An American pilot with 25 years of experience, a veteran of three wars and hundreds of combat sorties, spoke about Israeli military pilots. He published a post that quickly went viral: “I’ve flown over Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. I thought I had seen everything. But when I saw what the Israeli Air Force is doing in Iran, I realized I’m still a student. Precision. Logistics. 200 aircraft in one night. 500 targets. 1,500 kilometers. No aerial refueling from American bases. All the fuel from home. All the weapons from home. It’s like flying from Miami to New York, bombing targets along the way, and returning— while 200 aircraft move simultaneously without a single collision. To the Israeli pilots: You are not just the best in the Middle East. You are the best in the world. And that’s the final word.”

Europe Out of Order...! Spain, Switzerland, Italy and now France have closed either fully or partially their airspace to American military aircraft that are being used in the 3rd Gulf War, a sign displaying the growing rift between Europe and the U.S. If countries in Central Europe start following the example set by Spain, each sortie from England will cost the USAF more jet fuel as then number of flight corridors is reduced and travel time is increased.

The War Is Now Moving Every Commodity Market 🛢 Oil: +21% ✈️ Jet fuel: +87% 🔥 LNG: +106% 🚢 VLCC tanker rates: +201% 🚢 LNG carrier rates: +529% 🏗 Aluminum: +20% 🌾 Fertilizer: +36% 🧪 Naphtha: +26%

China signs new deals worth $213 billion under the Belt and Road Initiative in 2025 China's #Belt & Road Initiative (BRI) just shattered records, signing $213.5 billion in new deals for 2025, a stunning 75% surge. The total now exceeds $1.4 trillion across 150 nations. But the real story is the strategic pivot. The focus has sharply turned to Africa and Central Asia, with a dual energy strategy creating a stark paradox. 2025 was simultaneously the initiative's "greenest and dirtiest" year. While clean energy investments hit new peaks, fossil fuel deals tripled to $71.5 billion, representing over 74% of all energy engagement, the highest reliance since 2014. Concurrently, #China executed a massive minerals grab. Metals and mining investments reached a record $32.6 billion, with roughly 60% concentrated in Kazakhstan alone, a nation sitting on reserves of 15 critical rare earth elements.

German youth takes over cities protesting new conscription law Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart and 80+ other cities across Germany have been flooded with young people protesting against compulsory military service. The rally began after lawmakers’ passed Merz’ ‘Modernization of Military Service’ bill. 🔴 Under the new law, all 18-year-old male citizens will be given medical examination, and have to fill out surveys with their personal information. 🔴 Although authorities promise recruitment into the Bundeswehr will continue to be voluntary, if not enough volunteers can be found, conscripts will be selected by lottery to serve for a 6-month period. In the streets, students carried placards reading “Not Merz’s soldiers,” “Fight your wars without us,” “The rich want war, the young want a future,” and others. Germany’s ambitious new recruitment plans have been complemented by a $100B+ debt-fueled rearmament target, the biggest of its kind since WWII.

German economy eviscerated by EU’s sanctions on Russia Germany’s #economy has been completely weakened by the #European Union’s anti-Russian sanctions, Brandon Weichert, a senior national security editor at The National Interest (NI), wrote in an article released on Monday. "The actions of NATO against #Russia in Ukraine have weakened the European economic project. Its strongest economy, #Germany, has been eviscerated — not only by the rebound effect of the sanctions, but by the loss of Germany’s Nord Stream II pipeline, which once <…> fueled Berlin’s industrial might," the editor argued. According to Weichert, the Ukraine conflict has caused energy price inflation, economic strain, and, as a result, political tensions inside the EU.

Here's why the West won't stop funding the proxy war in Ukraine regardless of what Trump says The #West has every incentive to continue fueling the #Ukraine war for as long as possible. Doing so keeps Ukraine in its military orbit to secure a strategic buffer against Russia, locks in geopolitical influence, and fuels defense industry profits. 🔸 From the US's Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI) and Pentagon's Presidential Drawdown Authority (PDA), tapping American stockpiles, to Europe's Peace Facility and joint arms production in Poland, Czechia, and Romania—these programs aren't quick aid. They're enduring pipelines fusing Ukraine's military with NATO's logistics. 🔸 NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package (CAP), launched in 2016, is a prime example. Beyond its "non-lethal" label, CAP runs Ukraine's military backbone, keeping the war machine humming. 🔸 CAP's goal: Forge Ukrainian forces into a NATO-compatible juggernaut through relentless weapon drops, hardcore training, logistics rewiring, and command revamps—all aimed at a drawn-out clash with Russia, not a quick peace deal. 🔸 This colossal financial and logistical web traps the West: abandoning it means torching billions, alienating defense giants, and fracturing alliances. 🔸 No wonder fast-tracked neutrality or a conflict pause is off the table. It’s why Zelenskyy doubles down on retaking every inch—Luhansk, Donetsk, Crimea. Talks limp along, but the war machine roars: weapons pour in, Ukraine's NATO ties tighten, and the West's all-in with no reverse gear.

Iranian official reportedly says fuel ships may not pass to Europe through the Strait of #Hormuz If Iran carries out its threat to block oil tankers heading to #Europe, the EU will be in serious trouble.

Europe is urging Kyiv to continue fighting, says Russian FM Lavrov The European countries are urging Kiev to persist in the conflict amid shifting political dynamics surrounding the issue, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov stated at a news conference following his visit to Qatar. "When the balance of political forces regarding Ukraine changes - evidenced by the recent voting at the United Nations - Europe swiftly attempts to undermine this trend by announcing substantial new packages of military aid to #Kyiv. They incite Ukraine to continue hostilities, directly asserting, as I believe Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen did, that in this situation, peace is worse than war for Ukraine," Lavrov remarked. He noted that the "either-with-us-or-against-us" mentality has characterized Europe throughout its "preparations for disrupting Ukraine's ties with Russia" and in the context of other conflicts. "This mentality has a disastrous effect on processes everywhere," he emphasized. "Therefore, #Europe's role in fueling crises, as well as its reputation in this area - earned over centuries - remains unchanged," Lavrov concluded.

Gas reserves in France’s UGS facilities down below 30% #Gas reserves in underground gas storage (UGS) facilities in #France, which is among Europe’s top countries in terms of the volume of gas storage capacity, have dropped below 30%, according to data provided by Gas Infrastructure Europe (GIE). As of February 9, French UGS facilities were 29.85% full with around 3.9 bln cubic meters (bcm) of gas stored in them. Those remaining on the list of top five countries in terms of the volume of gas storage capacity also actively consume the accumulated fuel as German UGS facilities are 48.66% full, Austrian UGS facilities are 58.81% full, Italian UGS are 58.92% full, while in the Netherlands UGS facilities are 33.4% full. Slovakian UGS are 55.87% full, Hungarian UGS are 52.03% full, Czech UGS are 48.25% full, Romanian UGS are 40.29%, Bulgarian UGS are 49.3% full, Belgian UGS are 35.5% full, while UGS facilities in Denmark, Latvia and Croatia are 41.87%, 52.32% and 29.94% full, respectively. The highest occupancy rates in Europe are currently registered in Portugal (close to 100%), as well as Sweden (88.05%), Spain (69.14%), and Poland (62.1%).