56 combat clashes took place on the front lines in Ukraine

"In the past 24 hours, 56 combat clashes took place on the front lines in Ukraine.Throughout the day, the enemy used 135 means of air attack: missiles of various types and combat UAVs. Ukraine’s air defense forces destroyed 107 aerial targets: 35 out of 35 Shahed-136/131 combat UAVs, 10 out of 10 Kh-47M2 Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles, 59 out of 70 Kh-101/Kh-555/Kh-55 cruise missiles, 3 out of 3 Kalibr cruise missiles." Ukrin

Sergey Karaganov: Russians are the real Europeans, the West of the continent has lost its way

"German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: "The European Union must be ready for war by the end of the decade." Berlin has started talking about the return of universal military service and preparations for a confrontation with Moscow. There are similar sentiments in Poland. But is it only because of the events in Ukraine?

Evgeny Shostakov: Mr. Karaganov, given the current difficult foreign policy situation, is there a need for a conceptually different theory of deterrence against Russia's enemies in order to stop the growing confrontation at an early stage, and to discourage our adversaries from fueling conflicts?
"The elites of Western Europe – and especially in Germany – are in a state of historical failure. The main basis of their 500-year domination [of the world] was military superiority, on which the economic, political and cultural dominance of the West was built. But this has been knocked out from under them. With the help of this advantage, they manipulated the world's resources in their favor. First they plundered their colonies, and later they did the same, but with more sophisticated methods.
Today's Western elites are failing to address a range of growing problems in their societies. These include a shrinking middle class and rising inequality. Almost all their initiatives are failing. The European Union, as everyone knows, is slowly but surely sprawling out. That is why its ruling class has been hostile to Russia for about 15 years now. They need an external enemy; Josep Borrell [the EU’s top foreign affairs official] called the world around the bloc a jungle last year. Indeed, in the past, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that the sanctions adopted by the EU [against Russia] were necessary first and foremost to unite the European Union and prevent it from collapsing." RT

Iran deploys navy to Red Sea

"Iran’s Alborz destroyer crossed the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and entered the Red Sea...The Iran-affiliated Shiite group has controlled large swaths of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa and the port of Al-Hudaydah, since an internal conflict flared up back in 2014. In November, the Houthis began attacking commercial ships passing through the Red Sea, which they believe to be Israeli-owned or headed for Israel." RT

Turkey arrests suspected Israeli spies

"Turkey arrested 33 people suspected of spying for Israel on Tuesday and is reportedly

pursuing another 13 believed to be involved with the West Jerusalem's Mossad intelligence agency, according to Anadolu Agency." RT

Hamas says deputy leader killed in blast in southern Beirut

"Hamas deputy head Saleh al-Arouri was killed by an Israeli

strike in the Lebanese capital's
southern suburbs, according to the group's Al Aqsa TV station. Responding to the attack, Hamas vowed his killing would not end their "resistance". Videos circulating on social media showed serious damage and fire." France24

Russians launch Kinzhal missiles for second time: explosions ring out in Kyiv again

"At 08:04, the Ukrainian Air Force reported: "Several more Kinzhals heading towards Kyiv!"

At 08:28, the Air Force said the Kh-47M2 Kinzhal aeroballistic missile launch was recorded again and they were flying towards Kyiv.
At 08:30, new explosions rang out in the capital.
Prior to that, there was a series of loud explosions in Kyiv. Missile debris crashed in several Kyiv’s districts, causing casualties. Some Kyiv residents are experiencing issues with power and water supply." Pravada