Pray for brothers and sisters in Ukraine

[Vine Abider]

At first I didn't see clearly how easily this could potentially spill over into a wider conflict and spark WW3.  But seeing how more and more is being given to Ukraine (which I do basically support),  it could reach a tipping point where the whole thing easily blows up overnight into a full-blown NATO conflict, pulling the rest of the world in.

So what can we as Christians do? Trust and pray!

[Justin Adams]

During the day, the Armed Forces of Ukraine eliminated another 920 occupiers and several dozen units of enemy equipment. In total, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the Russian army has lost 128,420 soldiers.

This is reported by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The total combat losses of the enemy as of February 1, 2023 approximately amounted to:

• personnel - about 128,420 (+920) persons were eliminated,
• tanks - 3,209 (+8) units,
• armored combat vehicles - 6,382 (+4) units,
• artillery systems - 2,207 (+10) units,
• MLRS - 458 (+4) units,
• air defense systems - 221 (+0) units,
• aircraft - 293 (+0) units,
• helicopters - 284 (+0) units,
• UAVs of operational-tactical level - 1,951 (+0),
• cruise missiles - 796 (+0),
• ships/boats - 18 (+0) units,
• automotive equipment and tank trucks - 5,061 (+13) units,
• special equipment - 200 (+0).

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, last day the Defense Forces repelled enemy attacks in the areas of 13 settlements in the Luhansk and Donetsk Regions. The enemy continues to conduct offensive actions in the Lyman and Bakhmut directions, suffering heavy losses. It conducts unsuccessful offensive actions in the Avdiyivka and Novopavlivsk directions. In the Kupyansk and Zaporizhzhia directions - defends previously captured lines.

Also, on Monday, January 30, the Defense Forces of Ukraine eliminated 850 soldiers of the Russian occupation army and destroyed more than 20 units of the enemy's ground and air vehicles.

[Justin Adams]

Yesterday, February 4, a plane with the first Leopard 2 tank was sent from Canada to Ukraine.

Canadian Defense Minister Anita Anand announced this on Facebook.

She noted that Canada will continue to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with the necessary equipment for victory.

“Today, a Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft departed Halifax carrying the first Leopard 2 main battle tank that Canada is sending to Ukraine. Canada stands with the people of Ukraine – and we’ll continue to provide Ukraine’s Armed Forces with the equipment that they need to win,” Anand wrote.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that a significant number of German Leopard tanks, American Abrams and British Challenger will soon arrive in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said that in the first wave of assistance from international partners, Ukraine will receive 120-140 units of tanks of modern Western models.

Meanwhile, Reznikov noted that Ukraine needs a "tank coalition" with the main tanks of NATO countries to carry out a counterattack. 

[Justin Adams]

Western countries will provide Ukraine with aircraft, but it is not yet known which ones.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov stated this at a press conference on Sunday, February 5.

"Today, in terms of obtaining weapons, we have received everything, only aircraft remain. I can give you optimism - there will be planes as well, the question is simple - which ones," he stressed.

According to the minister, Ukraine's partners constantly hear the need for aircraft, since this is also part of air defense. In particular, Kyiv can get both F-16 and other aircraft.

He also added that Ukraine will become the world's second state in terms of the number of CAESAR self-propelled artillery installations after the manufacturer country - France.

"Now 12 CAESAR will come, which after my visit was announced by the French Minister of Defense. Plus, the decision of the kingdom of Denmark to transfer CAESAR to us, they ordered them for themselves from the French manufacturer," said Reznikov.

Reznikov also added that from Monday, February 6, the training of Ukrainian crews on Leopard tanks abroad will begin.

"We clearly understand how much, when, what country will give us (tanks - ed.). We clearly understand that from tomorrow, from Monday, training of tank crews outside Ukraine on Leopard begins," he concluded.

Recall that earlier Biden said that the United States will not give Ukraine F-16 planes.

However, according to CNN, the United States will not prevent the allies from transferring F-16 fighters to Ukraine.

[Justin Adams]

The Kremlin plans to continue russification of the occupied territories. With the help of pseudo-elections, they want to legalize the capture of part of Ukraine.

This was reported by the British Ministry of Defence on Twitter.

So, on February 1, 2023, Russian Federation Council chair Valentina Matvienko will take place in the newly annexed areas of Ukraine on September 10, 2023.

“Incorporating the elections into same day of voting which is scheduled across Russia highlights the leadership’s ambition to present the areas as integral parts of the Federation,” the intelligence update notes.

According to British intelligence, the conduct of "elections" follows efforts to "russify" the occupied territories, which include revision of the education, communication, and transport systems.

“While meaningful democratic choices are no longer available to voters at even regional level elections in Russia, leaders will likely make the self-vindicating argument that new elections further justify the occupation,” the British Ministry of Defence said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported , the occupiers burn Ukrainian books in boiler houses in captured territories.

[Justin Adams]

The King is also a fighter pilot.

[Justin Adams]

[Justin Adams]

The owner of the Russian Wagner private military company, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that the militants controlled by him allegedly stopped recruiting Russian prisoners to participate in the war against Ukraine.

This is stated in the response of the Concord company founded by Prigozhin to a request from one of the Russian media, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

Journalists said that they are allegedly approached by prisoners who report that the Wagner PMC is no longer recruiting for sending to Ukraine.

Russian media asked Prigozhin to comment on this information.

"Yes, indeed, it is so. The recruitment of prisoners to the Wagner PMC has been completely stopped. To those who work with us now, all obligations are fulfilled," Concord quotes Prigozhin.

For the first time, Russian media and human rights organizations reported that the Wagner PMC recruited prisoners in the colonies in the summer of 2022.

According to them, as of December 2022, the Wagnerites were able to recruit about 50,000 Russian prisoners.

The Wagner PMC actively uses recruited persons in the Bakhmut direction.

They form assault detachments that regularly attack the positions of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, the United States recognized the Wagner PMC as a transnational criminal organization.

[Justin Adams]

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy believes that the Russian missiles, which on Friday, February 10, passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania in the direction of Ukraine, are a challenge to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and collective security.

Zelenskyy said this in his video message, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"Several Russian missiles passed through the airspace of Moldova and Romania. Another proof that terror does not know and will never know any limits. Another proof that the protection of Ukraine is the protection of the whole Europe and the world, every country that just wants to live. Today's missiles are a challenge to NATO, collective security. This is a terror that can and must be stopped. The world must stop it," he said.

Zelenskyy noted that Russia on Friday launched at least 70 missiles in another massive attack, at least 60 missiles were shot down.

He stressed that their targets were exclusively civilian objects.

The President said that there are casualties as a result of today's attack.

He expressed condolences to the relatives of the victims.

Earlier, the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi said that 2 Russian Kalibr missiles violated the airspace of Moldova and Romania on Friday morning, after which the missiles again entered the airspace of Ukraine at the point of intersection of the borders of the three states.

These Kalibr missiles were launched from the Black Sea.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and European Integration of Moldova said that it summoned the Russian ambassador due to violation of Moldovan airspace by flying a Russian missile over the territory of the state.

The Ministry of Defense of Romania, which is a member of NATO, did not confirm information about the flight of a Russian missile over the territory of the country.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on Friday, February 10, the Russians fired 71 cruise missiles during another massive attack on Ukraine, air defense forces destroyed 61 of them.

[Justin Adams]

Russia does not have sufficient resources to launch another large-scale offensive by the February 24th anniversary of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

This was reported by the press service of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine with reference to the statement of the representative of the Defense Intelligence, Andrii Cherniak, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"While information is spreading about a large-scale Russian offensive planned for February 24, Ukrainian military intelligence reports that Russia has already launched a full-scale offensive on February 24 last year, which continues today," said a representative of Ukraine's military intelligence in a comment to the Kyiv Post.

Cherniak said that Russia is planning to intensify its efforts in eastern Ukraine in the coming weeks, and noted that it is currently trying to find weak points in Ukrainian defense.

"However, according to our information, the Russian command does not have sufficient resources for large-scale offensive actions. The main goal of the Russian troops remains to achieve at least some tactical success in the east of Ukraine," he added.

Cherniak also emphasized that Russia lacks high-precision weapons.

"Russia is facing a shortage of high-precision weapons and, despite this, it will continue to use missile terror against the civilian population in Ukraine. The Russians have already used more than 80% of the high-precision missiles. They are trying to resume their production, but so far they have not succeeded," the representative of the Defense Intelligence concluded.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on February 10, Ukrainian military intelligence representative Andrii Yusov said that the Russian "missile blitzkrieg" had failed, but the occupiers still have a lot of outdated missile weapons.