SBU unit A with a nice hit on a, now destroyed, Russian tank in the Avdiivka direction. pic.twitter.com/Bu0OJ7oLSs

— NOELREPORTS 🇪🇺 🇺🇦 (@NOELreports) January 15, 2024

China's state-owned banks are tightening curbs on funding to Russian clients after the US authorized secondary sanctions on overseas financial firms that aid Moscow's war effort in Ukraine, people familiar with the matter said.

At least two banks ordered a review of their Russian business in recent weeks, focusing on cross-border deals, said the people, asking not to be identified discussing a private matter. Banks will sever ties with clients on the sanctions list and will stop providing any financial services to the Russian military industry regardless of the currency or the location of the transactions, said the people.

China Banks Tighten Curbs on Russia After US Sanctions Order - Bloomberg

According to Tagarev, the country's defense industry operates virtually around the clock, and a significant portion of this production goes to Ukraine, either directly or through third parties.

In addition, by the decision of the parliament, Bulgaria has provided Ukraine with over 800 armored personnel carriers and is conducting several training programs, Tagarev revealed.

Bulgarian Defense Minister States Majority of Military-Industrial Production Goes to Ukraine | RBC-Ukraine

Brussels is conducting an audit of how much weaponry EU member states have provided to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion of the country, in response to claims that some capitals have failed to send as much as they could.

The audit will rely on submissions from member states in response to requests from the EEAS — which has already met resistance from some countries reluctant to provide complete data, according to one of the diplomats.

Brussels Audits EU States’ Arms Supplies to Ukraine

The seventh Russian airline plane in a week has broken down during a flight

The Moscow Times

The Union is increasing pressure on the German government to provide Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles. The CDU/CSU parliamentary group wants to introduce a motion for a resolution in the Bundestag on Wednesday afternoon, with which such a delivery will be put to a vote, announced parliamentary group leader Friedrich Merz in Berlin.

The vote should follow a report by the Commissioner for the Armed Forces, Eva Högl. "We consider the situation in Ukraine to be increasingly critical," Merz said. The Ukrainian military currently has "no prospect" of pushing back Russian troops. The Taurus cruise missiles could contribute to this.

Some members of the traffic light government, who had recently spoken out in favor of Taurus deliveries against the position of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), could "follow their words with deeds" in the roll-call vote, Merz said.

Tagesschau.de

While expressing his gratitude to his allies, Zelensky also criticized their timidity and sluggishness in refusing to provide Ukraine with better weapons sooner. He said that the West's fear that doing so would "escalate" Russia's war had denied Ukraine the chance to make military gains and emboldened Putin.

"Every 'Don't escalate' to us sounded like 'You will prevail' to Putin," Zelensky told the heads of state gathered at Davos. He said "nothing harmed our coalitions more than this concept," stressing that the West should have been quicker to call Putin's bluff and Moscow's baseless threats.

"We asked for new types of weapons, and the response was 'Don't escalate.' But then weapons arrived and there was no escalation," he said.

"Because of 'Don't escalate,' time was lost," he said. "And the lives of many of our most experienced warriors, who fought since 2014, were lost. Some opportunities were lost."

Zelensky Warns Putin’s War Must Not Become ‘Frozen’ as Ukraine Faces Shortage of Weaponry and Aid | CNN

I still never quite get the Russian logic that Russia invades Ukraine, yet somehow it’s Ukraine and the West who are the ‘warmongers’.

Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 17 January 2024.

Find out more about Defence Intelligence's use of language: https://t.co/0npPvd2nrM #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/tHDMvqC5Yp

— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) January 17, 2024

Ukrainian Crews Set A Complex Missile Trap For Russia’s Best Radar Plane

"Down one A-50, the Russian air force may have just two of the jets left; the other six A-50s reportedly are in need of upgrade and overhaul. Unless the air force is willing to risk the last two flyable A-50s, it must make peace with its new inability to provide radar coverage over all of Crimea."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukrainian-crews-set-a-complex-missile-trap-for-russia-s-best-radar-plane/ar-AA1n52f1?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=b6ffb8176a974e6b919688a45858e4fc&ei=50

After Iran bombed Pakistan, Pakistan has now bombed Iran as retaliation ("Against Anti-pakistani terrorist groups").
Maybe it's time the US secret service hints to Pakistan where those Anti-pakistani terrorist mostly reside: coincidentally where the Iranian drone factories are....

The "logic" (if you can call it that) is supposed to be that Nato came closer and closer to Russia, and their attack on Russia would be an act of self-defense before Ukraine also "falls" into the hands of Nato.

The military logic behind this is that between the Nato borders and their main cities like Moscow there ain't really any defensible land, as in deep, broad rivers, mountains, hills, or thick forests. Owning Ukraine would in the minds of the military alleviate that problem in the south, with Ukraine's borders with Romania and Slovakia being hilly to mountainous and the several deep, broad rivers flowing through the country, thus creating natural obstacles for the "enemy troops". And the west is considered the warmonger here because they "want to deny" Russia of that more favorable defensive position, and in their warped minds it's all just to keep the doors open on a future invasion of Russia.

In short, it's a very cynic view of "Our defensive position ain't the best, so let's invade another country with a more defensive position to claim that one for ourselves."

When Corbyn lost the election I was upset but not anymore, I'm more relieved now and I say that as someone who hates the Tories, Corbyn may have been great domestically but his utterly stupid foreign policy would have countered all of that.