Russia Says 265 Azovstal Defenders Surrendered

"Russia said Tuesday that 265 Ukrainian soldiers holed up in Mariupol’s besieged Azovstal steel plant had “surrendered,” contradicting Kyiv’s account that the evacuated soldiers would be exchanged later.

“The surrender of fighters from the Azov nationalist unit and Ukrainian servicemen blocked in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol began yesterday,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a daily briefing. “Nazi criminals should not be subject to exchange. They are war criminals and we must do everything to bring them to justice,” Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin was quoted as saying." MT

Israel to simulate striking Iran in massive IDF drill

"Amid concern Iran is close to a nuclear weapon, “Chariots of Fire Drill,” will simulate war on six different fronts.

The IDF will simulate striking targets far from Israel’s borders with a large number of planes while simultaneously acquiring new targets on various fronts in real-time during its largest military drill in history." JerusalemPost

Zimbabwe: Food Shortage Fears Grow as Bird Swarms Invade Major Farms

"Massive flocks of the red-billed quelea bird — a notorious African crop pest — have
decimated grain harvests across farms in western Zimbabwe in recent weeks, causing fears of a local food shortage in the near future, the online newspaper New Zimbabwe reported Monday.

Quelea birds — which are known to flock by the thousands — have been attacking grain harvests not only in Matabeleland North province but across Zimbabwe in recent weeks, according to recent comments by Shingirai Nyamutukwa, who heads the Zimbabwean agriculture ministry’s migratory pest security department. Nyamutukwa “said at a farmer’s winter wheat training workshop at Combe Farm in Zvimba that the issue was reaching crisis levels.” 

Breitbart

Erdogan Slams Door On Approving Sweden, Finland NATO Bids: 'Nesting Ground For Terrorist Orgs'

"Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued his firmest words of rejection yet concerning
Finland and Sweden's announced bids to join NATO. Over the weekend after Erdogan first stated Turkey is "not favorable" toward the Scandinavian countries entering the alliance, there was widespread speculation among officials quoted in Western media reports that Turkish reluctance could be easily resolved....Erdogan's Monday speech that "he intends to block membership for the two countries, or at least extract concessions for it". ZH

Putin's commanders are slaughtering their own wounded soldiers

"Russian commanders are slaughtering their own wounded soldiers instead of retrieving them
from the battlefield for treatment, Putin's own troops have said.

A lieutenant-colonel was accused of personally shooting dead multiple troops as they lay injured. Captured troops recalled one commander asking a soldier if he could walk after suffering an injury, and when the man replied he could not, the officer killed him instantly."  DailyMail