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/

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/

Russia is offering students up to $87,000 a year to drop university and fight in Ukraine. Positions available: drone operator, drone engineer, technical specialist. Most universities received recruitment quotas they must fill, writes Reuters. 1/ The full package at Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok: first-year salary of $68,000, one-off payment of $31,000 after training, monthly allowance of $3,000, plus $2,500 from the university. Free accommodation. Fees covered on return. 2/

Zelenskyy: Putin can’t occupy Ukraine. The front hasn’t changed much in 90 days, and Ukraine is in its strongest position in the last 10 months.

To end the war, pressure must be on Putin, not Ukraine — his goal is to keep advancing, even toward the Baltics.

1/ Zelenskyy: Russia will always be in conflict with the US and the West — whether a cold war or active fighting like in Ukraine.

They won’t share intelligence with the US, including on Iran — and they haven’t.

2/

Sanctioned Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska — founder of Rusal and a longtime Putin ally agreed to fund the war.

His refinery in Limerick, Ireland has been running throughout the war. Alumina exports from Ireland to Russia grew from $243M to $376M since 2022— The Moscow Times. 1/ None of this breaches EU rules.

The refinery is owned by Rusal, where Deripaska holds a quarter of shares. Sanctioning a person while leaving his corporate structures intact lets governments claim compliance while keeping the profits flowing. 2/

At 21, Dmytro Dovhenko shot down his first Russian Mi-24 helicopter near Pavlivka with a Stinger. He had been a train driver in the Carpathians two weeks before.

Today, at 25, he commands thousands of soldiers as chief sergeant of Ukraine's 32nd "Steel" Brigade — ArmyInfo. 1/ February 24, 2022. A friend from Lviv called: "Dimon, sirens. It started." Dmytro went to the recruitment office. They told him to go home — he was only 21.

He stood outside 20 minutes. Then walked back in: "Start the process. I want to serve."

2/

"I don't enjoy killing. I treat it as work that cleans Ukraine of Russians, like Colorado beetles." This is 47-year-old sniper Tetyana Khimion, callsign "Tango" — a former ballroom dance instructor from Sloviansk, writes Ukrainska Pravda. 1/ She started dancing at seven. In 2002 she opened her own club "Four Step" in Sloviansk. At eight months pregnant she showed children how to do cartwheels and splits. On the fifth day after giving birth she was back in the studio. Then she decided dancing was not enough. 2/

For seven days straight, Ukrainian drones have been hitting Russia's Baltic oil ports — Ust-Luga and Primorsk, thousands of kilometers from the front.

What started on March 23 has become a sustained campaign that has cut Russian oil exports by a factor of three. — United24. 1/ Primorsk loaded 4 tankers instead of 10. Ust-Luga loaded 2 instead of 8.

Russia's total seaborne oil exports fell from 4.1 million to 2.3 million barrels per day along a route that accounts for 28% of all Russian exports. 2/

Fukuyama: The U.S. does not now have a Trump doctrine.

Its behavior can best be explained not by a set of principles, but by the personal interests and preoccupations of the president.

Trump's head is full of resentments, anger, anecdotes, and made-up facts. 1/ Fukuyama: Trump relies on emissaries like Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, neither of whom have the standing or the knowledge to advise wisely.

Members of Congress, journalists and foreign leaders asking the administration what its goals are will never get a clear answer. 2/