Ukraine’s Zaluzhny touts drones as path to victory; Russia suffers strikes
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief has outlined a plan to massively scale up the use of unmanned systems to overcome Russia’s advantages in manpower and materiel and break the deadlock in this war. The effectiveness of such systems was proved again last week as they sank a Russian missile corvette, grounded three planes and set an oil refinery on fire. Russia, too, continued to attack Ukraine with drones and missiles, but it failed to capture new territory despite its superior resources and constant assaults on the eastern city of Avdiivka and Ukraine’s stronghold at Krynky on the left bank of the Dnipro River in the Kherson region. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Western allies made progress on securing funding for the war. The European Union finally approved a 50-billion-euro ($63bn) aid package for Ukraine, and the United States Senate unveiled a $118bn bill that includes $60bn for Ukraine. Zaluzhny’s drone doctrine “Unmanned systems … are almost the only tool for withdrawing from military operations of a positional form,” Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhny wrote in a doctrinal paper on Thursday, because traditional heavy armour and manpower are “increasingly a dream” for Ukraine’s armed forces. He called for a “completely new state system of technological rearmament” that could “take up to five months”. Zaluzhny’s new military doctrine dovetailed with the government’s pledge late last year to build 1 million first-person viewer drones and 11,000 medium- and long-range drones this year. Ukraine has used such systems with devastating effect. On January 31, Ukraine struck the Belbek airfield in western Crimea. Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it intercepted 20 air-launched missiles, but Russians in Crimea filmed some of the missiles flying undisturbed directly over dormant air defence systems. The following day, Ukraine struck Belbek again, this time damaging or destroying three Russian fighter planes on the ground, according to southern forces spokesperson Natalia Humenyuk. One Russian military reporter described it as a complex, two-day operation targeting three airfields and involving decoy missiles, HARM radar-seeking missiles, Storm Shadow attack missiles and surface drones. Those surface drones sank a Russian warship near Lake Donuzlav off western Crimea. Footage released by Ukraine’s armed forces showed them repeatedly striking the Ivanovets, a 480-tonne missile corvette, crippling it and then destroying it in a pair of massive explosions. It was reportedly one of only three still operating in Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. Ukrainian military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov said his service’s drone unit Group 13 sank the Ivanovets using Magura V5 surface drones. “There were six direct hits to the hull. … The ship overturned on its stern and sank,” he said. Two days later, Ukraine’s Security Service struck the Rosneft refinery in Volgograd, one of the largest in Russia, apparently using two aerial drones. Footage showed at least four burning oil tanks destroyed. Budanov said he believes the number of attacks would increase. “Hypothetically, there is a plan by which all this happens. I believe that this plan includes all the main objects of critical infrastructure and objects of military infrastructure of the Russian Federation,” Budanov said. Ukrainian air force spokesman Yuri Ignat suggested attacks on Crimea would continue to target airfields. “Russia uses not only Belbek. About five airfields are actively used for attacks on Ukraine. These are planes of various modifications: MiG-31, … MiG-29, Su-27 and helicopters,” he said. Ukraine has pursued other forms of asymmetric warfare. Its military intelligence said a Russian Tu-95 bomber, who had reportedly taken part in raids on Ukraine, was shot dead in Russia. Ukrainian hackers from the Prana Network broke into a Russian Defence Ministry server, stealing documents that revealed Russia had agreed to pay Iran $1.75bn for 6,000 Shahed drones. Russia kept those drones flying into Ukraine throughout the week, accompanied by missiles. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Dnipropetrovsk was one of Russia’s main targets for those attacks. “The danger is constant, high. Russia considers the region as one of the main targets for terrorist attacks. It is our enterprises, our economic potential, this region,” he said. Dnipropetrovsk lies at the heart of Ukraine’s territories on the left bank of the Dnipro River and sits among the contested regions of Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia and Kherson. Help from allies As if to vindicate Zaluzhny’s turn from conventional battlefield weapons, EU leaders confirmed they would not be able to provide Ukraine with 1 million artillery shells by March as promised. European foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said 330,000 had been delivered and the number would reach about 524,000 by March. “By the end of the year, the planned deliveries will reach more than 1 million because the figure in the pipeline amounts to 630,000,” Borrell said. Some estimates have put Russian artillery shell production capacity at 6 million to 7 million a year. North Korea has reportedly delivered an additional 1 million more shells. There was some good news for Ukraine on the financial front. European leaders overcame objections from Hungary to approve 50 billion euros ($54bn) in financial aid for Ukraine over the next four years. The first 4.5 billion euros ($4.85bn) was to arrive in Ukraine in March as part of a total of 18 billion euros ($19bn) for Kyiv this year. That left the EU with 20 billion euros ($21.5bn) in military aid still to approve. US senators on Sunday released a $118bn national security bill for discussion that included $60bn for Ukraine this year. US President Joe Biden, a Democrat, requested the sum late last year, but congressional Republicans had tied any Ukraine aid to increased security on the border with Mexico. Months of bipartisan negotiations produced sweeping reforms to asylum procedures, presidential parole to migrants and funding for border security. “Now all indications are this bill won’t even move forward to the Senate floor,” said Biden on Tuesday, blaming Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump. “He’s done nothing, I’m told, than reach out to Republicans in the House and Senate and threaten and intimidate them to vote against this proposal. And it looks like they’re caving, but they owe it to
Haley mocks Trump in effort to entice debate with former president ahead of SC primary: ‘Can’t hide’
FIRST ON FOX: Former U.N. Ambassador and presidential candidate Nikki Haley is poking fun at former President Donald Trump in a new effort to entice a debate between the two ahead of the South Carolina Republican primary later this month. Her campaign announced on Wednesday the launch of a new digital ad — part of a previously announced $4 million ad buy — seeking to highlight the differences between the two candidates and their presences before audiences discussing important policy issues. The ad, titled, “Exclusive Footage of the Haley-Trump Debate,” includes clips of Haley’s debate performances in recent months, as well as scenes from some of Trump’s various campaign speeches, shining light on the fact that the former president has yet to participate in a debate this election cycle. TRUMP WORLD, DEMOCRATS UNITE IN TROLLING NIKKI HALEY AFTER LOSS TO ‘LITERALLY NO ONE’ IN NEVADA PRIMARY The ad will also direct people who want to see a debate between the two candidates to sign a petition. “It’s not surprising that Donald Trump refuses to debate Nikki Haley. He knows he’s not the candidate he used to be and that Nikki would mop the floor with him,” Haley campaign spokesperson Olivia Perez-Cubas told Fox News Digital. “He can’t hide behind a teleprompter and lie about her record in a debate, but that’s no excuse: the people of South Carolina deserve to hear from the candidates side-by-side,” she added. OBAMA VETERAN WHO BOASTED ABOUT USING ‘KNOW NOTHING’ REPORTERS TO PUSH IRAN DEAL RE-LAUNCHES ANTI-TRUMP GROUP The ad comes after Trump challenged President Biden to an “immediate” debate during a Monday radio appearance. “I’d like to debate him now because we should debate. We should debate for the good of the country,” Trump said. Biden was asked about Trump’s comments later that day while campaigning in Nevada. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Immediately? Well, if I were him, I’d want to debate me too. He’s got nothing else to do,” he told reporters. Trump and Haley are set to go head-to-head in her home state of South Carolina for its primary on Feb. 24. So far, polling shows Trump with a double-digit advantage. Fox News Digital has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment. Fox News’ Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Former Hunter Biden associate Tony Bobulinski to testify behind closed doors part of impeachment inquiry
EXCLUSIVE: Tony Bobulinski, a former business associate of Hunter Biden, is expected to testify behind closed doors on Capitol Hill next week as part of the House impeachment inquiry against President Biden, Fox News Digital has learned. A source familiar with the planning told Fox News Digital that Bobulinski will appear on Tuesday, Feb. 13 at 10 a.m. for his transcribed interview before both the House Oversight and Judiciary Committees. The source said his interview is expected to last eight hours. Bobulinski, who worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint-venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC, said he met with Joe Biden in 2017. Bobulinski, in December, demanded Biden “stop lying” about that meeting and called on him to “correct the record.” “Why is Joe Biden blatantly lying to the American people and the world by claiming that he did not meet with me face to face?” Bobulinski told Fox News Digital in a statement. “He should call his son Hunter and brother Jim as they can remind him of the facts. The American people deserve the truth!” FLASHBACK: HUNTER BIDEN BUSINESS ASSOCIATE’S TEXT MESSAGES INDICATE MEETING WITH JOE BIDEN He added: “I call on Mr. Biden to stop lying and correct the record.” Bobulinski said he is a “former decorated Naval Officer who was willing to die for this great country and held the highest security clearance issued by the Department of Energy.” Bobulinski worked with Hunter Biden to create the joint venture SinoHawk Holdings with Chinese energy company CEFC. Despite Biden’s recent denials of involvement with his son’s business dealings, text messages dating back to May 2017 reveal that Biden met with Bobulinski months after he left the vice president’s office. Fox News Digital first reported on the text messages and that meeting in October 2020. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
New poll reveals Dems are losing significant support from these 2 key demographics: ‘Especially concerning’
New polling could potentially serve as a major warning sign for Democrats who have, according to the poll, “lost ground among some of their traditionally stronger support groups” including Black and Hispanic voters where their traditional advantage with those voters is “at record lows.” A Gallup poll released on Wednesday shows that while Democrats still hold a significant advantage over Republicans with Black voters, their 47-point lead is the “smallest Gallup has recorded in its polling, dating back to 1999.” When asked what political party they identify with, 19% of Black adults said Republican or lean Republican compared to 66% who said Democrat or lean Democrat. Gallup’s Jeffrey Jones and Lydia Saad explained that most of the decline in Black voters calling themselves Democrat has been in the last few years. BIDEN AIMS TO SOLIDIFY SUPPORT WITH BLACK VOTERS AS HE SEEKS RE-ELECTION TO WHITE HOUSE “Most of the decline has been recent, with the net-Democratic ID for this group falling 19 points from a 66-point advantage in 2020,” Gallup said. “At that time, 77% of Black adults favored the Democrats and 11% the Republicans, so the 2023 findings represent an 11-point decrease in Democratic affiliation since 2020 and an eight-point increase in Republican affiliation.” Things aren’t much better for Democrats when it comes to Hispanic adults where Gallup shows their current 12-point advantage on Republicans is the lowest since 2011. Polling also shows that young adults are supporting Democrats at their lowest level in almost 2 decades. “By 2010, young adults were the only age category giving the Democrats an edge, and their Democratic orientation remained strong until it fell to just eight points in 2023, the slimmest since 2005,” Gallup explained. BIDEN’S DIMINISHING SUPPORT AMONG YOUNG BLACK VOTERS IS ‘MOST CONCERNING,’ SAYS ‘BLACK VOTERS MATTER’ FOUNDER Overall, Gallup concluded in its “bottom line” that the data should be “especially concerning” for Democrats. “The data show the Democratic Party retaining advantages among people of color and young adults, but in 2023 it was in a weaker position among these groups than at any point in the past quarter century,” Gallup wrote. “Democrats’ reduced support among Black and Hispanic adults should be especially concerning for the party, given Republicans’ continued strength among White adults, who remain the majority of the electorate.” The Gallup polling is in line with several other polls in recent months that have suggested Democrats are hemorrhaging support from minority communities they have historically depended on. According to a USA Today/Suffolk University poll released in January, Biden’s support among Black voters has fallen to just 63%, down from the 92% that Pew Research Center data shows he won in the 2020 presidential election. His support among Hispanic voters is down to 34% from 59%. Fox News polling last month also showed that Biden’s support among the Black community has shrunk in recent years and showed his approval slid 25% since 2021. He once stood at 87% approval, but that number declined to 62% in 2023. “Biden cannot afford to lose any piece of his base, especially Black and Hispanic voters,” GOP strategist Alex Conant, founding partner at Firehouse Strategies, told Fox News Digital in response to the Gallup poll. “Strong support among Black voters is how he won the nomination in 2016 and put him over the top in several states in the general.” “Everything swing state becomes significantly harder for Biden to win if there’s low turnout among Black or Hispanic voters. And if a lot of them vote for Trump, then it’s game over for Biden.” Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report
Trump world, Democrats unite in trolling Nikki Haley after loss to ‘literally no one’ in Nevada primary
Nikki Haley’s loss in last night’s Nevada Republican primary formed an unlikely, and albeit temporary, alliance as both Democrats and supporters of Donald Trump have united in trolling the former U.N. ambassador for losing to “literally no one.” With a majority of the votes counted, the results show Haley with around 30% of the vote despite being the only candidate left in the race that appeared on the primary ballot as Trump chose to participate in the state’s caucus, which will be held Thursday. The winner of the primary: “None of these candidates” with around 63% of the vote. “Congrats to Nikki Haley on being the second choice of Nevadans to ‘no one’ and winning a grand total of zero delegates – and our apologies to Donald Trump, who will win the same number of electoral votes in Nevada this November,” Democratic National Committee spokesperson Alex Floyd said in a statement. “Looking back, I wonder if [Nikki Haley] regrets not debating ‘None of these Candidates,’ who handily defeated her in Nevada?” former Obama strategist David Axelrod wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. DUELING REPUBLICAN CONTESTS: TRUMP TO ROMP IN NEVADA GOP CAUCUS AFTER HALEY LOSES PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY A number of Trump’s staunchest supporters took to X to rub salt in Haley’s wound, including former 2020 Trump campaign official Marc Lotter, who wrote, “Nikki Haley lost New Hampshire by 11% to Trump. Nikki Haley lost Nevada by 30% to LITERALLY NO ONE! Nikki Haley is losing [her] home state by 27%. How does she go on?” “Nikki Haley just lost to ‘none of these candidates’ in Nevada! And not by a little bit…by almost double! Nikki – I told you two weeks ago it was past time to drop out! Leave the race tonight! Save the further embarrassment in South Carolina! Let’s focus on Beating Biden!” Republican National Committee Youth Advisory Council Co-Chair Brilyn Hollyhand wrote. OBAMA VETERAN WHO BOASTED ABOUT USING ‘KNOW NOTHING’ REPORTERS TO PUSH IRAN DEAL RE-LAUNCHES ANTI-TRUMP GROUP The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman posted a quote from Alex Pfeiffer, communications director for pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc., joking that “Haley’s donors would have been better off giving to no candidate.” “Trump wasn’t on the ballot in Nevada last night but Nikki Haley still lost to some guy named: ‘None of these Candidates’. Surely this is the end?” wrote Rep. Matt Leber, a Republican state legislator in South Carolina, the site of the next major primary contest this month. Olivia Perez-Cubas, the national spokesperson for the Haley campaign, told Fox News Digital that Haley is “full steam ahead” in South Carolina and future primaries. “Even Donald Trump knows that when you play penny slots the house wins,” Perez-Cubas said. “We didn’t bother to play a game rigged for Trump. We’re full steam ahead in South Carolina and beyond.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Others also chimed in, including members of the media like The Federalist’s Sean Davis, who wrote, “It was a one-person race and Nikki Haley still managed to lose.” “How do you lose to no one?” asked podcast host Chad Prather, while Joey Mannarino, another podcast host, wrote, “If that isn’t a sign to just drop out and get back to life, what is?” Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Newborn baby’s body found in dustbin of Noida’s posh society; probe underway
The body, which was found in the basement of a tower in ATS One Hamlet in Sector 104 around 2.30 pm on Tuesday, has been sent for post mortem and its result is awaited, police added.
Here are the 3 House Republicans who torpedoed Mayorkas’ impeachment vote
House Republicans were dealt a crushing defeat on Tuesday when a months-long effort to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas over his handling of the crisis at the southern border failed – with three GOP lawmakers breaking ranks and voting against the measure. The vote was 214-216. Lawmakers voted on a resolution combining two articles of impeachment that accused Mayorkas of having “refused to comply with Federal immigration laws” and the other of having violated “public trust.” While the House voted mostly along party lines, with Democrats remaining united against the measure, three Republicans voted against it, with another lawmaker switching his vote at the last minute to allow for the resolution to be brought back to the floor. THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO WHY REP. BLAKE MOORE FLIPPED FROM YEA TO NAY ON IMPEACHING MAYORKAS Those who voted no were Reps. Tom McClintock, R-Calif., Ken Buck, R-Colo., and Mike Gallagher, R-Wis. The lawmakers said while they disapproved of the job Mayorkas is doing at the southern border, the threshold for impeachment had not been met, and warned it could be used against future Republican administrations. “Secretary Mayorkas is guilty of maladministration of our immigration laws on a cosmic scale. But we know that’s not grounds for impeachment, because the American Founders specifically rejected it,” McClintock said on the House floor. “They didn’t want political disputes to become impeachment because that would shatter the separation of powers that vests the enforcement of the laws with the president, no matter how bad a job he does.” Gallagher said Mayorkas “has faithfully implemented President Biden’s open border policies and helped create the dangerous crisis at the southern border.” “But the proponents of impeachment failed to make the argument as to how his stunning incompetence meets the impeachment threshold Republicans outlined while defending former President Trump,” he said in a statement, warning that a lower standard wouldn’t secure the border, “and will set a dangerous new precedent that will be weaponized against future Republican administrations.” HOUSE FAILS TO IMPEACH DHS SECRETARY ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS IN MAJOR BLOW TO GOP Buck was also critical of Mayorkas but did not believe the standard for impeachment had been met. “In effect, we are now doing what we rightfully said House Democrats were doing in 2019 and 2021: pushing a partisan impeachment not based on what the Constitution actually states,” he said in an op-ed for the Hill. Meanwhile, Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, technically voted no but switched his vote at the last minute in a procedural move to be able to bring the resolution back to the floor. The defeat marks a significant blow for House Republicans, who had pushed the impeachment of Mayorkas for over a year, and have accused him of disregarding federal law with “open border policies” that have worsened the ongoing crisis at the southern border. GOP LAWMAKER ON KEY IMMIGRATION SUBCOMMITTEE SLAMS MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT Democrats and DHS accused Republicans of running a politically motivated impeachment that had no constitutional basis. “This baseless impeachment should never have moved forward; it faces bipartisan opposition and legal experts resoundingly say it is unconstitutional,” DHS spokesperson Mia Ehrenberg said after the vote on Tuesday. “If House Republicans are serious about border security, they should abandon these political games and instead support the bipartisan national security agreement in the Senate to get DHS the enforcement resources we need.” “Secretary Mayorkas remains focused on working across the aisle to promote real solutions at the border and keep our country safe,” she said. Republicans, however, indicated that they would likely vote again on the resolution when Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., returns from cancer treatment. “While I’m disappointed in the outcome of today’s vote, this is not the end of our efforts to hold Secretary Mayorkas accountable,” House Homeland Security Chair Mark Green, R-Tenn., said in a statement. “I look forward to Leader Scalise’s return.” Fox News’ Elizabeth Elkind and Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
Kamala Harris ratings continue to plummet as 2024 presidential election nears: poll
The favorability rating for Vice President Kamala Harris continues to sink nine months ahead of the 2024 presidential election in November. Harris, who has largely witnessed a decline in support since taking office in Jan. 2021, is now viewed negatively by a combined 53% of registered voters, according to the results of a national NBC News poll released Sunday. Of the 1,000 registered voters who took part in the survey, which was conducted from Jan. 26 to 30, only a combined 28% said they hold a net positive view of the vice president — a four point drop since last June. Among those whose responses were recorded, 42% said they hold a “very negative” view of Harris and 11% said they hold a “somewhat negative” view of her. Only 10% said they hold a “very positive” view of Harris, while 18% said they hold a “somewhat positive” view of Harris. ‘BIDENOMICS’ FALLS FLAT WITH VOTERS AS TRUMP TAKES HUGE LEAD IN NEW POLL The findings from the survey are in line with other NBC News polls taken within the last three years of President Biden’s tenure in the White House, most of which show a decline in Harris’ favorability over time. In a November survey, 29% of registered voters said they held a net negative view of Harris, compared to 52% who said they hold a net positive view of her. In the June 2023 survey, Harris was viewed net positively by 32% of registered voters and net negatively by 49%. Last month, Harris suggested the poor approval of the Biden administration in public opinion surveys was due to not taking “adequate credit” for the administration’s accomplishments. Harris’ comments came during a sit-down interview with journalist Katie Couric, who listed off what she believed to be a string of accomplishments for the Biden administration and asked the vice president why she believes her and Biden’s “approval ratings are at historic lows.” Harris said Couric was correct that she and Biden had “historic accomplishments,” but again said the administration had to let the people know “who brung it to them.” KATIE COURIC TELLS VICE PRESIDENT HARRIS SHE’S ‘NOT IN CHARGE OF THE BORDER’ “We have a lot of accomplishments,” she said. “And I think what the American people want most in their leaders is that we actually get things done, and we have done it. We haven’t taken adequate credit for it, frankly, and we’ve got to do a better job of getting the word out about what we have accomplished and who did it.” Biden’s approval rating in some recent surveys has shown him in the 30s, potentially dangerous territory for a president in a re-election year. He has also gotten low marks on the border and the economy, although the White House touted positive news about fourth-quarter growth late last month, as GDP outperformed expectations by rising 3.3%. Inflation has cooled somewhat but continues to nag American pocketbooks. The NBC News poll released Sunday found that Biden trails former President Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP presidential nomination, by 23 points when voters were asked who would be a better candidate to handle the economy. Despite Biden’s recent argument that his administration’s economic policies are starting to work, 55% of registered voters said they believe Trump would be the better candidate to steer the economy, compared to 33% who chose Biden. Last week, Biden told voters in Michigan that “inflation is coming down” and that they had “created 800,000 manufacturing jobs.” Fox News’ Michael Lee and David Rutz contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
5 reasons why PM Modi will win 2024 Lok Sabha elections
PM Modi recently said that the BJP-led NDA will appear victorious in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Migrant worker from Punjab shot dead by terrorists in Srinagar
A man from Punjab was shot dead on Wednesday in Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar. Meanwhile, another person was seriously injured in the attack, according to the police.