Nave russa affondata da droni ucraini, allarme USA su arma spaziale russa 🗞️ Rassegna del 15/2/2024

Israele

(Washington Post) Israel launches strikes on Lebanon

• Israel launched an attack on neighboring Lebanon on Wednesday, striking various locations in the south that killed at least four civilians and raising the specter of war between the two countries.

• The strikes followed a morning attack launched from Lebanon into Israel that struck a house and a military base. 

• One Israeli woman was killed, and at least eight people were injured, according to a government spokeswoman.

Ucraina

(Reuters) Ukraine says it sank Russian large landing warship in Black Sea

• Ukraine destroyed a Russian landing warship off the coast of occupied Crimea in an operation with naval drones that breached the vessel's port side on Wednesday and caused it to sink, Kyiv's military spy agency and armed forces said.
   
• There was no immediate comment from Russia, which said earlier that it had destroyed six drones in the Black Sea. The Kremlin declined to comment.

• "The Ukrainian Armed Forces, together with the Defence Ministry's intelligence unit, destroyed the Tsezar Kunikov large landing ship. It was in Ukraine's territorial waters near Alupka at the time of the hit," the military said on Telegram messenger.

(Kyiv Independent) Canada allocates $44 million to support Ukraine's future F-16 fleet

• Canada has allocated $44 million to support Ukraine set up its fleet of F-16 fighter jets, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said on Feb. 14.
   
• The announcement was made during the 19th Ramstein-format meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG), which is being held in a hybrid format in-person in Brussels and online.
   
• According to Canada's Defense Ministry, the allocation is part of the 500 million Canadian dollar ($368 million) package for Ukraine that Canada announced in June 2023.
   
• The $44 million will go toward equipment such as "spare parts, weapons stations, avionics, and ammunition," the Canadian Defense Ministry said.

Russia

(Washington Post) Russian court sentences sociologist to five years for criticizing war

• A Russian military court on Tuesday sentenced Boris Kagarlitsky, a prominent sociologist, to five years in prison for criticizing the war in Ukraine — a shocking turnabout after another court originally ordered Kagarlitsky to pay a $6,500 fine but no prison time.
   
• The brutally toughened sentence was issued after an appeal from prosecutors, Russian state media reported, and it reflected a continuing crackdown on the few dissident voices remaining in Russia after the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
   
• Kagarlitsky is the editor in chief of the Marxist online publication Rabkor and a university professor who has been designated a foreign agent, a label Russian authorities have attached to many of those who have criticized the war.

Politica internazionale

Nord America

USA: (The Washington Post) Officials sound alarm about new Russian ‘space threat’

Russia has been experimenting with ways to disable satellites, raising concerns that classified intelligence about a new weapon could indicate a strategic threat to national security

(NYT) Russia’s Advances on Space-Based Nuclear Weapon Draw U.S. Concerns

A congressman’s cryptic statement about new intelligence set Washington abuzz and infuriated White House officials.

Asia e Pacifico

(Reuters) Indonesia's Prabowo claims victory in presidential election

• Indonesian Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto declared victory in a presidential election on Wednesday after unofficial vote counts showed him with a huge lead, and on course for a single-round win in his third attempt at the presidency.
   
• Political veteran Prabowo, a former special forces commander, trounced his rivals, winning about 58% of votes according to four pollsters, based on "quick count" ballots at samples of voting stations nationwide. The number of votes tallied ranged from about 86% to 95% as of 1400 GMT.