Four killed by Ukrainian shelling of Russian town

"At least four people have been killed and six others injured by Ukrainian shelling of the town of Panteleymovka in the Donbass.....Local officials said the Ukrainian attack took place early in the morning when people were still asleep. The Joint Center for Control and Coordination in Russia’s Donetsk People’s Republic said Kiev’s forces fired three 155mm shells from the area of Novgorodskoye (known as New York in Ukraine) towards Panteleymovka at 6:20am local time." RT

White House comments on ‘Russian space nukes’

"The US intelligence community believes that Russia is developing a space-based anti-satellite weapon but there is no immediate threat, a senior White House official told journalists.....The possible existence of such technology was raised by Mike Turner, the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. He called for swift declassification to allow US lawmakers, the Biden administration, and American allies to “openly discuss the actions to respond to this threat.” He did not mention Russia.....Turner was referring to some kind of a Russian nuclear device intended to target space satellites. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the White House was “trying, by hook or by crook, to push Congress to vote on a bill to approve funding” for Ukraine, which has gotten held up in the House." RT

82 combat engagements on front lines in past 24 hours

"Eighty-two combat engagements were recorded on the front lines in the past 24 hours. Russian invaders once again attacked Ukraine, using Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones. Information about this attack is being clarified.

Enemy air strikes targeted Stohnii, Chorne, Sadovod, Synkivka, Petropavlivka, Kupiansk, Moskovka and Zahryzove in the Kharkiv region, Makiivka, Serebrianske Forestry and Bilohorivka in the Luhansk region; Novosadove, Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Semenivka, Ocheretyne, Berdychi, Tonenke, Terny, Ivanivske, Orlivka, Novomykhailivka, Vuhledar and Staromaiorske in the Donetsk region, as well as Robotyne and Novodarivka in the Zaporizhzhia region. More than 100 settlements in the Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions came under artillery fire. In the Lyman sector, Ukrainian soldiers repelled 12 enemy attacks near Terny, Yampolivka and Torske, Donetsk region, and Bilohorivka, Luhansk region.
In the Bakhmut sector, Ukrainian forces repelled 14 enemy attacks near Ivanivske, Klishchiivka and Andriivka, Donetsk region." Ukrin

CDC Confirms Spread Of 'Unknown' Outbreak Aboard Cruise Ship

"The CDC has confirmed that an "unknown" outbreak aboard a cruise ship is spreading, and has infected at least 154 people.....on the Carnival-owned Cunard Cruise Line's Queen Victoria have fallen ill, after an initial 15 cases were reported weeks ago. The Queen Victoria has 1,824 passengers and 967 crew members aboard. Those fallen ill have reported "symptoms of gastrointestinal illness," however the CDC has yet to identify the exact illness.

"Cunard confirms that a number of guests had reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness on board Queen Victoria on voyage V405 which departed Florida on [Jan. 22] and arrived in San Francisco on [Feb. 7]," said Cunard Cruise Lines in a statement to news outlets. "They immediately activated their enhanced health and safety protocols to ensure the wellbeing of all guests and crew on board and these measures have been effective." ZeroHedge

Alexei Navalny’s Death Becomes Rallying Cry for Ukraine Aid to Further Endless Russian Proxy War

"The death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has become the latest establishment rallying cry for more Ukraine aid to further the seemingly endless proxy war against Russia.

President Joe Biden said, “This tragedy reminds us of the stakes of the moment. History is watching the House of Representatives. The failure to support Ukraine at this critical moment will never be forgotten.” Breitbart

Estonian PM: Trump’s NATO Comments Are ‘Wake-up Call for Many European Countries that Haven’t Done Enough’

"During an interview with “PBS NewsHour” Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas responded to 2024 Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump’s comments about NATO by stating that while “all these statements from the United States are making us worried,” “we haven’t taken defense seriously enough.” And Trump’s comments have “been a wake-up call for many European countries that haven’t done enough. And I think that is a positive thing, if they start to do more.” Breitbart

Ukrainian man pleads guilty in cyberattack that temporarily disrupted major Vermont hospital

"A Ukrainian man has pleaded guilty to involvement in two separate malware schemes including a cyberattack at the University of Vermont Medical Center in 2020 that temporarily shut down some of its vital services and cost it tens of millions of dollars,

according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Vyacheslav Igoravich Andreev, 37, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court in Nebraska to one count of conspiracy to break U.S. anti-racketeering law and one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Penchukov was accused of helping lead a racketeering enterprise and conspiracy that infected thousands of business computers with malicious software starting in May 2009, and later leading a conspiracy that infected computers with new malware from at least November 2018 through February 2021, according to federal prosecutors.
That allowed other suspicious software, like ransonware, to access infected computers, which is what happened at the University of Vermont Medical Center in October 2020, the Justice Department said.
A hospital official said in 2021 that the attack cost it an estimated $50 million, mostly in lost revenue, while the Department of Justice pegged the losses at $30 million.
The attack “left the medical center unable to provide many critical patient services for over two weeks, creating a risk of death or serious bodily injury to patients,” the Justice Department said in a statement.
According to prosecutors, the cybercriminals also used malicious software to get account details, passwords, personal identification numbers and other information needed to log into online banking accounts.
They then falsely represented to banks that they were employees of the victims and authorized transfers from the accounts, resulting in millions of dollars in losses, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Penchukov was a fugitive on the FBI's cyber most-wanted list before he was arrested in Switzerland in 2022 and extradicted to the United States the following year.
He faces up to 20 years in prison on each count when he sentenced May 9." MS

Zelensky Demands More Weapons From West, Invites Trump to Visit ‘Front Line

"Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned allies that an “artificial deficit” of weapons for his country risks giving Russia breathing space, hours after his military chief said he was withdrawing troops from the eastern city of Avdiivka. Asked whether it would be a good idea to invite former U.S. president and 2024 presidential hopeful Donald Trump to Kyiv, Zelensky replied: “I invited publicly, but it depends on his wishes.”

“If … he will come, I’m ready even to go with him to the front line,” he added." Breitbart

Major Victory For Russian Army As Ukraine Forces Flee Eastern City

"....the Russian army has secured a major victory in its war in Ukraine as Ukrainian forces have retreated from the eastern city of Avdiivka.

Shortly after midnight in Ukraine, the country's newly-installed top commander, General Oleksandr Syrsky, announced that he had ordered troops to evacuate the city. Surrounded in three directions by the Russian army, Ukrainian soldiers in the city found themselves in a rapidly-tightening noose." ZH

Putin: Biden Better for Russia Than Trump, ‘More Predictable’

"Russian President Vladimir Putin said President Joe Biden would be better for Russia than Donald Trump, calling him “old school” and “predictable.”

Putin expressed his feelings about Biden during an interview with broadcaster Rossiya 1 TV.
“[Biden] is a more experienced, predictable person. He is a politician of the old school. But we will work with any leader of the United States, who is trusted by the American people,” Putin said." Breitbart

Russians using phosphorus bombs in battle for Avdiivka

"The Russian army is using phosphorus munitions in the battle for Avdiivka, setting fuel oil tanks at a coke plant on fire." Ukrin

Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Dies In Jail

"Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny died in a maximum-security prison in the country's far north, the Interfax news service reported Friday, citing the Federal Penitentiary Service.

47 year old Navalny, a major critic of President Vladimir Putin, vanished in December from a prison in the Vladimir region where he was serving a three-decade term for extremism and fraud charges that he had called political payback for his anti-Kremlin stance a decade ago. He had no expectations of getting out of jail as long as Putin was in power.
He later emerged in a remote Arctic prison camp, ending nearly three weeks in which his whereabouts were unknown, after he was moved from a prison outside Moscow." ZH

Explosion Reported at Russian Space Agency's Rocket Engine Plant in Siberia

"An explosion has been reported in southern Russia, prompting speculation that a Russian defense manufacturing plant sustained damage." MS

More Attacks On Red Sea Vessels As US Coalition Pounds Houthi-Held Port City

"Many large explosions rocked the Houthi-held port city of Hodeidah, the result of the latest major US and British strikes. The last three days have seen some 30 missile strikes on Yemen from the coalition Operation Prosperity Guardian. But there are also fresh reports saying the Houthis are in many cases "firing blind" and even inadvertently targeting Iranian vessels. This means what Russian and Chinese ships could also come under fire, despite Houthis officials having declared they have been given safe passage." ZH

83 combat clashes on front lines in past 24 hours

"Ukrainian aircraft have struck ten enemy troop concentration areas amid 83 combat

engagements recorded on the front lines in the past 24 hours. Russian occupiers this morning staged another massive missile attack on Ukraine, using strategic aircraft. The air raid alert was issued across the country.
Enemy air strikes targeted Novosadove, Riznykivka, Kuzmynivka, Rozdolivka, Ivanivske, New York, Oleksandropil, Novooleksandrivka, Novokalynove, Ocheretyne, Novobakhmutivka, Orlivka, Lastochkyne, Kostiantynivka, Vodiane, Vuhledar and Shevchenko of the Donetsk region, as well as Mala Tokmachka and Robotyne of the Zaporizhzhia region." Ukrin