I’m deeply puzzled as to why Zelensky has not yet received his Ceausescu moment. Ukrainians: Deeply gaslighted? afraid? stupid? blind? lazy?

Posted by: Indulis Kradzins | Jan 12 2026 18:45 utc | 204

@ Indulis Kradzins | Jan 12 2026 18:45 utc | 219
 
you might appreciate reading this ”events in ukraine” substack article for some insights…
 
How Trump’s friend made Zelensky president

Posted by: james | Jan 12 2026 19:00 utc | 206

From Lord of War:
 

If the US invades Greenland, some European NATO members will try to preserve the existence of the bloc, however they are unlikely to succeed, writes the Financial Times. According to the publication’s columnist Gideon Rachman, even Washington’s attempts to force Denmark to “sell” the island would already be an “unprecedented act of aggression against an ally, which would not allow NATO to survive”.Since in the event of a break with the US, “the risks for European countries would be very high,” they would have to quickly form an alternative NATO alliance, says the publication. According to Rachman, its basis could be the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, as well as the countries of Northern Europe.At the same time, the author emphasizes that the creation of a new bloc would not only require large costs, but could also entail “painful steps”, such as the introduction of compulsory military service. Moreover, the journalist points out, the US has many tools to create inconveniences for Europe after the collapse of NATO, and Britain, which has deep security ties with Washington, is particularly vulnerable in this regard.  

Gideon Rachman is quite well informed. A split from the US would also split the UK in half – I can easily imagine Starmer choosing to stay with the US rather than Europe. Trump could do a lot of damage to the City, plus there’s all the US bases here, Five Eyes, the deal by which (IIRC) the US grab European/UK phone traffic while GCHQ grabs US traffic – before handing it straight back to Langley.

Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Jan 12 2026 19:55 utc | 208

No doubt the CIA black ops and the Mossad have distributed the Skylink terminals to their agents in Iran……….another Bibi operation.
 

Posted by: tobias cole | Jan 12 2026 20:07 utc | 210

@215 
Try 1920. Read Mihail Pavlovich 1920 pamphlet recently translated on wsws.org . Explains the ‘Uraine Hypnosis’  and trade routes dilemma.

Posted by: Old person | Jan 12 2026 20:30 utc | 212

Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Jan 12 2026 20:03 utc | 224
 
When I’ve seen reports of American “mercenaries” killed in ukraine, I’m happy because the stupid mother fucker won’t come home. 

Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Jan 12 2026 20:55 utc | 214

Why is it so that there are no massive desertions form the Ukro army and no mass demonstrations or discontent?I think, the Ukrainians still dream their nationalistic dream.
Posted by: Simon | Jan 12 2026 13:42 utc | 166
 
There are people like him
https://t.me/Slavyangrad/152573?single
watching “your” back (or bag)

Posted by: BlindSpot | Jan 12 2026 21:23 utc | 216

Alexander Mercouris: ‘Putin Returns’
 
https://www.youtube.com/@AlexMercouris/videos
 
“Russia 10 kms from Zaporozhzhye City; Evacuation begins; Putin returns; Iran stabilizes US retreats.”

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 12 2026 22:05 utc | 218

Shops…tills will not work…..accounting and stock systems will not work, credit agencies, ATM’s….lighting. Sprinkler systems , bar code readers. Credit card machines, pensions collected, pharmacies with electronic prescriptions, temperature controlled ie not to be  frozen medicines …..transport to go to shops and pharmacies etc etc
 
If you work with fresh meats , how can you wash them and utensils tools to cut up meats, wash hands, sterilise…..defrost stuff……..

Posted by: Jo | Jan 12 2026 23:09 utc | 220

Posted by: tobias cole | Jan 12 2026 20:07 utc | 225
No doubt the CIA black ops and the Mossad have distributed the Skylink terminals to their agents in Iran……….another Bibi operation. 

No doubt!!    But do not ignore the role of Mighty K and its MI6 maggots in Iran.  Mosssad and MI6 have been very close for a long time, and the UK was pretty pissed off after the demise of the old Shah.
It seems as if they are grooming a new proxy pongo (son of old Shah) to assume power after the current “popular revolution” [/S].

Also, a UK/NATO friendly Persia (Irah) could also help in the war against the RF via the Caspian sea etc.  For the UK wing nuts and collective Zionist freaks it would be a definite Win-Wun.

Posted by: Barrel Brown | Jan 12 2026 23:25 utc | 222

Posted by: Jane | Jan 12 2026 23:23 utc | 236
 
just a couple of points, I’m not Marat, don’t have nor comment substacks (no logins please) complain to him there.
 
the focus of my linking was on the discourse shift (clear warnings) 
 
so … sorry ,  you’re barking at the wrong tree and i don’t have to agree , or vet, every part of something that maybe with wrong details I find worth sharing (at least in my opinion)
 
have you noticed a recent exchange where me and… can’t remember were speculating how military watch magazine had updated range for oreshnick? You work with what is there, mention doubts but that’s it
 
if I ever write an article do correct me, but where I post it, not on comments about a link.
 
and for a final repetition, I am not Marat, just a very naughty boy
cheers

Posted by: Newbie | Jan 13 2026 2:08 utc | 224

reposting from colonelcassad
 
Medvedev advises Trump to hurry up 😀Trump needs to hurry. According to unverified information, in a few days a sudden referendum may be held, in which residents of the entire 55 thousand Greenland can vote for joining Russia. And then that’s it!No new stars on the banner. And Russia will have a new – already the 90th – subject of the Federation.

Posted by: Suresh | Jan 13 2026 7:37 utc | 226

@213 – 
 
“neoliberals far to the right of Thatcher.”
 
Gawd, how wrong you could be.

Posted by: AleaJactaEst | Jan 13 2026 8:51 utc | 228

Posted by: Newbie | Jan 13 2026 11:37 utc | 229
 
The fact that RUAF is causing AFU that many casualties implies that RUAF is keeping in high fighting shape, able to repel AFU attacks constantly. Anyone following SMO since mid-2022 sees that it is actually – contrary to popular belief – been AFU who is on constant attack.
 
So in Kupyansk AFU seems to have run out of steam, ok, now they occupy most of the place with a bunch of foreign mercenaries which are being picked off constantly by FPV and artillery. They have no plan what to do next. It has become another sinkhole like the Kursk area, except without any advancing.
 
Meanwhile RUAF is consolidating the left bank of Oskol, Podoly, Kupyansk Vozlovoi while being able to maintain a large area on the right bank.

Posted by: unimperator | Jan 13 2026 11:45 utc | 230

Glenn Diesen
Scott Ritter: Trump Set Up Putin & Escalates War With Russia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zH5xP8GSArg

Posted by: unimperator | Jan 13 2026 12:24 utc | 232

Simplicius claims the sole target of Oreshnik was the aircraft repair plant, not the gas storage. 
 
But most likely the Oreshnik individually programmed warheads were set to hit both targets – pipes, pumps and access points to the gas storage, and the different areas of the aircraft plant. RUMOD didn’t mention the gas storage deliberately, but said AFU supporting energy infrastructure was hit in western Ukraine.

Posted by: unimperator | Jan 13 2026 12:34 utc | 234

Scott Ritter says Britain’s new Nighthawk missile is a joke and Nato entered arms race/declined arms control with Russia where Russia is already leading by decade(s). Several brigades of Oreshnik units have already been deployed.

Posted by: unimperator | Jan 13 2026 12:47 utc | 236

Putin says he’s not afraid of Britain because Britain can’t even stop rubber boats delivering migrants to invade their country and foreigners raping British women.
https://x.com/conspiracyb0t/status/2010541224789434829

Posted by: unimperator | Jan 13 2026 13:37 utc | 238

Probably not true, but if it were – it would surely put a bee in Trump’s bonnet. “Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council: “Trump needs to hurry. According to unverified information, a sudden referendum may take place in a few days, in which residents of the entire 55,000-strong Greenland can vote for joining Russia””

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 13 2026 14:25 utc | 240

“two doors” not “too” (but of course the spelling room is in another “bulding”) 😛
 

Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jan 13 2026 14:30 utc | 242

Posted by: Sunny Runny Burger | Jan 13 2026 14:26 utc | 241
Never had immersed contact with the military, but:
 
Isn’t NATO doctrine about a cohesive action _moving_ of
interlinked services? Is US military order driven or objective driven?
Then IMU NATO was never designed to work in a FUBAR arena.
A WWI situation was never in the books !?

Posted by: MAKK | Jan 13 2026 14:54 utc | 244

234 unimperator…couple days ago I resd that 36 MIRV warheads used ….??

Posted by: Jo | Jan 13 2026 15:27 utc | 246

Posted by: Jo | Jan 13 2026 15:27 utc | 246
Most likely it can be 36 or less than 36, the bus (piece where they attach) can hold up to 36. Maybe there are larger ones that can be used, reducing the max amount, or the bus can be only partially filled, as long as everything is in balance.

Posted by: unimperator | Jan 13 2026 15:40 utc | 248

Also, it is a bit worrying that Putin has gone relatively quiet.
Maybe he has simply grown weary of the circus, or it may be that he is seeing that some degree of escalation is called for – such as pulling-in reserves to continue/accelerate offensives.

Posted by: jared | Jan 13 2026 15:59 utc | 250

Institute for the Study of War Toplines 1/12
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) stated that the Russian Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) launched on the night of January 8 to 9 struck a Ukrainian defense industrial enterprise in Lviv City, which is consistent with the available visual evidence.[9] The Russian MoD claimed on January 12 that the Oreshnik IRBM strike against the Lviv State Aircraft Repair Plant in Lviv City halted operations at the plant.[10] The Russian MoD further claimed that the strike damaged production workshops, drone warehouses, and infrastructure at the plant’s airfield. ISW has not observed confirmation or Ukrainian official reporting about the Russian MoD’s claims of the damage. Geolocated footage published on January 9 of the Oreshnik attack indicated that Russian forces struck in the vicinity of southwestern Lviv City, and OSINT analysts on X (formerly Twitter) and Russian milbloggers assessed that the geolocated footage indicated that Russian forces were targeting the Lviv State Aircraft Repair Plant.[11]
 

Posted by: frithguild | Jan 13 2026 16:16 utc | 252

@ Posted by: Saint Jimmy | Jan 13 2026 16:02 utc | 251
 
My impression is that they see the situation as nearly hopeless and requiring drastic steps which are in the works.
Meanwhile they are stuffing money into steamer trunks and making alternate living arrangements.

Posted by: jared | Jan 13 2026 16:25 utc | 254

Republicofscotland | Jan 13 2026 17:08 utc | 255
 
I hope Russia are careful about who they let in. What a chance to place unfriendly types into Russia.

Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Jan 13 2026 17:43 utc | 256

Situation on right bank of Kyiv deteriorates to level of left bank – Yasno

Yasno energy company CEO Serhii Kovalenko said that the entire Kyiv is currently in the zone of emergency blackouts. He said this on his Facebook.
 
According to him, the state of the power grids on the right bank of the capital has deteriorated and has actually equaled the situation on the left bank.
 
Against the backdrop of prolonged blackouts, grid operators receive a huge number of calls, but most of them do not relate to real accidents.
 
“You need to understand that the resource of the crews is limited. And it turns out that about 70% of calls are conditionally false. That is, people make applications because there is less light than expected or because of problems inside the houses,” Kovalenko explained.
 
The CEO clarified that only 30% of applications are substantiated and require direct intervention of specialists. He urged Kyiv residents to leave only real requests about damaged networks so that power engineers could focus on eliminating real accidents.
 
“I want the resource to be used where it is really needed,” the company’s CEO summarized.
 
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the situation with energy supply in the Kyiv Region remains critical. Due to emergency repairs and instability in the grid, some residents of the region will be left without electricity for a long time, and in several districts restrictions have been introduced without observing the schedules.
 
After the russian shelling on the night of January 13, Kyiv is experiencing even more electricity shortages, even for critical infrastructure.
 
Due to the difficult situation in the power grid, the movement of ground electric transport has been temporarily suspended on the right bank of Kyiv. Duplicate bus routes have been organized in some areas.

https://ukranews.com/en/news/1128196-situation-on-the-right-bank-of-kyiv-has-deteriorated-to-the-level-of-the-left-bank-yasno

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jan 13 2026 17:57 utc | 258

[I]f you want to be treated as a rational contributor, cut the far left nonsense. Cynic is completely right. Paying lip service to a concept for PR does not make anyone left. Nor does being “woke” supporting gender diversity etc make one left
Posted by: watcher | Jan 12 2026 21:10 utc | 215
Posted by: BlindSpot | Jan 12 2026 21:56 utc | 217
 
Yes, well most of those born and educated in Yankeeland have been heavily and constantly indoctrinated since birth in a soup of pro-capitalist, pro-liberal and pro-individualism plus anti-communist, anti-socialist, anti-anarchist, anti-trade-union, anti collectivism and anti-workers rights. It takes a bit of determination, character  and guts to overcome such conditioning, and most of them can’t make it. (It’s the same in the UK/EU, just not so all-invasive, so that many of us can dodge the conditioning).

Posted by: Jams O’Donnell | Jan 13 2026 18:33 utc | 260

arby (257).
 
I provide the comment – and if there’s a link that as well, its up to you to decide what you make of it.

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 13 2026 19:13 utc | 262

Maybe more meat for the Russian grinder.
 
‘”We will only deploy UK forces to Ukraine if we’re confident they’re safe’ — Richard Knighton, Head of the British Armed Forces”

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 13 2026 19:57 utc | 264

The Gaggle – Paul Craig Roberts: ‘Close to the Brink of Nuclear War’
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XTqy7bTkl0
 
“Putin’s non-response to provocations leading to more provocations and more serious provocations.”
 
 

Posted by: John Gilberts | Jan 13 2026 20:02 utc | 266

That’s not a great idea to shove at the EU, given Trump’s wish to absorb Greenland.
Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Jan 13 2026 19:19 utc | 263
 
Eu and Us approve this idea. It’ll be a quick Nato expansion. There are already Fr and Uk troops in Moldova and Us has even a base I think, or building it. 
The problem is that the population in Moldova does not approve the move in high percentage and Romanians being already dirt poor can’t be very happy to pay for Ukr and Moldova a lot more than they are doing now. The timing depends on commands from Us

Posted by: rk | Jan 13 2026 21:19 utc | 268

If these goals are not meet, then the SMO will a colossal failure

Posted by: tobias cole | Jan 13 2026 21:37 utc | 269
 
Grrr… again we have someone, with absolutely no connection to the Russian General Staff, setting artificial goals for Russia to achieve, then getting ready to crow about failure.
 
How many times have we seen this before? –

• Russia didn’t take Kiev in 3 days = failure
• Russia withdrew from Kherson = failure
• Russia hasn’t killed Zelensky = failure
• Russia didn’t “shock and awe” Ukraine = failure
• Russia only advancing at 0.1mm² per day = failure

It is a source of constant amazement that so many brilliant strategists and tacticians haven’t volunteered their skills for their own armed forces, because obviously these brilliant strategists and tacticians, and only these brilliant strategists and tacticians, can understand Russia’s operational and strategic approach.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jan 13 2026 21:58 utc | 270

Must be said, Odessa and a land bridge to Transnistria and Hungary would be very good things, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, and let’s face it, we’re not the ones with our bodies on the line. 

Posted by: YetAnotherAnon | Jan 13 2026 22:10 utc | 272

Russia will go to great lengths to demilitarize Ukraine by the highly effective method of expanding graveyards

Posted by: Eighthman | Jan 13 2026 22:24 utc | 273
 
Yep, and then who is left to defend Odessa? The pro-Russian partisans?
 
Why do you think the missile targetting is so accurate there? Surely can’t be human intel on the ground, can it?
 
Russia does not need to mount a direct military assault on Odessa, the wider collapse of Ukraine as a coherent political entity negates the need, among other things there’s a lot of financial jeopardy quietly building up.

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jan 13 2026 22:44 utc | 274

Jeremy Rhymings-Lang // 270
While working on one of my master’s degrees, I had the good fortune to take a course taught by a professor who had spent several years as a visiting professor in Latvia.  He explained there is a mindset prevalent among the slavs, but found in other ethnic groups as well, where university students with just enough education to be truly stupid would declare that if only everyone did what they said, all if the world’s problems would disappear.  He took out a student newspaper from his time in Latvia and showed us page after page of text, maybe 8 font.  It was a student written diatribe about one of the university’s textbook.  According to the student, the university must immediately replace the textbook with one of his choosing if the university had any hope to continue to exist.  The professor continued, “I don’t have enough time to read all this garbage.  I don’t know how the students have the time to write it.” Shaking his head he concluded, “Twenty-two years old and too stupid to realize how stupid they are.”
 
Everytime I read the idiotic demands of the uneducated fools in this thread regarding what RUSSIA MUST DO, I think of that professor and the infinite patience he must have had teaching in Latvia.

Posted by: Nobody Special | Jan 14 2026 0:32 utc | 276

Night of Escalation: Massive Russian Strike on Ukraine’s Power Grid and Attacks on Tankers in the Black Sea

On the night of January 13, 2026, the Russian armed forces launched a large-scale, integrated strike against Ukraine’s energy, logistics, and transportation infrastructure. This attack, the first of its kind in 17 days, marked a return to intense strikes after a pause comparable to the lull in August 2025. According to data from the Ukrainian Air Force, the attack employed 293 attack unmanned aerial vehicles (primarily Geran-2 type), 18 ballistic missiles, and 7 cruise missiles from Iskander operational-tactical systems. The Ukrainian side claimed to have shot down a significant portion of the aerial targets.
 
The strikes targeted power generation, ultra-high voltage main substations, railway infrastructure, and dual-use logistics hubs, affecting key regions and undermining the stability of rear-area systems and supply chains for the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU).
 
In the Kyiv region, the Trypilska Thermal Power Plant—a crucial energy source for the capital and central region—was hit, along with facilities in the areas of Novi Petrivtsi and Krasylivka associated with the 330 kV Pivnichna (Northern) and Brovarska substations. Impacts on the energy framework, particularly damage to a node at the Pivnichna substation, led to a break in the energy ring around Kyiv. This caused a cascading power outage for consumers and a large-scale blackout in the capital. The cause of the collapse was not a generation deficit but the destruction of the main power transmission network.
 
In the Dnipropetrovsk region, eight missiles struck the Kryvorizka Thermal Power Plant, causing several fires and damaging power transformers. This station is a backbone for a major industrial district.
 
In the Zaporizhzhia region, six missiles attacked the 750 kV “Zaporizka” substation—a critical node connecting the power systems of the southeast.
 
In the Kharkiv region, strikes targeted CHP-5 and a logistics terminal of the “Nova Poshta” company in the village of Novyi Korotych, which was reportedly used for military-logistical purposes.
 
Transport infrastructure was also attacked. In the Zhytomyr region, the locomotive depot at the “Korosten-Podilskyi” station was damaged, potentially reducing the hub’s capacity for military trains in the northeastern direction. In the Sloviansk area, a strike hit the traction substation ECHE-39, which powers the railway’s overhead contact system. In Novostepanivka, a strike on a warehouse affected a base of the 38th Marine Brigade.
 
Furthermore, the day before, in the Black Sea near Odesa, kamikaze drones attacked commercial vessels—the Panamanian-flagged tanker ATA VOYAGER and the San Marino-flagged vessel BLUE BEAD—indicating continued pressure on Ukraine’s maritime trade.
 
Simultaneously, on the same night, Ukrainian forces struck targets on Russian territory. According to Russian sources, air defense systems destroyed 11 drones over several regions. In Taganrog (Rostov region), the “Atlant Aero” plant, reportedly involved in drone production, was attacked. In Oryol, an energy infrastructure facility, a thermal power plant, was targeted.

Events in the Black Sea waters on the morning of January 13 attracted particular attention. Maritime drones attacked at least two oil tankers—the Liberian-flagged Delta Harmony and the Maltese-flagged Matilda—located near the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal off Novorossiysk. According to sources, both vessels were chartered to transport Kazakh oil, extracted from the Tengiz and Karachaganak fields by international consortia involving American companies, particularly Chevron.
 

 

https://southfront.press/night-of-escalation-massive-russian-strike-on-ukraines-power-grid-and-attacks-on-tankers-in-the-black-sea/

Posted by: unimperator | Jan 14 2026 8:57 utc | 278

Rada approvedthe resignation of Defence Mi ister. z complains that PURL aint working fast enough,everything is too slow in supplying weaponry….it seems EU is split -it is “easier “to buy USA stuff but several in EU are insisting the money of the 90b must be spent on european armaments manufature,ie much too slow and disorganised.
 
Denmark is buying USA weaponry to protect Greenland  , ironic that they gave so much away to z. EU is saying they think they have leverage against USA to afect the Greenland situation because
”
We have leverage over the US national debt. The European Union owns assets worth 1,500 billion dollars. That is a huge amount. The United States needs to refinance several trillion dollars a year. This is a very effective tool that we have not used so far, but we may have to use it, and we do not have to be afraid of that,” Hayer said in an interview published on X.
 
 

Posted by: Jo | Jan 14 2026 11:14 utc | 280

Posted by: Jo | Jan 14 2026 11:14 utc | 280
 
Regarding PURL and financial aid – Kaja Kallas said EU can’t agree to funding or more aid without a ceasefire.
 
Now why would that be? Perhaps it has something to do with every sector of EU economies currently in the process of blowing up, most prominently Germany which puts a lot of strain on EU budgets. Even ransacking social and health budgets, or pensions, is not enough for the Ukrainian black hole.
 
They are already circling event horizon but suddenly decided maybe getting sucked in isn’t a good idea after all. Well, too late.

Posted by: unimperator | Jan 14 2026 11:54 utc | 282

 
Posted by: Neofeudalfuture | Jan 14 2026 1:15 utc | 324.  Plus your previous comments.
 
The discussion about the relative military strength of the various combatants, and in particular the efficacy of the various weapons systems, is most interesting.  I do agree with you that in spite of the technological inferiority of some Western weapons systems there’s a tendency to under-estimate what the Western militaries  could do if put to it in conventional warfare. 
 
“Western militaries” meaning the US military since the European militaries are patchy where they’re not, as is mostly the case, plain inadequate.  And the US military still packs a whole lot of punch.
 
Trouble is, much of that punch can’t be used in the Ukrainian theatre.
 
Martyanov, the authority on military capabilities, pays tribute to the American submarine force.  It’s still world class  apparently.  But it’s very difficult to imagine a scenario in which US subs could do much to help the Ukrainians in a severely limited conflict in the middle of a continent.  Send over missiles themselves?  Don’t think so.  The rules the Russians have laid down are quite clear.  They’ll ride the punches if we bombard Russia from within Ukraine as long as we don’t do much more than nuisance attacks.  They’ll retaliate in kind if we send over missiles from outside Ukraine.  That’d be straight into WWIII and from then on straight to nuclear.   Fortunately the Biden and then the Trump administration had the sense to understand that. 
 
As for US air, all the debate about how that would fare in a conventional war with Russia ignores the fact that for the USAF to be used effectively against the Russians in Ukraine, it’d have to be based in Europe.   You can’t fly missions unless there’s an airfield to maintain the planes and to take off from!   And the howls from the Europeans when the European airbases started getting missiles landing on them would be heard from space.  From which you’ll gather that I’ve no time for the European politicians and military.  I believe justly so.  All hat and no cattle.   If big talk could win this war the Russians would be begging for peace long since but  for the European chickenhawks big talk is all there is.    
 
Similarly with logistics.   It’s not generally recognised that US logistic capabilities are second to none.  Suberb.  But 1, arms supplies and US forces might be moved around super-efficiently but they’d have to be moved through Europe.  Missiles on ports and warehouses and transit routes would not be well received in Europoodle land any more than missiles on airbases. And 2,  there’s a big question mark over how much kit the Americans could spare from their already depleted stocks and they’ve not got enough men to send over anyway.
 
So what are we left with if we in the West were to put our money where out mouth is and seriously went in to back up our proxies?   We know what we’re left with.   We’re left with exactly what we started out with in February 2o22.   Dirty war and big talk.  Not enough.
 
…………………….
 
Iran, the calculus is different.  As you say, the balance of conventional forces there is not as clearcut as is often made out.  Allowing for that there seems to be little doubt that the Iranians could give both the Israeli military and the various Western militaries based in the ME a hard time.  But were they to do that we don’t know whether Washington or Tel Aviv would resort to nuclear.
 
Would they?   Netanyahu and Trump might and their respective publics would in the main accept the use of nuclear weapons against Iran.   I wouldn’t like to  be an Iranian right now, having to guess how far they could go in deterring attack from the West whilst not provoking a nuclear strike. 

Posted by: English Outsider | Jan 14 2026 14:53 utc | 284

💢 EU scrambles to appoint its own Putin negotiator, per PoliticoBrussels is pushing for an EU rep to handle talks with Russia on Ukraine — bypassing stalled US mediation.Macron and Meloni have aligned: open channels to Putin despite White House roadblocks. “We must join US-Russia talks,” says a top French official. Meloni backs it fully, seeing real upsides.The envoy’s job? Signal Moscow *and* Washington. “Some security issues hit us Europeans directly — can’t just chat with the US,” an EU insider notes.Ex-US envoy Kurt Volker warns: EU must get aggressive to join Trump’s direct Putin line via Whitcoff. “Maintain your own contacts — don’t wait for an invite.”Candidates floating: ex-Italian PM Mario Draghi, Finnish Prez Alexander Stubb. But it’s early days.Subscribe @NewResistance

Posted by: Jo | Jan 14 2026 15:16 utc | 286

The NABU situation seems to be getting murkier, pulling in Yulia Tymoshenko and David Arakhamia:

Bribery of deputies in the Rada: NABU and SAPO conducted searches in Arakhamia-Mass media

NABU and SAPO searched the home of MP and head of the Servant of the People faction David Arakhamia on the evening of January 13.
 

This is reported by OBOZ.UA with reference to sources, reports RegioNews .
 
As you know, the anti-corruption authorities exposed the head of one of the parliamentary factions of the Verkhovna Rada for offering a bribe to a number of people’s deputies for voting “for” or “against”specific bills.
 
However, the NABU has not yet specified which leader of the political forces is suspected of offering a bribe, promising to publish more details later.
 
According to media reports, searches were also conducted at the home of Yulia Tymoshenko, the leader of the Batkivshchyna party.
 
Earlier, MP Oleksiy Honcharenko confirmed that it was Yulia Tymoshenko who was involved.
 
Neither Tymoshenko or the Batkivshchyna party, nor Arakhamiya have yet commented on this information.
 
As you know, in July 2025, the Batkivshchyna faction almost fully supported bill No. 12414, which concerned the elimination of the independence of NABU and SAPO.
 
On July 31, Tymoshenko was among the few people’s deputies who did not vote for the restoration of the powers of the anti-corruption bodies.
 
Recall that NABU and SAPO announced the exposure of an organized criminal group of people’s deputies who regularly received illegal benefits for voting in the Verkhovna Rada. Suspicion in this high-profile case has already been announced to several deputies from the Servant of the People party, in particular Yevgeny Pivovarov, Igor Negulevsky, Olga Savchenko and Yuri Kisel, and the circle of defendants may expand.
 
Among the defendants in the investigation is also Yuri “Yuzik” Koryavchenkov , who is currently abroad.
 
On December 30, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court granted bail to MP Yuriy Kisel. The court session was held behind closed doors due to the secrecy of the investigation. Yuri Kisel himself does not admit guilt and denies that he received bribes.

https://regionews.ua/ukr/news/politics/1768368472-pidkup-deputativ-u-radi-nabu-i-sap-proveli-obshuki-v-arahamiyi-zmi (via translation add-on.)

Posted by: Jeremy Rhymings-Lang | Jan 14 2026 15:29 utc | 288

Yip its all collapsing into might is right.
 
Monitor𝕏 (@MonitorX99800): “🇷🇺🇺🇸⚡- Russian parliament speaker, says the rules-based world order is COLLAPSING ‘The new rule is a world without rules’ ‘Violations of sovereignty and disregard for global norms are creating huge tensions'” | nitter.poast.org

Posted by: Republicofscotland | Jan 14 2026 15:46 utc | 290