Political strategic level
The US shoots down a Chinese balloon over its territory, which the Pentagon claims was a reconnaissance balloon. China said today that it "reserves the right to use necessary measures to deal with similar situations".
Although Beijing claims the balloon was intended for meteorological surveillance, US intelligence says the aircraft was equipped for more than just civilian activities. The balloon flew over US and Canadian strategic and military sites.
Beijing's strange reaction, strange routes for Chinese balloons. China is big - you can study the weather on your own territory or you can fly over Moscow. The GRU will not be angry.
The United States will hand over small-diameter bombs to Ukraine. This is the first official confirmation that the US has included this type of munition in its aid packages to Ukraine, with a guidance system that can reach targets up to 150 km away. Previously, all information on the possibility of supplying such munitions came from unofficial or anonymous sources.
The ammunition will be provided under the Ukrainian Security Assistance Initiative. This means that the Pentagon has to conclude a contract for their production, and the provisional date for their transfer to Ukraine could be autumn 2023.
This autumn, we will see the effects of the crumbling farce and the splashing of equipment on the battlefield.
Medvedev, who has the remains of a human face, has again threatened nuclear weapons. The Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council has stated that Moscow's response to a strike by Kiev on Crimea or any other Russian facility will be tough and convincing. Russia's response in such a case would be free of constraints, including the basic principles of nuclear deterrence.
The Russian ex-president, who sold the Seliger to Vlein, is wagging his little fingers at the supply of US arms to Ukraine. "All of Ukraine that remains under Kyiv's rule will burn", the drunken goblin-in-chief fumes.
This reaction from Putler's shadow was probably triggered by the Pentagon's announcement of new bombs and missiles destined for Ukraine, which will double the range of Ukraine's strikes against the Maroderians.
Mr Podoliak, Adviser to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, urges people to ignore such and similar hysterics by the Kremlin. "Threats by Russian officials of "retaliatory strikes" are merely a fixation on the intention to carry out mass killings and an attempt to intimidate in traditional Russian style. Always ignore Medvedev", Podoliak says.
The best medicine to sober up the Kremlin would be missiles straight into Moscow. As soon as Russian strategic bombers take off or ships raid the Black Sea, it's off to Moscow. The ruins of the Kremlin would be the last sight Medvedev, who is suffering from white fever, would see.
Moscow's threats of nuclear weapons show that the snakes of the Russian terror ring are getting sick at the thought of shelling Russian strategic facilities. Führer Putin and his henchmen have been actively using the tactic of nuclear terror since the beginning of the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, threatening to use this weapon of mass destruction. The Kremlin believes that in this way it can intimidate Kyiv and put pressure on Ukraine's international partners. That is why, yesterday, Russian dictator Putka brought a 'nuclear suitcase' to the commemoration of the Battle of Stalingrad.
Recently, Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Oleksiy Makeyev, remarked that only nuclear weapons can save countries under attack from such Russian blackmail. This is the best recipe for ending the war in one day. If a suitcase with a nuclear button were to fall into Zelensky's hands, Putin, Shoigu, Gerasimov and the other Medvedevs would be looking for pampers instead of words to threaten.
China is giving the US an increasing headache by strengthening its influence in the Middle East. Chinese state-owned companies are investing billions of dollars near the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil shipping channel. Chinese investment in regional ports and infrastructure in Oman and the United Arab Emirates could provide a point of entry for Chinese warships into the Strait. Such ships are already on duty in nearby waters and are being targeted against pirates. The Strait carries around one third of the world's seaborne oil. It accounts for as much as 45% of China's own oil imports.
China is supplying the technology needed by Russia's army of drills in spite of the sanctions. Chinese state-owned defence companies send navigation equipment, communications jamming technology and jet fighter parts. Although Russia is able to make most of its own iron, it is heavily dependent on dual-use technologies such as semiconductors, which are essential for modern warfare.
The US transfers confiscated Russian assets to Ukraine for the first time. United States Attorney General Merrick Garland announced that the assets of Konstantin Malofeev, founder of the TV channel "Cargrad", are being transferred to Ukraine.
The State Department's transfer of USD 5.4 million is symbolic, but it sets a precedent for future cases. Malofeev, a Russian millionaire, is considered to be one of the main financiers of the marodirs operating in Eastern Ukraine. In April, the US Treasury Department blacklisted some 40 individuals and legal entities headed by Malofeev.
The EU Council approved a price ceiling of USD 100 per barrel for Russian diesel. It will enter into force on 5 February, with a 55-day transitional period in some cases. However, the price ceiling for Russian oil is USD 60 per barrel. Other Russian oil products, which are cheaper than crude oil, can be sold for up to USD 45 per barrel.
The United States has warned Turkey against exporting to Russia chemicals, microchips and other products that could be used in Moscow's hostilities in Ukraine. As a result, the US may take action to punish Turkish companies or banks that contravene the sanctions.
And it is healthy for Erdogan to know that the world does not end with the Bosphorus, Putin, Syria, the Kurds and the ping-pong over the membership of NATO by Sweden and Finland.
Operational level
The time for resource accumulation has begun.
The German government, having taken the decision to supply Ukraine with modern Leopard 2A6 tanks, is still waiting for concrete offers from partner countries. There are offers for the older 2A4 Leopard model as the supply situation for the newer 2A6 tanks is poor.
"According to Spiegel, in a video conference with German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius last week, no EU country was willing to make a concrete commitment to the tank package. In January, Germany agreed to send Ukraine 14 modern Leopard 2 A6 tanks from its army's stockpile.
We explain what we think is happening here. A Leopard 1 or a Leopard 2A4 tank is not the same as a Leopard 2A6 tank. They are tank models with different modifications. Just like new cars and twenty-year-old cars. The partners are probably trying to match the modifications of the consignment so that all tanks are not from "different operas".
Thousands of Ukrainian volunteers applied for the so-called "Assault Guard" on the first day of registration. According to the Ministry of the Interior, 3 086 people applied.
The Ukrainian army has quickly mastered the Challenger 2 tanks, according to the British Ministry of Defence. The UK will soon send 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine.
Portugal will send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine, Prime Minister Antonio Costa said, without specifying how many would be sent. He added that Portugal was in talks with Germany on parts needed to repair several non-working Leopard tanks in Portugal's inventory.
Oops, and how many tanks, both running and not, are lying in the warehouses of EU and NATO countries? The audit shows not only good intentions, but also troubles. But better later and sometime than never.
At the tactical level
Yesterday 116 Ukrainian troops were released, including Mariupol defenders, guerrillas from Kherson and snipers from Bakhmut, as well as two special operations troops. Ukraine returned 63 Russian prisoners of war to Russia
Russia is mobilising Wallachians to conduct offensives in the Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka and Novopavlivka directions.
The occupiers carried out 61 attacks per day with salvo rocket systems, including shelling of civilian infrastructure in Kherson.
The threat of Russian strikes against civilian objects across Ukraine remains high.
In the Donetsk region, in Horlivka, all medical facilities are full of wounded people. The occupiers are therefore setting up field hospitals in kindergartens, schools and even warehouses. One such hospital brought 70 medics from Yakutia.
According to the Ukrainian army, some Russians are refusing to take part in the fighting. Since 3 February this year, around 600 such persons have been brought back to Russia from the Luhansk region.
A perfect choice. It is better to spend a year in a cell than to be left forever to fertilise Ukraine's sunflower fields.
Over the past day, Ukrainian aviation has struck 5 strikes against areas of concentration of the occupying forces and military equipment, as well as 2 strikes against anti-aircraft missile complexes. Rocket artillery forces struck an occupation checkpoint, 3 enemy concentration points, an anti-aircraft missile complex, a fuel and lubricant depot.
Photo: Defenders of Bakhmut.
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