Zelensky caps off European tour with cheers in Brussels

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky capped a European tour this Thursday with a visit
to Belgium, where he was greeted with a standing ovation by EU lawmakers. Zelensky vowed his country would become an EU member, saying Kyiv is fighting the "biggest anti-European force of the modern world". " France 24

Turkey, Syria Quake Death Toll Tops 17,000

"The latest death toll figures in the region topped 17,000 on Thursday.  Turkish President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said 14,014 people were killed and more than 67,000 injured. In Syria, 3,577 died, and more than 6,300 were injured.  For 100,000-plus rescue personnel, the task is monumental, as there are thousands of collapsed buildings to search. Blocked roads and other logistical challenges have made it challenging for first responders. They're also racing against time as a person's survival probability drops due to a lack of food and water. " ZH

Macron Says Russia Cannot Win Against Ukraine

"After a surprise UK visit, Ukraine's President Zelensky went to Paris immediately afterward
in a whirlwind European tour to meet with Western leaders. In Paris he held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz Macron asserted during the visit that Russia cannot win the war against Ukraine. "Ukraine can count on France, its European partners and allies to win the war. Russia cannot and must not win," Macron said before a working dinner among the three leaders at the Elysee Palace." ZH

Addressing UK Parliament, Zelensky Thanks Country ‘in Advance’ For Warplanes

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the British Parliament Wednesday
afternoon, expressing his view on military alliances in terms of equipment transfers, and thanking the United Kingdom “in advance” for the gift of its warplanes.

The speaker of the British House of Commons was presented with a signed combat pilot’s helmet by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday afternoon, saying the gift should act as a symbol to help get Western warplanes donated to the Ukrainian war effort. Indicating, perhaps, that he now considers getting British fighter jets is now a fait accompli Zelensky said in his address to the UK Parliament that he was “thanking all of you –in advance — for powerful English planes”. Breitbart

Putin ‘supplied’ Buk missile that shot down Flight MH17 over Ukraine: investigators

"There are “strong indications” that Russian President Vladimir Putin personally signed off
on the use of the missile that shot down Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014, international prosecutors concluded Wednesday. Members of the multinational Joint Investigation Team announced they would be closing the investigation as they revealed the findings, saying the evidence of Putin’s and other Russian officials’ involvement was not concrete enough to secure a criminal conviction.

“The investigation has now reached its limit,” prosecutor Digna van Boetzelaer told a news conference in The Hague. “The findings are insufficient for the prosecution of new suspects.”

Russia has denied any involvement with the downing of the civilian airliner flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, which killed 298 passengers and crew who hailed from more than a dozen countries, although nearly 200 were Dutch citizens." NYP

Marjorie Taylor Greene trolls Biden's State of the Union with white balloon

"Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., brought a helium balloon to the U.S. Capitol on
Tuesday in an effort to troll President Joe Biden over his response to the recent Chinese spy flight ahead of his State of the Union address.

Greene said it was "just an innocent white balloon" in a video she posted to her Twitter account Tuesday afternoon, which also showed her walking around the Capitol while holding the balloon. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Greene said she brought the balloon to work because the Chinese spy flight incident was the "No. 1 thing" that Biden needs to address during his speech later Tuesday." FOX

Ukrainian forces repel enemy attacks near 22 settlements

"Ukraine’s Defense Forces have repelled attacks by Russian invaders near 22 settlements in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Ukrainian forces have repelled enemy attacks near the Luhansk region’s Novoselivske, Chervonopopivka, Shypylivka and Bilohorivka, and the Donetsk region’s Verkhniokamianske, Fedorivka, Orikhovo-Vasylivka, Dubovo-Vasylivka, Spirne, Vyimka, Bakhmut, Krasna Hora, Paraskoviivka, Ivanivske, Chasiv Yar, Kamianka, Vodiane, Pervomaiske, Krasnohorivka, Avdiivka, Marinka and Bohoiavlenka." UKRIN

National Guard members down enemy Mi-24 near Bakhmut

"The crew of a portable anti-aircraft missile system of Ukraine’s National Guard operational
brigade downed a Russian Mi-24 attack helicopter on the outskirts of Bakhmut, Donetsk region." UKRIN

China wants its balloon back

"The Chinese Foreign Ministry has requested that President Joe Biden’s administration return debris from the air balloon that the US military shot down off America’s east coast, saying the aircraft “belongs to China.” RT

4,000+ killed in powerful Turkey-Syria earthquakes

"The death toll from catastrophic earthquakes in southern Turkey and northwestern Syria
surpassed 4,000 on Tuesday morning. According to Turkish authorities, over 3,500 people were killed and over 22,100 were injured. The country’s disaster management officials said that almost 6,000 buildings were destroyed." RT

Ukraine's Defense Minister On Chopping Block Over Army Contract Scandal

"The fate of Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov continues to be unclear, with Kiev sending mixed signals about his role in corruption scandals which in recent weeks has resulted in several top resignations.

The Washington Post on Monday detailed the confusion and conflicting signals over Reznikov's fate in the following: 

Ukraine’s current military intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, is slated

to replace Oleksii Reznikov as defense minister, David Arakhamia, leader of Zelensky’s party in parliament and a close ally to the president, said on his Telegram channel.

On Monday morning, however, Arakhamia posted another message on Telegram saying no change would take place this week.

“We are waiting for the appointment of the heads of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Security Service of Ukraine,” he wrote. “Personnel changes in the field of defense will not take place this week.”

The defense ministry's number two, deputy minister Vyacheslav Shapovalov, was forced to resign his post in late January. Crucially, he had been in charge of the army's logistical support, and in that role was caught signing food contracts at inflated prices. 

Shapovalov also had no small part in overseeing the billions of dollars flowing from the pockets of US and European taxpayers as authorized defense aid. He purchased military rations at inflated prices in what appears a scheme to line the pockets of contractors, and potentially involving kickbacks to himself. But Reznikov had tried to explain away the scandal by calling it a mere "technical mistake"." ZH

Here’s The Long List Of Military Bases The Chinese Balloon Passed While Biden Did Nothing

"It was first reported on January 28th, 2023, that the balloon was seen in Alaska, and it is
believed to have taken a flight path from Alaska into Canada, before entering the mainland United States.

Over the course of the next several days, the balloon made its way across the country, passing through the Idaho-Montana region and continuing on its journey. On February 1st, 2023, the balloon was shot down after it had left US territory in North Carolina, having successfully collected all of its data for the Chinese Communist Party.

 Here is a list of the US Military bases in the path of the China Spy Balloon.

• Malstrom Air Force Base – Montana
• Ellsworth Air Force Base – South Dakota
• Joe Foss Field ANG – South Dakota
• Sioux City ANG – Iowa
• Offutt Air Force Base -Nebraska
• Camp Ashland – Nebraska
• Lincoln ANG – Nebraska
• Whiteman Air Force Base – Missouri
• Fort Leonard Wood – Missouri
• St. Louis Army Human Resources – St. Louis, MO
• Scott Air Force Base – Illinois
• Fort Campbell – Tennessee
• Nashville ANG – Tennessee
• Smyrna ANG – Tennessee
• Houston Barracks – Tennessee
• McGhee Tyson ANG – Tennessee
• Pope Air Force Base – North Carolina
• Fort Bragg – North Carolina
• MCAS New River – North Carolina
• Camp Lejeune – North Carolina
• US Coast Guard Station Fort Macon

The recent presence of a China spy balloon in US airspace constitutes a significant and unprecedented threat to national security." TP

War update: Ukraine Army repels enemy attacks near 14 settlements, including Bakhmut

"Ukrainian forces repelled attacks by Russian occupiers near such settlements as
Verkhniokamianske, Vasiukivka, Paraskoviivka, Bakhmut, Ivanivske, Kamianka, Sieverne, Pervomaiske, Vesele, Nevelske, Krasnohorivka, Marinka, Pobieda and Novomykhailivka." UKRIN

Quake ruptures gas pipeline in Türkiye

"The powerful earthquake that struck southern Turkey on Monday morning has damaged a natural gas pipeline in the region, state energy company BOTAS has confirmed. Videos circulating online show massive plumes of flame erupting into the air. The 7.4-magnitude quake has killed scores of people and caused significant damage to civilian and municipal infrastructure, according to Turkish officials." RT

Zelenskyy introduces draft laws to extend martial law and mobilization

"President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has introduced two new bills to the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian parliament. The laws seek to extend martial law and mobilization in Ukraine." PRAVADA