the ground.
Another video from a driver in the area shows the helicopter wreckage consumed by flames.
An investigation has been launched to determine the cause of the crash.
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NORAD announced Tuesday that on Monday, it scrambled jets to intercept 4 Russian inbound military aircraft near American airspace off the coast of Alaska.
According to an official statement regarding the incident, “The Alaskan Region of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) detected, tracked, positively identified, and intercepted four Russian aircraft entering and operating within the Alaska Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on February 13, 2023.”
In response to the inbound aircraft, NORAD scrambled two U.S. F-16 fighter jets that were assisted by two F-35A fighters, two KC-135 Stratotankers, and an E-3 Sentry. The Russian aircraft included Tupolec Tu-95 “Bear” long-range bomber and an SU-35 fighter jet.
According to NORAD, having Russian aircraft near the coast of Alaska is “routine” as it has occurred an estimated 6 to 7 times a year over the past decade or longer. U.S. airspace was not breached, just the ADIZ perimeter.
“Russian aircraft remained in international airspace and did not enter American or Canadian sovereign airspace. This Russian activity in the North American ADIZ occurs regularly and is not seen as a threat, nor is the activity seen as provocative,” the statement added.
While the Russian flight may be routine, it comes at amid heightened tension between Washington and Moscow, due to Russia’s war in Ukraine and the identification and takedown of a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon earlier this month.
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China has once again overstepped its bounds, this time in an incident involving the Chinese and Philippine Coast Guards. The Biden administration has denounced China's actions during the incident, which occurred on February 6, but was revealed to the public this week.
On Tuesday, State Department spokesman, Ned Price, berated China for its "provocative and unsafe" interference with the goal of disrupting Philippine vessels' "lawful operations" in the South China Sea.
"More broadly, the PRC's dangerous operational behavior directly threatened regional peace and stability, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order," Price added.
According to the U.S. the conflict occurred in an area where China has "no lawful maritime claims" and happened as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sailed around Second Thomas Shoal.
A statement from the PCG detailed the incident, saying, "The Chinese ship illuminated the green laser light twice toward the BRP MALAPASCUA, causing temporary blindness to her crew at the bridge. The Chinese vessel also made dangerous maneuvers by approaching about 150 yards from the vessel's starboard quarter."
The PCG went on to call the event "a blatant disregard for, and a clear violation of, Philippine sovereign rights."
While referring to a 1951 mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, Price added, "The United States stands with our Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based international maritime order and reaffirms an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard in the South China Sea, would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments."
While this is not the first time that the U.S. has vowed to come to the Philippines' defense against China if necessary, it is clear that Beijing is testing the U.S. position with such blatant provocations in disputed territory in the South China Sea.
Although China has acknowledged the incident, it has claimed that the Philippine Coast Guard entered waters claimed by Beijing.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also issued a direct warning to China last summer, saying, "We also reaffirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty."
The PCG incident is just one of several recent provocations on the part of Beijing. China has consistently been conducting show-of-force maneuvers in Taiwanese waters. Earlier this month, a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon also drifted across the U.S. before being shot down by an F-22 over the South Carolina coast. In response to the balloon incident, the Navy's Seventh Fleet deployed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to the South China Sea to conduct military exercises with U.S. marines.
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As tensions rise between Beijing and Washington over the Chinese high-altitude balloon that the Air Force shot down last week, the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps are conducting exercises in the South China Sea.
According to a statement from the Navy's Seventh Fleet, the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz and its strike group conducted drills on February 11 with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The statement did not say when the exercises started or when they would conclude.
In recent years, the U.S. military has increased its activity in the South China Sea and has formally rejected most of China's claims to the waters. Beijing shares a claim to the South China Sea along with the Phillippines and numerous other Southeast Asian countries.
The U.S. involved itself in the dispute over the waters and, under the Obama administration, began sailing warships near islands in the South China Sea that are controlled by Beijing.
The U.S. has been looking to expand its presence in the region under the Biden administration, and Washington recently signed a deal with the Phillippines, which will give the U.S. access to 4 more military sites in the country.
The current drills come after Beijing declined a call from U.S. Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, following the U.S. military shooting down a Chinese balloon in U.S. airspace. The Chinese government maintains that the balloon was a weather balloon, while Washington has claimed that it was a spy device.
While Beijing refused to take Austin's call, U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, canceled a planned trip to China when the balloon was first discovered in U.S. airspace. Since shooting down the Chinese spy balloon, the U.S. military has downed at least two unidentified objects in U.S. airspace, but the White House does not believe the other objects are Chinese balloons.
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On Sunday, Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) took to Twitter to announce that the military had shot down another "object" that had been identified over Lake Huron. Bergman tweeted, "I've been in contact with DoD regarding operations across the Great Lakes region today. The U.S. military has decommissioned another "object" over Lake Huron. I appreciate the decisive action by our fighter pilots. The American people deserve far more answers than we have."
The incident began earlier Sunday when the U.S. closed and then reopened airspace over Lake Huron. That was then followed by Canada closing its airspace over Lake Huron before the U.S. military reportedly shot down the object.
According to a statement released by Canadian Defence Minister, Anita Anand, the takedown of the object was a joint NORAD operation. Anand's statement read, "Today, a high-altitude object was detected in U.S. airspace over Lake Huron. NORAD launched Canadian and U.S. aircraft to investigate, and the object was taken down in U.S. airspace by U.S. aircraft."
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) also tweeted reassurances that the object over Lake Huron was being assessed and dealt with, saying, "Just got a call from @DeptofDefense - our military has an extremely close eye on the object above Lake Huron. We'll know more about what this was in the coming days, but for now, be assured that all parties have been laser-focused on it from the moment it traversed our waters."
Meanwhile, FlightRadar24 images showed a U.S. aircraft tracking an object from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron.
While some congressmen offered reassurances to constituents, others demanded answers from the government.
Rep. Troy Nehls (R-TX) tweeted, "BREAKING: The U.S. military has shot down another unidentified flying object over Lake Huron. We need answers now."
NBC news also tweeted a handful of details that were available regarding the decommissioning of the object, posting, "NEWS: The U.S. military shot down another unidentified object over Lake Huron, two sources tell @ckubeNBC and me. The officials say there are no indications of any collateral damage. The object went down in the lake, and the officials expect to recover it."
While politicians tweeted discontent and reassurances, locals on the ground were tweeting videos of an E-3 Sentry aircraft that was spotted flying near both Lake Huron and Lake Michigan in Petoskey.
After the object had been shot down, Rep. Slotkin tweeted more details. "The object has been downed by pilots from the U.S. Air Force and National Guard. Great work by all who carried out this mission both in the air and back at headquarters. We're all interested in exactly what this object was and it's purpose. 1..../2/ As long as these things keep traversing the U.S. and Canada, I'll continue to ask for Congress to get a full briefing based on our exploitation of the wreckage."
Unfortunately, very little information is known about what the object was, how it was detected, or what methods were used to bring it down. Hopefully, Congress will be able to get some of the answers that Americans deserve.
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According to Ukrainian officials, Friday saw more of the eerily consistent nationwide missile strikes that Russia has been conducting across the country for months. However, there was a noticeable uptick in the number of strikes Russia conducted on Friday with Moscow firing up to 35 S-300 missiles at Zaporizhzhia and the Kharkiv region. The escalated strikes caused additional power outages overnight across the country.
Kyiv has been warning of a new Russian offensive since the end of 2022 and has claimed that hundreds of thousands of Russian troops have been amassing on its border. Friday's increased missile attacks came a day after Serhiy Hayday, the leader of the Luhasnk region in Ukraine said that Moscow was increasing its attacks on that part of the country. Hayday commented that the increased missile strikes were "part of the full-scale offensive that Russia has been planning."
While it has been difficult to assess with accuracy, there have been indications from both sides that Russia has been building up its mobilized reserve forces on Ukraine's eastern border and inside Ukraine itself. A pro-Kremlin, Russian military blogger, Evgeny Poddubny, wrote on his Telegram channel Thursday, "Our units, which were mostly formed from mobilized men, gained experience, which made it possible to increase the stability of the units on the front line." Poddubny went on to eventually admit that Ukrainian forces had also been able to replenish its "depleted units."
At the end of January, Hayday noted that there was an "incredible number" of Russian forces inside eastern Ukraine. Hayday said, "There are huge numbers of them [Russian troops in the Svatove-Kreminna area]. And a very large number of mobilized. And they are constantly being thrown into the offensive - almost all the time."
While the growing number of Russian troops in eastern Ukraine has not yet amounted to much on the battlefield, Hayday noted that Russian troops in the area are on the offensive. He then went on to say of the escalation in his region, "We can conclude that a certain escalation has already begun. And we can say de facto that this is part of the full-scale offensive that Russia has been planning."
While Russia begins to gear up for its much-anticipated winter offensive, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been on a whirlwind diplomatic tour of Europe in an effort to drum up fighter jets and other military support for war-battered Ukraine. His tour has included England, France, and Poland, thus far among other nations. Zelensky has had some success with getting larger-scale weapons and equipment from Ukraine's Western allies, with both Berlin and Washington agreeing to send Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks to Kyiv at the end of January.
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