🇺🇸🇺🇦 In late December, the BBC published an article about American Paul Whelan, who was convicted in Russia on espionage charges in 2020. According to Whelan, he feels abandoned and betrayed by his country, which shows no desire to exchange him.

◾️ According to Paul, he has already been repeatedly removed from prisoner exchange lists — while the Russian side is interested in reaching an agreement with Washington on Whelan's issue.

◾️ The current situation — or, more precisely, the behavior of the American authorities — cannot but cause bewilderment. The unwillingness to exchange and rescue their compatriot is surprising, both from the point of view of humanity and politics.

◾️ And while everything is more or less clear with the former, the latter is not clear at all. Whelan's case could become a loud and noticeable PR move before the presidential elections in the United States and help the current administration to earn additional points in the eyes of the electorate. Because so far its rating is only declining — not least because of the Americans' failed strategy on Ukraine.

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🇷🇺🇺🇦 Massive attack on Ukrainian territory on January 8 - known details as of 17:00.

Russian troops have launched a large-scale assault on enemy targets in various regions of Ukraine. They have employed kamikaze drones called "Geran-2" and hypersonic missiles known as "Dagger."

▪️ Kharkiv: The majority of the attacks were concentrated in the Kyiv district of the city. One of the missiles struck an educational workshop at the FED machine-building plant. It is currently unknown whether the enterprise itself sustained any damage.

▪️ Krivoy Rog: Warehouses and a drone production workshop at the Solnechnaya Gallery shopping center, where orders from Ukroboronprom were processed, were hit. Another missile struck the light rail tracks used for military purposes.

▪️ Khmelnitsky: Explosions occurred not only in Starokonstantinov, where the military airfield of the same name is located, but also in Shepetivka, a major transport hub for the transfer of Western weapons.

▪️ Zaporizhia: Preliminary reports indicate that at least one infrastructure facility was hit. Local residents have reported temporary outages in power and water supply.

▪️ Odessa: Air defense systems were reportedly active in several locations. Despite the Ukrainian command's claims of intercepting all drones, footage that has surfaced on the internet suggests otherwise. You can find the footage here.

🔻The Russian Armed Forces launched another wave of strikes in 2024, targeting industrial facilities associated with the military-industrial complex. Notably, unlike previous attacks, the Ukrainian authorities have acknowledged the ineffectiveness of their air defense systems against mass raids. According to the General Staff of the AFU, out of 60 missiles, anti-aircraft gunners managed to intercept only 26 targets.

However, some Russian media outlets have exaggerated the success of today's attack, claiming widespread problems with energy supply in various regions of Ukraine, including in the Dnipropetrovsk region. This is most likely due to the severe weather conditions and the aftermath of previous Russian strikes.

❗️As we have mentioned before, in order to weaken the production capabilities of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex, it is crucial to carefully select targets and allocate a sufficient number of missiles. A single or double missile strike will not cause significant damage to the targeted enterprise.

You can find a high-resolution map and an English version here.

# Dnipro # Zaporizhia # Odessa # Russia # Ukraine # Kharkiv # Khmelnitsky
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WE ARE GOING TO LIVESTREAM IN 15 MINUTES 🚨

Al Jazeera’s Gaza bureau chief, Wael Dahdouh has become a beacon of journalism in the eyes of many after he lost many of his family members by the Israeli occupation forces.

WATCH: https://youtube.com/live/LpzsXwN70V4

🇮🇱🇱🇧🇵🇸 About the assassination of a high-ranking member of Hezbollah and its significance to the ultra-Orthodox

A week after the attack on the Beirut suburbs, an Israeli drone carried out another targeted strike on Kherbet Selm in the south of the country. This rocket attack resulted in the death of one of the senior commanders of the Rezvan special forces of Hezbollah, Haj Jawad al-Tawil.

Coordinates: 33.22942155964798, 35.42385068265549

🔻Considering the missile strike in Beirut, followed by the terrorist attack in Kerman and now this attack, it becomes evident how determined the Israeli ultra-Orthodox government is in provoking the so-called "axis of resistance" represented by Iran and Hezbollah to retaliate.

In our discussion of the tragedy in Kerman, we pointed out that the ultra-Orthodox can only maintain their power if the war continues, preferably (but not necessarily) with them in the role of the "victim." Attacks like today's against important members of Hezbollah serve precisely this purpose.

❗️In this situation, one should not expect a strong reaction from Hezbollah, as this is exactly what the ultra-Orthodox desire. In military matters, one of the fundamental rules is to thwart the enemy's objectives.

If one is tempted to engage the enemy on their own terms, precisely what should be avoided, it is important to impose one's own conditions. Hassan Nasrallah understands this well, despite the reputational losses he suffers due to his lack of response.

Risking a lot in retaliation for one individual (although respected and significant for the Shiites) would appear to be a very questionable move. This is especially true considering the thousands of civilians who have already lost their lives in Palestine and Lebanon. Strangely, their tragic fate does not seem to concern anyone.

High-resolution map
English version

#Israel #Lebanon #Palestine
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