Russia is moving missile production facilities deeper into its territory.

Ukraine's drone and missile campaign forces the Kremlin to retreat from strike range

Kyiv's long-range strategy is working, — The Telegraph. 1/ Roscosmos, Russia's space agency heavily involved in missile production, will relocate facilities from Moscow region to Omsk in Siberia and Perm near the Urals — both far beyond Ukraine's current strike range. 2/

How exactly did Ukrainian troops "fuck" NATO during Hedgehog drill?

Daily Mail: First, NATO troops didn't check the roads, some blew up on mines. Next, they got spotted by drones.

Attack drones hit several vehicles at once when parked too close, and hit tanks on the move.

1/ Ukrainian pilots destroyed 17 armored vehicles in a few hours, and defeated 6000 NATO soldiers in 4 days, defending their position.

One NATO commander said: “We are fu**ed”.

2/

Korcok, former Slovakia FM: For me, pragmatism means nothing when Fico is betraying the national interests of Slovakia.

He is losing credibility, has no influence within the European Union, and is destroying the credibility of Slovakia. 1/ Korcok: Fico is misleading the public. It is ridiculous to say Ukraine damaged the pipeline.

The cause is Russian aggression and the consequence is that the EU decided to stop taking Russian oil and gas.

While Fico is missing Russian oil, Zelenskyy is missing peace. 2/

Imagine Amazon — but for combat drones. Ukraine built it. Commanders log in, browse hundreds of drone models, pay with brigade credits and receive delivery in 5-10 days.

Successful strikes earn bonus credits. No other military in the world does this — NYT. 1/ Capt. Denys Poliachenko was in an icy bunker near Pokrovsk. Russian forces were building up 20 miles away.

His attack drones could not reach that far. He opened his phone and ordered a cold-weather long-range model. "I can order any device sitting in a dugout". 2/

Russian soldier now fighting for Ukraine: We were told that the Russian army was greeted with open arms.

I was mobilized into the Russian army in 2022. I ended up in the 83rd Separate Airborne Assault Brigade.

Russians tried to re-educate me. Then they decided to bury me. 1/ “Black”: They tried to re-educate me. They showed me videos about biolaboratories, Odessa 2014.

And then told me: “There's nothing to talk to you about”. They decided to send me to waste. 2/

Kasparov: Putin is war. As long as Putin’s Russia exists, the war will continue.

A sovereign Ukraine cannot stand next to this empire, because Ukraine negates its whole logic. This is not chess. There is no draw here. He has to destroy Ukrainian statehood. 1/ Kasparov: Only Ukrainian victory can create conditions for a normal Russian state.

Ukraine that endures and wins becomes the gravedigger of Russian imperialism — the virus that mutated through centuries. That is why Ukraine’s victory is not regional. It is historic. 2X

Kasparov: The Iran war has sharply changed the Russia-Ukraine equation.

Arab monarchies that had been pro-Russian because of money laundering and smuggling are now signing deals with Ukraine, because drones made in Iran with that money are flying at them. 1/ Kasparov: Unexpectedly, Zelenskyy is becoming a key figure for states that once leaned toward Moscow.

Laundering money was one thing. But when Iranian drones made with that money start flying at you, Ukraine suddenly becomes the partner that matters most. 2/

Kasparov: Hegseth is simply not the kind of person the Pentagon needs in wartime.

One of America’s worst miscalculations was failing to prepare for drone war.

I connect that directly to Trump’s attitude toward Ukraine and to corruption inside the administration. 1/ Kasparov: Russian space intelligence is helping Iran hit American aircraft.

You do not strike planes that accurately without satellite reconnaissance. Yet Washington keeps brushing it off, even though the planes are already hit and that is visible reality. 2/

Rubio (2015): Iran after sanctions relief will build up its capabilities, establish dominant military power in the region, and raise the price of U.S. operating there.

They'll build anti-access capabilities, target U.S. servicemen, try to pull us out of the Middle East. 1/ Rubio: At some point Iran will build a nuclear weapon because they will know we can no longer strike their program. This is not imagination.

It exists today. It's called North Korea, where a regime has nuclear weapons and we cannot do anything about it. 2/

Zelenskyy: The situation at Hormuz mirrors what Russia did to our Black Sea food corridor. We destroyed part of their fleet — they retreated. We ran civilian convoys using sea drones.

Nobody asked us to come help with Hormuz, only to share our experience. — AP.

1/ Zelenskyy: Russians love to talk about compromise but never make it. They speak only in ultimatums.

I am 100% convinced Russia wants to fully occupy us.

We need a ceasefire, security guarantees — then diplomacy.

2/

Sikorski: When the U.S. went into the Vietnam War, the UK did not join.

NATO has survived these problems before, like France leaving the Joint Command and the Iraq war. We are free countries. We have public opinion. 1/ Sikorski: Poland spends the largest share of GDP on defense in NATO, 4.8% more than the United States, and our military budget is $55 billion a year.

But we're still at peace, and we're closer now to understanding each other's [US-NATO] approaches. 2/

Every US president chose diplomacy over force, waited too long, and North Korea now has 50 nuclear warheads and ICBMs that can reach the continental US that mistake with Iran by learning North Korea lesson.

Trump decided not to repeat that mistake with Iran, writes WSJ. 1/ In 1984 the CIA warned North Korea was pursuing weapons-grade plutonium.

Pyongyang joined the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1985 — then spent years delaying safeguards, blocking inspectors and advancing its program in secret. 2/

“The frontline is like Terminator. A land robot arrives at your position and there is nothing you can do about it.” — drone operator Bambi.

Ukraine’s ground robots hold positions for 45 days, evacuate wounded and take prisoners, The Guardian. 1/ Land robots now handle 90% of Ukrainian army logistics. In January alone Ukraine’s forces carried out a record 7,000 ground vehicle operations.

Russian FPV drones make it nearly impossible for humans to move supplies or evacuate wounded without being killed. 2/

“Like having a visit by the Third Reich” — that is how Rep. Joe Wilson described the arrival of Russian parliament members at Capitol Hill.

Kara-Murza in Washington Post: appeasing an aggressor never leads to peace. The 20th century proved it. 1/ Five members of Russia’s rubber-stamp Duma arrived in Washington — the first such delegation since Putin annexed Crimea in March 2014.

The group was led by Vyacheslav Nikonov, a United Russia lawmaker and grandson of Stalin’s Foreign Minister Molotov. 2/

Petraeus: War in the Middle East is a snippet of the future of war, but not on the scale in Ukraine.

9,000 drones a day. They double production from 3.5M to 7M this year. The future of war is autonomous systems with edge computing and algorithm that takes action. 1/ Petraeus: Ukraine has army, navy, air force, and unmanned systems force. You can see how drone units rank based on points given for different targets.

You redeem points on an Amazon-like website for weapon systems and components. It's extraordinary. 2/

Keane: Leaving the Strait of Hormuz in Iranian hands would show Tehran and the world that it can hold Persian Gulf oil hostage to achieve its political aims.

We cannot let that happen. The US has very good plans to take that away from Iran, and can accomplish that mission. 1/ Keane: Iran has a lot of bluster and propaganda, but the facts are real: it is losing capability day in, day out.

The operation is a little over 30 days in and clearly more than halfway. Assigned objectives should drive the finish and commanders should make those calls. 2/

A Russian soldier pretended to surrender, got down on his knees, and prayed. And as soon as he was given the chance, he grabbed his rifle and ran off.

“That Russian turned out to be a disgusting man. I wouldn't even call him a man” — Ukrainian drone pilot for Radio Svoboda.

1/ Ukrainian drone pilot: Russian soldiers dressed in civilian clothes — no rifles, just grenades — tried to approach our positions holding a sign: 'Peaceful.'

We saw military boots, and intercepted their radio.

The first group was eliminated, the other three never came out.

2/

Dead bodies were lying at my gate. In the morning it was our regular street. At noon, it was Berlin, 1945.

How could I not film? — Vasyl, resident of Bucha, who filmed Russian mass killings of civilians.

If Russians had caught him doing that, he would have been dead — DW.

1/ Vasyl: When I filmed, I thought: there must be justice in this world. Those who come at us with a sword will die by the sword.

Russians tried to destroy the camera, and shot at Vasyl’s house.

Vasyl lives only in a few hundred meters from the main centre of mass killings.

2/

Bolton: It is completely justified to strike Iran to stop it from getting nuclear weapons.

This regime has shouted death to America and death to Israel for 47 years. It is a terrorist regime, and in January it machine-gunned 32,000 people in the streets. 1/ Bolton: We have tried for decades to change Iran’s behavior through diplomacy and economic pressure.

We have tried hard and always failed. When you cannot change an adversary’s behavior, you either put up with the threat or you change the regime. 2/

What Trump could do with Marines in Iran war

WSJ: The MEU could be used to raid or seize islands in the Strait of Hormuz that have been militarized by Tehran. It could also be part of an effort to seize Kharg Island, a launch point for 90 % of Iran's oil exports. 1/ WSJ: Military strategists say an attempt to capture Kharg would be extremely risky and could require more troops and equipment.

Marines could also escort ships through the Strait of Hormuz or play a role in seizing ships carrying Iranian oil. 2/

How Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz.

WSJ: Iran has militarized islands off its southern coast by building airstrips, missile tunnels, drone sites, hiding spots for attack boats, and mine-laying capabilities.

It helped Iran project power throughout the Gulf. 1/ Kharg Island. 20 miles off Iran's coast.

Tehran's major oil storage facilities and ports. It’s the launch point for 90% of the country's oil exports.

Iran gets a significant share of its revenue from oil, with shipments flowing to places like China. 2/