Ukraine Army aircraft launch 16 strikes on enemy positions

"The aircraft of the Ukrainian Defense Forces launched 14 strikes on Russian military

personnel concentration areas and two strikes on the positions of the enemy's anti-aircraft missile systems.

Suffering numerous losses, the enemy continues offensive operations in the Bakhmut and Novopavlivka areas. Russian forces conducted unsuccessful offensives in the Lyman and Avdiivka sectors. In the Kupiansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson areas, they are defending.

The Defense Forces of Ukraine repelled enemy attacks outside the settlements of Chervopopivka in the Luhansk region and Verkhniokamianske, Spirne, Rozdolivka, Blahodatne, Bakhmut, Klishchiivka, Marinka, Vuhledar and Pavlivka in the Donetsk region." Ukrin

German Foreign Minister Just Said The Quiet Part Out Loud On Ukraine

"German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock bluntly stated in fresh remarks that Western
allies are fighting a war against Russia. The remarks came during a debate at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Tuesday amid discussions over sending Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.

Contradicting this official stance, Baerbock said the quiet part out loud, and introduced the comments with: "And therefore I’ve said already in the last days – yes, we have to do more to defend Ukraine. Yes, we have to do more also on tanks."

And that's when she asserted: "But the most important and the crucial part is that we do it together and that we do not do the blame game in Europe, because we are fighting a war against Russia and not against each other.” ZH

 

Biden Downplays US Tanks In Ukraine As Russia Warns Decision Is "Extremely Dangerous"

"Biden in the remarks while flanked by his top defense officials unveiled an international tank
coalition of nations in support of Ukraine, including that the US will send 31 Abrams tanks.....Russia is furious over the decision of the United States and Germany to authorize Western-manufactured advanced tanks for Ukrainian forces, calling it "extremely dangerous" and pointing out the unprecedented decision blows past Kremlin "red lines"." ZH

 

German Intelligence "Alarmed" Ukraine Losing Hundreds Of Soldiers Every Day

"The German foreign intelligence service assesses that Kiev is losing a "three-digit number" of soldiers daily, according to a report in Der Spiegel. Berlin informed politicians of the assessment during a secret meeting this week.

Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service (BND) is "alarmed" by the high number of losses Ukraine is suffering. The report says Berlin believes Ukraine was losing a three-digit number of soldiers every day during the battle of Bakhmut with Russian forces. The BND informed German politicians of the high number of injured and killed Ukrainian forces during a covert Bundestag meeting last week." ZeroHedge

Metropolitan Epiphanius visits Vatican to testify about Russian aggression

"Epiphanius, the primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and Metropolitan of Kyivand All Ukraine, has announced that he will be staying in the Vatican this week with a delegation to testify about Russian aggression against Ukraine." Pravada

Poland considered partitioning Ukraine

"Former Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski has suggested that the government in
Warsaw considered partitioning Ukraine in the first weeks of the military conflict between Kiev and Moscow. 

Sikorski was asked if the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) government had ever entertained the idea of dividing up Ukraine. He replied by stating that there was “a moment of hesitation in the first 10 days of the war, when we all didn’t know how it would go, that maybe Ukraine would fall....Had it not been for the heroism of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and the help of the West, things could have been different,” Sikorski said." RT

US Bristles As South African Ally To Host Joint Naval Drills With Russia, China

"The Russian navy is set to participate alongside the Chinese and South African navies in exercises set for February off South Africa, Russia's state TASS has announced. 

Importantly, the Russian frigate named 'Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov' is armed with hypersonic cruise missiles, after it entered deployment in the Atlantic Ocean three weeks ago." ZH

Russia Holds Drills Focused On "Repelling Air Attacks" On Moscow

"Days after widespread reports that Russia had erected Pantsir-S1 anti-air defense systems on
top of some key buildings in Moscow, which triggered speculation that Russia is expecting more attacks from Ukraine on its soil, the Kremlin ramped up anti-air exercises outside Moscow." ZH

Russian forces hit Antonivka village in Kherson Oblast

"Yaroslav Yanushevych, Head of the Kherson Oblast Military Administration, has reported
that the Russian invaders attacked the village of Antonivka. Russian shells hit a building in the village of Antonivka. Shell fragments not only broke windows and damaged walls, but also killed a man in the backyard." Pravada

Macron comments on heavy tanks for Ukraine

 "French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz reaffirmed their continued “unwavering support” for Ukraine for “as long as it takes” in a joint press conference, but both said that any decision on supplying heavier arms must be reached jointly by all “friends” of Kiev." RT

US lawmaker proposes ‘just one’ Abrams tank for Ukraine

“If we announced we were going to give Abrams tanks, just one... what I hear is that Germany is waiting for us to take the lead,” McCaul said on an ABC News interview, pointing to Berlin's reluctance to send its tanks unless the US made a similar commitment first. “Then they would put Leopard tanks in,” he added." RT

Gen. Mark Milley: ‘Very, Very Difficult’ to Eject Russian Forces from Ukraine This Year

"Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley acknowledged that it would be
difficult for Ukrainian forces to “eject” Russian forces from all of Ukraine this year.

“From a military standpoint, I still maintain that for this year it would be very, very difficult to militarily eject the Russian forces from all — every inch of Ukraine and occupied — or Russian-occupied Ukraine. That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, doesn’t mean it won’t happen, but it’d be very, very difficult,” Milley said in Germany." Breitbart

Ukraine’s defence forces repel Russian attacks near 12 settlements

"Ukraine’s defence forces repelled Russian attacks near 12 settlements in Luhansk and
Donetsk oblasts.

 Over the course of the past 24 hours, [Ukraine’s] defence forces repelled the occupiers’ attacks in the vicinity of Novoselivske, Ploshchanka and Chervonopopivka in Luhansk Oblast; and Bilohorivka, Rozdolivka, Vasiukivka, Krasna Hora, Yahidne, Bakhmut, Predtechyne, Vodiane and Marinka in Donetsk Oblast." Pravada

Russian military confirms capture of key Donbass settlement

"The strategic village of Klescheevka in Russia’s Donetsk Region has been freed from
Ukrainian forces." RT

 

Germany Says 'Nein' On Tanks At Allies' Big Ramstein Meeting

"Is that a definitive nein on tanks? New German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in fresh statements has confirmed that defense leaders gathered for a much anticipated meeting in Ramstein failed to achieve consensus on tanks for Ukraine." ZH