Armenian PM Pashinyan lambasts Russia

"We can’t rely on Russia to protect us anymore"

Russia’s catastrophic invasion of Ukraine means Armenia can no longer rely on Moscow as a guarantor of its security, even as fears grow of a return to open conflict with Azerbaijan.

I cannot say that the support and assistance we have received has been sufficient to serve our goals and agenda.

Since the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the balance of power in the South Caucasus has changed.

For Russia, the strategic importance of relations with Azerbaijan and Türkiye has increased and this has affected the work of peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Satellite images of the consequences of missile attack by British Storm Shadow cruise missiles on Sevastopol.

Ropucha-class landing ship Minsk received fatal damage. The ship will most likely never leave the dry dock.

The extent of damage to the nearby Kilo-class Rostov-on-Don (B-237) submarine also seems significant.

First export of Türkiye’s first supersonic missile: UAV-230 Air-to-Surface Ballistic Supersonic Missile

While its operational range is set at a maximum of 150 kms depending on the speed and altitude at which the missile is released, the fact that there is no other system that reaches this range from UCAVs makes the UAV-230 different from its competitors in the world.

The UAV-230, which has a particle-effect warhead, is planned to be equipped with warheads such as thermobaric, semi-penetrating and multi-purpose warheads against different types of targets. In addition, studies are also being carried out to integrate a laser seeker.

Before the system leaves the UCAV, it prepares for the mission by performing firing preparation operations. After being released from the UCAV, it free-falls in the air for a certain period of time and autonomously ignites its solid fuel engine.

The UAV-230 is precisely guided to the target with its GNSS-supported inertial guidance capability against jamming systems. The UAV-230, which operates with the "fire-and-forget" feature, offers the user the opportunity to use it in critical missions without going deep into enemy positions.

The first export of the UAV-230, which will be used with the BAYRAKTAR AKINCI UCAV, has been made.

Satellite image showing the heavy damage on Russian Navy’s Ropucha-class landing ship Minsk & Kilo-class Rostov-on-Don (B-237) submarine in Sevastopol.

Both seem to be beyond repair.

The U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi denied information that Washington planned to establish a military base in Georgia.

Georgian TV channel Mtavari Arkhi reported that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, during a visit to Georgia at the end of 2021, proposed to the country’s leadership to open an American military base to increase the security of the republic, but it was refused.

This information was also denied by the Georgian MoD.

Another satellite image comparison showing the heavy damage on Russian Navy’s Ropucha-class landing ship Minsk & Kilo-class Rostov-on-Don (B-237) submarine in Sevastopol.

A War Thunder player has leaked restricted documents on the official forums about retired American stealth attack aircraft F-117 Nighthawk manuals, again.

This is the twelfth time this has happened according to Wikipedia and the second time in only several weeks.

Unlike last time, where just the offending link was removed; War Thunder nuked the entire thread.

This time, a user allegedly leaked classified pages from a flight manual which included such data as:

• Location of sensors
• Firing angles
• Engine Specifications
• and more

It’s illegal to publish these documents online under ITAR.

They posted the one given to flight crews and pilots.

WaPo:

Elon Musk decided to transfer control of the part of the Starlink satellite Internet, which is used in the war in Ukraine, to the Pentagon.

His biographer Walter Isaacson reported this in an interview with the Washington Post.

According to Isaacson, Musk is dissatisfied with the harsh criticism addressed to him and, in his opinion, unfair accusations.

Taliban says China's new ambassador presented his credentials to the Taliban prime minister.

This is the first appointment of an ambassador since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan: before that, other countries sent only chargé d'affaires to Afghanistan.

The Taliban have not been officially recognized by any government in the world.

It is unclear whether the appointment of the Chinese ambassador is a signal of any steps by the PRC towards official recognition of the Taliban.

Dagens Nyheter:

Ukrainian pilots and technicians have arrived in Sweden for training on JAS-39 Gripen fighters.

Ukraine is interested in purchasing 14-16 Swedish fighters.

This is how Russia installs FAB-500M62 guided bombs to Su-34 bomber jets.

Elon Musk: (Walter Isaacson)

I created Starlink so people could chill and watch Netflix movies and play video games.

I did not mean to create something that might cause a nuclear war.

The European Parliament recognized Lukashenko as involved in the war against Ukraine on the same level as Putin, the resolution was adopted.

European Parliament also called on the International Criminal Court to issue a warrant for his arrest.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken:

Today, we find ourselves at the end of the post-Cold War era … that ushered in remarkable progress.

Several of the core assumptions that shaped our approach to the post-Cold War era no longer hold, [and] decades of relative geopolitical stability have given way to an intensifying competition with authoritarian … [and] revisionist powers.

Ukrainan Army update of Russian losses:

+1 submarine: Kilo-class Rostov-on-Don (B-237)

Ukrainian strikes targeted Yevpatoriya, Crimea last night.

Some reports claim Russian air defense base was hit.

Biden administration is considering to transfer some of its military aid to Egypt to Taiwan.

The main reason, according to Washington, is Egypt's lack of progress in the area of human rights violations.

In the first phase, $85 million of the $1.3 billion annual aid budget would be transferred to Taiwan.

But some lawmakers are calling for another $235 million from that budget to be transferred.

Taiwan blasts Elon Musk over China comments

Taiwan is "not for sale", the island's foreign minister said in a stern rebuke to Elon Musk who asserted Taiwan was an integral part of China.

BBC:

Rogue Russian pilot tried to shoot down RAF aircraft in 2022.

A Russian pilot tried to shoot down an RAF surveillance plane after believing he had permission to fire, the BBC has learned.

The pilot fired two missiles, the first of which missed rather than malfunctioned as claimed at the time.

Russia had claimed the incident last September was caused by a "technical malfunction".