Ukraine’s commander in chief hints counteroffensive could be imminent in slick video With just a few words and a slickly produced piece of military propaganda, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces ratcheted up speculation that a long-awaited counteroffensive by Kyiv against Russia’s occupying forces could be imminent. “The time has come to take back what is ours,” said the official, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhyni. The minute-long video features Ukrainian troops marching, training and apparently preparing for battle. Some are seen using German tanks and American artillery and rocket launchers – the type of armaments Kyiv would use in a potential operation to push Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory. The clip ends with soldiers and their commander chanting a defiant message: “Ukraine, my native motherland, Lord, our heavenly father, bless our decisive offensive, our sacred revenge, our holy victory.” The video came online following weeks of speculation regarding when Ukraine would start its counteroffensive – or whether it might even be said to have already begun. With just a few words and a slickly produced piece of military propaganda, the commander in chief of Ukraine’s armed forces ratcheted up speculation that a long-awaited counteroffensive by Kyiv against Russia’s occupying forces could be imminent. “The time has come to take back what is ours,” said the official, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhyni. The minute-long video features Ukrainian troops marching, training and apparently preparing for battle. Some are seen using German tanks and American artillery and rocket launchers – the type of armaments Kyiv would use in a potential operation to push Russian forces out of Ukrainian territory. The clip ends with soldiers and their commander chanting a defiant message: “Ukraine, my native motherland, Lord, our heavenly father, bless our decisive offensive, our sacred revenge, our holy victory.” The video came online following weeks of speculation regarding when Ukraine would start its counteroffensive – or whether it might even be said to have already begun.
Jill Biden says the US and Namibia ‘face many of the same challenges’ First lady Jill Biden on Thursday said the U.S. and Namibia face similar challenges, pointing to climate change, economic inequality and strengthening democracy, as she spoke at an event on the second day of her trip to Africa. Biden attended a luncheon at the Namibian state house, along with Namibian President Hage Geingob, Namibian first lady Monica Geingos and Sustjie Mbumba, the spouse of the vice president.“We face many of the same challenges, from climate change to economic inequality to strengthening democracy, which is why the U.S. African Leaders Summit was held in Washington D.C., in December, because it was so important to him,” she said, referring to President Biden. “And it’s why I’m proud to be standing here, standing with a strong democracy,” Biden added. The president announced at the end of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in December that he will travel to sub-Saharan Africa in 2023. He said at the time that there will also be visits to Africa from other officials, including his wife. The first lady on Thursday called Namibia a leader in gender equality, saying, “Mr. President, you and your government, which is full of strong women are setting an example for the world.” Biden said she was talking to her husband about her trip, and he said the country’s struggle against apartheid inspired him to speak out as a senator. Namibia was previously under the rule of South Africa’s former apartheid system until 1990. “He understood then as he does now that our futures are intertwined,” Biden said.
The Pentagon is considering a proposal to supply Ukraine with cheap, small precision bombs fitted onto abundantly available rockets, allowing Kyiv to strike far behind Russian lines as the West struggles to meet the demand for more weapons. US and allied military inventories are shrinking, and Ukraine faces an increasing need for more sophisticated arms as the war drags on. Boeing’s proposed system, dubbed Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bomb (GLSDB), is one of about a half-dozen plans for getting new munitions into production for Ukraine and the US’s Eastern European allies, industry sources said. GLSDB could be delivered as early as spring 2023, according to a document reviewed by Reuters news agency and three people familiar with the plan. It combines the GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) with the M26 rocket motor, both of which are common in US inventories. Doug Bush, the US Army’s chief weapons buyer, told reporters at the Pentagon last week the military was also looking at accelerating production of 155mm artillery shells – currently manufactured only at government facilities – by allowing defence contractors to build them. The invasion of Ukraine drove up demand for American-made weapons and ammunition, while US allies in Eastern Europe are “putting a lot of orders” in for a range of arms as they supply Ukraine, Bush added.
A former Indian mafia boss turned politician, Atiq Ahmed, has been shot dead alongside his brother while giving an interview on live television, after previously claiming there was a threat to his life from the police. Ahmed who was sentenced to life imprisonment in March for kidnapping was under police escort and was talking to reporters when a gun was pulled close to his head in the city of Prayagraj on Saturday night.
Iran Unveils Its First Underground Air Force BaseThe Iranian Army’s Air Force unveiled its first underground military base on February 7. The tactical subterranean airbase named Oghab-44 (Eagle-44) can accommodate and prepare various aircraft, including fighter jets, bombers, and unmanned aerial vehicles, for missions, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. This large underground base consists of various sections, such as an alert area, command post, warplane hangars, repair and maintenance centre, navigation and airport equipment, and fuel tanks. Oghab-44 is one of the several tactical underground bases of the Air Force that has been constructed across Iran in recent years. These bases are located under the mountainous areas so that they can be used for sudden aerial operations in the spots and at times that the enemies would not expect. The underground bases accommodate the fighter jets in safe locations and furnish the planes with electronic warfare systems and various bombs and missiles, including Yasin, Qaem and Asef, which allow for standoff aerial operations and extend the strategic range of attacks against remote targets. Addressing the unveiling ceremony of the base on February 7, Iran’s Army Commander Major General Abdolrahim Mousavi said that “based on threats and type of missions, our equipment has been upgraded from tactical to strategic,” and added that the Army’s underground bases will be equipped with new fighter jets in the future. On the same day, the Iranian Air Force unveiled a homegrown long-range missile installed on the Sukhoi Su-24 tactical bombers. The “Asef” air-launched long-range cruise missile is manufactured by Iranian military experts. Asef has a warhead with great explosive and destructive power that can annihilate heavy equipment and structures. Iran is ranked 17th among 145 countries in terms of military power, according to Global Firepower’s 2023 rankings. The Islamic Republic has developed a defense program over the past decades, and now it produces various types of weapons, military equipment and drones domestically and plans to increase military exports. The recent years’ developments indicate that the Air Force is planning to build subterranean bases across Iran. Iran opened a drone factory in Tajikistan in May 2022 to produce Ababil-2, a surveillance drone with an operational range of 100km.
Abdul Hakim al-Shishani, a notorious Chechen commander fighting Syrian government forces and veteran of the Chechen-Russian war in the 1990s, joined the fight in Ukraine with a group of Chechen fighters to battle Russian forces. FRANCE 24's Wassim Nasr tells us more.
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