Ukraine sinks another Russian Black Sea Fleet ship. At least two American-supplied ATACMS missiles struck Russia’s last Black Sea missile carrier, the Tsiklon, today in Sevastopol, Crimea.

Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives passed a crucial $61 billion aid package for Ukraine. It will return to the Senate for a second vote there as well. In addition to supplies of weapons and ammunition systems, Ukraine will also receive more than $9 billion in economic assistance in the form of “forgivable loans,” meaning they do not need to be repaid. Ukrainian soldiers are now short of ammunition and must ration artillery shells on a front line more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) long. The head of the Ukrainian armed forces warned that the situation on the battlefield in the east of the country has “significantly deteriorated” as Russia intensifies its armored strikes. In addition to the $61 billion for Ukraine, the package also includes $26.4 billion in military support for Israel, including $9.1 billion for humanitarian aid in Gaza, and $8.1 billion in funding for Asia-Pacific allies, including Taiwan, to “counter Communist China.” While all 210 Democrats voted in favor, Republicans were more opposed than in favor of the legislation, by a ratio of 112 to 101.

In response to the Iranian attack on Israeli soil on April 13, Israel destroyed part of the S-300 long-range air defense system in Isfahan, Iran. Israel walked a tightrope between further escalation of the conflict and inaction, also signaling to Tehran that it could conduct precision strikes against strategic positions, such as Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility and its broader air defense system.

Iran launches more than 300 ballistic missiles at Israel, causing minor damage to a military base. Most of the missiles are intercepted by the long-range Arrow air defense system. Most of the missiles are shot down outside Israeli airspace. The Israeli attack on a diplomatic facility in Damascus, which killed seven Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) officers on April 1, triggered the crisis. Iranian leaders likely felt the need to demonstrate to the population and national elites that the country cannot be attacked with impunity. Iran responded with a barrage of over 300 missiles and drones on April 13, the first direct attack ever launched against Israel from Iranian soil.

Damascus, Syria. Israeli F-35 fighter jets raid an Iranian embassy building in Damascus. A senior commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, a leading member of the Quds Force in Syria and Lebanon, was killed.

Ukraine claims to have struck two landing ships, the Yamal and the Azov, a communications center, and other infrastructure used by the Russian Black Sea Fleet off the coast of annexed Crimea. Most of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s landing ships are currently at the bottom of the sea.

Terrorist attack at a Moscow theater. The Russian Investigative Committee announced that the death toll from the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall, on the outskirts of Moscow, stands at 143, including three children. Another 107 people are hospitalized; 15 adults are in “very serious condition,” while 42 are in “serious” condition, including two children. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that it has arrested 11 suspects, including the four attackers. The suspects are believed to have been attempting to flee toward the Russian-Ukrainian border. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attack. Russian politicians accuse Ukraine of involvement. U.S. intelligence agencies are supporting the ISIS lead.

Five Ukrainian naval drones hit and sank the 1,300-ton battleship Sergei Kotov, part of the Black Sea Fleet, which has now lost approximately 30% of its ships since the start of the conflict. The ship had been a Ukrainian target on several previous occasions, but this time they managed to sink it. Seven sailors were killed and 27 wounded, according to Ukrainian sources. The 91-meter Sergei Kotov had a crew of 80 sailors, a helicopter, a 57 mm gun, and a modern defense system. The vessel is estimated to be worth $65 million.

The Ukrainian army loses control of the strategic town of Avdiivka in Dombas after months of fighting.

Russia. The Russian Federal Penitentiary Service reports that Navalny felt ill after a walk and lost consciousness in the penal colony in the town of Kharp, in the Yamalo-Nenets region, about 1,800 kilometers northeast of Moscow. An ambulance arrived, but he could not be revived; the cause of death is still “under investigation,” it says. Navalny had been in prison since January 2021, when he returned to Moscow to face certain arrest after recovering in Germany from nerve agent poisoning, which he blamed on the Kremlin. He was subsequently convicted three times, claiming each case was politically motivated, and received a 19-year sentence for extremism. After the latest verdict, Navalny said he understood he was “serving a life sentence, which is measured by the length of my life or the length of this regime’s life.” Hours after the news of Navalny’s death broke, his wife, Yulia Navalnaya, made a dramatic appearance at a security conference in Germany where many leaders were gathered.

large Russian amphibious ship, the Caesar Kunikov, sank off the coast of Russian-occupied Crimea, just south of Yalta. The Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate released a video showing Magura V5 marine drones striking the vessel.

Syria and Iraq. The U.S. Air Force struck dozens of targets in response to the killing of American soldiers a few days earlier. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force and affiliated militia groups. U.S. military forces struck more than 85 targets, with numerous aircraft, including long-range B1 bombers flown from the United States. The airstrikes employed more than 125 precision-guided munitions. The facilities hit included command and control operations, intelligence centers, rocket and missile warehouses, unmanned aerial vehicle depots, and the logistics and munitions supply chain facilities of militia groups and their IRGC sponsors who facilitated attacks against U.S. and coalition forces.

Crimea. Drones from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s special intelligence unit, Group 13, destroyed the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s Ivanovets missile boat. Following a series of direct hits, first two to the tail engines and then two to the side, the second hitting the gap created by the first, the Russian vessel (costing $60-70 million) quickly sank.

Northeast Jordan. Three U.S. Army soldiers were killed and more than 40 service members were injured in an overnight drone strike on a small U.S. outpost in Jordan, marking the first time American troops have been killed by enemy fire in the Middle East since Hamas launched hostilities against Israel on October 7. Sunday’s attack marked a significant escalation after approximately 165 attacks against U.S. and coalition forces since October 17, further raising concerns about a broader conflict erupting in the Middle East as the United States and its allies face rising tensions on multiple fronts.

Pakistan. Iranian missiles and drones strike Pakistan. Iran said it used “precision missile and drone strikes” to destroy two strongholds of the Sunni militant group Jaish al-Adl, known in Iran as Jaish al-Dhulm, in the Koh-e-Sabz area of southwestern Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The statement was issued to the Iranian state-aligned Tasnim news agency. Pakistan strongly condemned the Iranian airstrike within its borders that killed two children, calling it an “unprovoked violation of its airspace” and warning of retaliation. The attack comes hours after Iran launched missiles into northern Iraq (Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan) and Syria, in the latest escalation of hostilities in the Middle East, where Israel’s ongoing war in Gaza threatens to escalate into a broader regional conflict.

Northwest Yemen. Joint UK-US airstrikes targeted nearly 30 Houthi positions with the support of Western allies, including Australia and Canada. The following day, US Central Command said it had carried out its latest strike on a Houthi radar site in Yemen using Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles.

Kerman, Iran. At least 84 people were killed and 284 injured in a double attack during a procession marking the anniversary of the death of General Qasem Soleimani, whose tomb is in Kerman. Soleimani was killed in Iraq by an American drone strike on Donald Trump’s orders.

Beirut, Lebanon. Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas’s number two, was killed by an Israeli drone. Saleh al-Arouri was considered, particularly by Israeli authorities, to be one of the architects of Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

Damascus, Syria. Three missiles, believed to be from an Israeli drone, kill Sayed Moussawi, commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on Syrian soil. He was a key figure in assisting the regime and the guerrilla groups trained to be used against the Jewish state or other adversaries, from the Islamic State to Sunni insurgents. The officer also oversaw the passage of weapons (including those destined for the Lebanese Hezbollah).

Middle East. Attacks on Israel were carried out with missiles and drones by the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, launched from Yemen towards Israel, thousands of kilometers to the north. All were shot down by American ships in the Red Sea, by F-35s in flight, by Patriot fighters in southern Israel, and by the Iron Dome anti-missile shield. Missile and drone attacks also occurred at the US base at Al Tanf between Syria and Iraq, at the US base at Ain Al-Assad in western Iraq, and at the US bases at Al Shaddadi and Karab Jiri in northeastern Syria. Material damage was limited, but several people were injured. Conversely, there were several Israeli airstrikes on Iranian and Hezbollah militias in Syria and southern Lebanon, and a US airstrike on an Iranian weapons depot in Deir Ez-Zor, on the Syrian-Iraqi border. Over the next two weeks, there would be 46 attacks on US bases in Syria and Iraq.

Gaza Strip. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) is expanding its ground operations, launching columns of tanks, armored vehicles, and soldiers into the Gaza Strip, both from the north and the center. Within a few days, these forces will be able to reach the sea and thus surround Gaza City.

Gaza Strip. An explosion occurs in the parking lot of the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, causing numerous casualties and injuries. It is a horrific tragedy. Many children are also killed. The news is immediately reported that evening by major Western media, citing at least 500 deaths in the destruction of the hospital and immediately attributing responsibility to an Israeli 100-pound JDAM bomb. By the next morning, it is clear that the bomb had hit the parking lot and not the hospital, which remained standing. A violent fire broke out in the parking lot. A crater approximately one meter in diameter and no more than 50 cm deep is found. The crater from a Russian 1,000-pound bomb that fell in the maternity ward of the Ukrainian hospital left a crater 20 meters wide and at least 8 meters deep. The grim death toll remained uncertain for several days, and in any case remained well below the initial estimate of 500. Finally, from the multiple images, testimonies, and evidence found on site, it was concluded on October 22 that it was not an Israeli bomb, but likely a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip toward Israel. It failed immediately after launch and fell into the hospital parking lot, causing a violent fire and exploding the fuel tanks of some of the cars parked there. Furthermore, Israel’s Iron Dome missile defense system is not active over Gaza, and there is no evidence that the missile was shot down in any way.

In the northeastern Gaza Strip, Israel, through leaflets and information on the media and social media, is urging civilians living in the northern part of the Strip to move south along two identified humanitarian corridors due to the impending military ground operation. Hamas, on the other hand, immediately asks civilians to stay in their homes.

Saturday. Hamas, from the Gaza Strip, suddenly attacks Israel with 5,000 missiles and ground troops. The attack is immediately publicly supported by Iran and Hezbollah in Lebanon. At a rave party near the border, Hamas storms in, rounds up the boys and girls, and mows them down with live ammunition. Over 2,000 bodies are found. In kibbutz, the bodies of children with gunshot wounds to the face and others burned are found. In total, 1,300 are captured, with another 3,300 wounded, and approximately 130 taken hostage and returned to the Gaza Strip. It takes the Israeli military several days to regain control of the Israeli territory on the border.

Sevastopol, Crimea occupied by Russians. The headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in Crimea, during a meeting of naval officers, was hit by at least two Ukrainian missiles. In a brief statement, the Ukrainian military said the attack left dozens of occupants dead and injured, including the fleet’s top brass. Kiev’s intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said two Russian commanders were seriously injured in the missile attack. Thirty-four officers were killed, including the commander, Vice Admiral Viktor Sokolov. Another 28 sailors were killed and 105 occupants were injured. The headquarters building could not be restored. Video footage confirms the two strikes on the headquarters in broad daylight. Moscow says one serviceman is missing after the attack. The fleet, based in the port city of Sevastopol, is considered the Russian Navy’s finest. The attack was carried out using Storm Shadow missiles, supplied by Britain and France. In the previous days, the Ukrainians had disabled radar stations and a modern S-400 anti-missile battery on the western coast of Crimea, and the work of local intelligence and partisans provided the naval leadership with the information.

Azerbaijan launches a lightning military offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh. One day after the offensive began, on September 20, an agreement was reached on the complete cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, brokered by the Russian peacekeeping command in Nagorno-Karabakh, three decades after a bloody conflict that left it in Armenian hands. Nearly 120,000 Armenians, virtually the entire population, leave Nagorno-Karabakh in two weeks. Along the Lachin Corridor—the only route from the region to Armenia—abandoned cars and belongings clutter the streets, having broken down or run out of fuel in the kilometers-long queue to leave. In the most recent clash, a 44-day war in 2020, approximately 7,000 soldiers and 170 civilians were killed and many more wounded, culminating in a Russian-brokered peace deal that returned seven districts to Azerbaijan but left a key part of the region under Armenian control: Nagorno-Karabakh, which the Azeris captured on September 19, 2023.

Northwest Moscow, Russia. Exactly two months after his Wagner militiamen’s “march of justice” on Moscow, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s challenge to the Kremlin has come to an end. The former convict turned billionaire, a Russian hero for his battles in Ukraine and a later rebellion against Vladimir Putin, died when the private jet he was traveling on crashed between Moscow and St. Petersburg.

Russia. Ukrainian drone attacks on Russian territory are intensifying, both by air against Moscow and by water against Russian navy ships in the Black Sea. On August 4, the Olenegorsky Gornyak in the port of Novorossiysk was hit. The ship was severely damaged, taking on water, and listing dramatically to one side.

Russia. For a long night and day, the infamous Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin stages an apparent insurrection, first taking control of Rostov, then sending an armored convoy toward Moscow, raising questions about Vladimir Putin’s seizure of power. The Russian president accuses his former ally of “treason,” of launching an armed rebellion, and of “stabbing our country in the back.” But late on Saturday, June 24, Prigozhin calls it off and orders his men to return to base. “In 24 hours, we have come within 200 kilometers of Moscow. In that time, we have not shed a single drop of our fighters’ blood,” he announced. Twenty-four hours of chaos for power in Russia.

Ukraine is launching a substantial counteroffensive against the Russian forces occupying its territory, breaching its front lines but advancing very slowly, albeit in several directions, including Donetsk and Zaporizhia oblasts, among others, clashing with Russian defenses that had been consolidated over several months of preparation.

A civil war has erupted between two rival factions of Sudan’s military government. The conflict involves the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF), led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), backed by the Russian-backed Wagner militia and commanded by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (commonly known as Hemedti), who also leads the broader Janjaweed coalition. Several smaller armed groups have also taken part. The fighting is concentrated in the capital, Khartoum, where the conflict began with large-scale battles, and in the Darfur region. Many Darfur civilians have been reported killed in the Masalit massacres, described as ethnic cleansing or genocide. Sudan has been described as facing the world’s worst humanitarian crisis; nearly 25 million people are suffering from extreme hunger. On January 7, 2025, the United States declared that it had determined that the RSF and allied militias had committed genocide.

Black Sea. International waters off the Romanian coast. A Russian fighter jet downed a U.S. Air Force drone after damaging the propeller of the American MQ-9 Reaper drone. The Reaper drone and two Russian Su-27 aircraft were flying over international waters over the Black Sea when one of the Russian jets intentionally flew in front of it and dumped fuel on the unmanned drone several times, according to a statement from the U.S. European Command. The aircraft then struck the drone’s propeller, prompting U.S. forces to shoot down the MQ-9 drone in international waters. Pentagon spokesman Patrick Ryder added that the Russian aircraft flew “in the vicinity” of the drone for 30-40 minutes before colliding with it.

Off the coast of South Carolina. On the orders of the US president, an F-22 Raptor shoots down a giant balloon carrying Chinese equipment with an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile. The balloon had been under surveillance for several days, having been flying over US territory from the West. It had passed over several military installations with ballistic missiles. China officially expressed “strong dissatisfaction” with the handling of the incident. The United States considers the balloon and its cargo to be a spy plane, even though it is not considered a threat to national security. Secretary of State Blinken’s official trip to China, his first in several years, is postponed. In the following days, other flying objects will be shot down by several F-22s over Alaska on February 10, Northern Canada on February 11, and Lake Huron on February 13.

Isfahan, Iran. An Iranian military munitions factory was attacked overnight by kamikaze drones, likely Israeli.

Somalia. In an operation conducted by US special forces, Bilal al-Sudani, one of the leaders of ISIS, was killed. The operation took place in a mountainous area in northern Somalia. No civilians or American soldiers were injured or killed during the helicopter raid. The primary objective was to capture al-Sudani, who was killed. Al-Sudani held a high-level role in the terrorist organization. He had started out with al-Shabaab and quickly became one of the main fundraisers, which he then channeled to jihadist groups active in Syria and Afghanistan. The Americans explicitly named the Khorasan group. The Americans’ action was also prompted by the realization of an imminent danger, which, however, has not been defined. Despite al-Sudani’s death, the raid did gather valuable intelligence, according to White House sources.

Ukraine. The three top officials of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry were killed in a helicopter crash near a kindergarten in an eastern suburb of the capital, Kiev. Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky, 42, died along with his first deputy minister and state secretary; a total of 14 people died when the helicopter crashed, including a child, authorities said. There is no indication that the crash was anything other than an accident, but the state security service (SBU) says it is investigating several possible causes, including sabotage, a technical malfunction, or a violation of flight rules. The helicopter crashed near a kindergarten, which was severely damaged and blackened by smoke.

Dnipro, Ukraine. A nine-story residential building was hit by a Russian missile attack. The death toll stands at 45, including 6 children; 39 people were rescued and 75 were injured, including 14 children. Another 19 residents of the building remained missing several days after the attack.

Iran. Mehdi Zare Ashkezari dies after being released by police and subjected to torture. Mehdi had studied at the University of Bologna. Over 600 people have died in the ongoing protests in Iran over violations of women’s rights and demands for greater freedom. Over 19,000 people have been arrested nationwide.

00:01 local time. Makiivka Massacre. Ukraine. The Ukrainian army destroys the entire building used by the Russian army to hold a New Year’s Eve party in occupied Makeevka (or Makiivka) in Donetsk, eliminating an entire battalion from Saratov with a single, precision HIMARS missile strike. The munitions stored on the ground floor explode when the first HIMARS launches. According to Ukrainian and some Russian sources, the death toll is approximately 400 and 300 wounded. According to official Russian sources, the death toll stands at 64.

The International Criminal Court in The Hague has convicted two Russians and a Ukrainian for the July 18, 2014, 2014, downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17, carrying 298 people, over Donbass, Ukraine. All three men are believed to be living in Russia. Two days later, Australia asked Russia to extradite the three men. More than eight years after flight MH17 was downed by a Russian-made missile over eastern Ukraine, the court concluded that the missile was fired deliberately to down an aircraft, and that the target was a military aircraft rather than a civilian airliner. The two Russians, Igor Girkin and Sergei Dubinsky, and the Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, were all prominent figures in the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), established by so-called separatists when war broke out in eastern Ukraine months before MH17 was decommissioned. The court found that Russia had overall control over the DPR and that there was ample evidence of contacts with Moscow before and after the attack. All three were found guilty in absentia of mass murder and the downing of the plane. A fourth man who had legal representation at the trial, Oleg Pulatov, was acquitted of all charges.

Ukraine. Russian missile strikes are intensifying. In one day, 90 missiles were launched at Ukrainian infrastructure, especially energy. The Ukrainians responded with 110 anti-aircraft missiles, downing 72 of the 90 Russian missiles and 10 suicide drones.

Kherson, southern Ukraine. Ukraine has almost fully secured Kherson. Cheering crowds greeted Ukrainian troops as they arrived in the only regional capital to be captured by Russian forces since their invasion in February. The day before, Ukrainian flags had already appeared in Kherson after Russia declared it had completed the withdrawal of thousands of troops.

Korea. North Korea launches a record number of missiles: 23 in a single day. This is merely the culmination of increased military activity in the area. One of North Korea’s ICBM tests fails upon detachment of the second stage. A few hours later, Washington and Seoul decide to extend the large-scale joint exercises, dubbed “Vigilant Storm,” to an unknown date. These exercises involve 240 aircraft and thousands of soldiers. North Korea has tested at least 30 missiles so far in 2022, although the individual missile count is much higher. The weapons launched include both cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. On November 2, North Korea launched at least 23 short-range missiles of various types to the east and west of the Korean Peninsula, according to the South Korean Ministry of Defense. This was the highest number of North Korean short-range missiles launched in a single day and includes a ballistic missile that landed near South Korean territorial waters for the first time since the division of Korea.

Mogadishu, Somalia. Two nearly simultaneous explosions at two busy intersections in the city kill at least 100 people. President Sheikh Mohamud blames the militant group al-Shabab for the attack. The pro-jihadist website Somali Memo reports that the group claimed responsibility for the explosions. An al-Qaeda affiliate, al-Shabab has been engaged in a long-running conflict with the Somali federal government. President Mohamud, in power for five months, vowed “total war” against the Islamist militants after they attacked a popular Mogadishu hotel in August, killing at least 21 people. The explosions occurred within minutes of each other, destroying nearby buildings and vehicles. Al-Shabab has been battling the AU-backed federal government for control of Somalia for approximately 15 years. The group controls much of southern and central Somalia, but has also expanded its influence into areas controlled by the Mogadishu-based government. The African Union leads targeted attacks to reduce and contain al-Shabab.

Crimea. Four warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, including a frigate and an amphibious assault ship, were targeted in Sevastopol Bay by nine naval drones. The minesweeper Ivan Golubets was hit and damaged, and the Kalibr cruise missile carrier “Admiral Makarov” was among the damaged vessels. A powerful explosion and fires in the port of Sevastopol were captured on video and posted online, despite denials and warnings from Russia and local authorities.