The United States and Israel carried out a coordinated series of strikes on February 28 targeting multiple sites in Iran, including locations in Tehran. In response, Iran launched retaliatory strikes against Israeli territory and US military bases across the Middle East. | The operation against Iran took place despite ongoing Oman-mediated talks between the US and Iran in Geneva aimed at addressing the Iranian nuclear issue.Iranian authorities reported that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the strikes. ● Following the attacks, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the launch of True Promise 4, describing it as the most extensive and forceful offensive operation in the country’s history, targeting Israel and US military bases in the region.

■ UK readies deployment of Prince of Wales carrier amid war on Iran (Al Mayadeen)

The Ukrainian leader has taken aim at the Hungarian PM over his refusal to lift a veto on billions in EU loans for Kiev | Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has issued an apparent military threat to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban over the ongoing refusal by Budapest to lift a veto on billions in loans underwritten by EU members for Kiev. ● Orban last month blocked a planned €90 billion ($106 billion) emergency loan raised by EU members for Kiev – following the bloc's failure to agree on outright stealing billions in Russian assets frozen in Belgium. Orban took the step in response to Ukraine preventing key Russian oil supplies from reaching Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline.

■ Hungary: Zelensky's deadly threats against Orban "go beyond all limits" (Chay Bowes) (Telegram)
■ Orban responds to Zelensky’s ‘death threat’ (RT)

Pedro Sanchez doubled down on Madrid’s opposition to the conflict despite Trump’s threat to cut off trade with Spain | Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has strongly condemned the US-Israeli military campaign against Iran, despite the threat by US President Donald Trump to cut off all trade with Madrid for refusing to allow Washington to use its bases. In a televised address on Wednesday, Sanchez declared Spain’s position in four words:

■ Spain rebukes Germany over solidarity snub (RT)
✅ How Germany became Israel’s enabler-in-chief (Tarik Cyril Amar)

Alice Weidel has accused Brussels of using “every means necessary” to force “regime change” in Hungary ahead of April parliamentary elections | The EU is desperately attempting to engineer “regime change” against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in next month’s parliamentary election, employing tactics such as poll manipulation and energy blackmail, German opposition leader Alice Weidel has claimed. ● In a post on X on Wednesday, the co-chair of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party accused Brussels of using “their puppet,” Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar, in a bid to remove Orban.

Weidel was responding to a recent survey by Hungarian pollster Median showing Magyar’s opposition Tisza Party with a 55% to 35% lead over Orban’s ruling Fidesz-KDNP alliance. Irish economist Philip Pilkington dismissed the figures as “really crazy polls,” comparing them to surveys in Georgia ahead of elections in 2024, which were followed by unrest. ● Hungarian opposition pollsters have a track record of significant inaccuracies. In 2022, left-leaning polling firm Publicus was wide of the mark by 20 points, while Median itself underestimated Fidesz by 7 points in its final pre-election survey. Orban ultimately secured a 20-point victory.

A referendum on resuming membership talks had been expected in 2027, but could come as early as this August. | Iceland is weighing a vote on restarting EU membership talks as early as August, according to two people familiar with the country’s accession preparations. ● It comes as momentum for EU enlargement appears to be growing, with Brussels working on a plan that could give Ukraine partial membership in the bloc as early as next year, and with accession front-runner Montenegro closing another negotiating chapter last month. ● Reykjavík’s governing coalition had promised to hold a referendum on restarting EU accession talks by 2027, after a previous government froze negotiations in 2013. But the timeline is being sped up at a time of geopolitical upheaval and following a decision by Washington to impose tariffs on Iceland and threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to annex Greenland.

■ Евросоюз скоро может расшириться за счет Исландии (Nezavisimaya Gazeta)

Elena Panina | In such a scenario, Russia [might] lose its ad hoc companion in Orbán. Slovakia, under Robert Fico, is a weak substitute. | The reason is Kyiv's halting of oil pumping through the Druzhba pipeline. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban sent a letter on this matter to European Council President António Costa. Orban emphasized that there are no technical obstacles to resuming oil pumping through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary—"all that is required is a political decision by Ukraine." ● Orban explained his position as follows: "You, of course, also see the absurdity of the situation. We make a decision that is financially beneficial for Ukraine [a €90 billion loan], which I personally do not approve of. Then Ukraine creates an energy catastrophe in Hungary. And you ask me to pretend nothing happened. This is impossible." ● Of the stated amount, €60 billion will be allocated directly to military aid to Kyiv. Moreover, the entire loan is calculated for 2026-2027, i.e., for two years of war with Russia. [...] Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for April 12. This means Kyiv only needs to maintain its oil blockade for six weeks. Despite some costs, it seems worth the end result, if the end result is considered to be Orbán's ouster. [Read the rest in Russian here. DeepL]

Dmitry Medvedev (Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council) | I'll bluntly state something obvious:

■ NATO nations plotting to smuggle nuke into Ukraine – Russian intel [?] (02/24/26)
✅ Foreign Affairs: Confrontation with Russia the new norm for Europe & NATO (Elena Panina)(02/24/26)
✅ Carnegie Foundation: The war in Ukraine will continue (Elena Panina)(02/19/26)
✅ К заявлению СВР о намерении Британии и Франции передать Киеву ядерное оружие (Елена Панина)
■ Лондон и Париж готовятся вооружить Киев ядерной бомбой (svr.gov.ru)

The UK and France are also considering a radioactive “dirty bomb” as an option for Kiev, the SVR service has claimed | France and the UK could give Ukraine atomic bomb components, which Kiev could assemble and claim as domestically built, or provide it with a complete nuclear warhead, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said on Tuesday. ● According to the agency, British and French officials are considering the “covert transfer of relevant European-made components, equipment, and technologies to Ukraine,” and are laying the groundwork for an information campaign that would misrepresent the nuclear capacity as domestically-developed.

■ Moscow will respond if NATO gives nukes to ‘Nazi regime in Kiev’ – Medvedev (RT)
■ Arming Ukraine with nukes: Western elites have ‘lost touch with reality’ (RT)
■ Ukraine's Nuclear Blackmail: Timeline (Sputnik)
■ Лондон и Париж готовятся вооружить Киев ядерной бомбой (svr.gov.ru)
✅ К заявлению СВР о намерении Британии и Франции передать Киеву ядерное оружие (Елена Панина)

✅ Foreign Affairs: Confrontation with Russia the new norm for Europe & NATO (Elena Panina)(02/24/26)
✅ Carnegie Foundation: The war in Ukraine will continue (Elena Panina)(02/19/26)
■ Jeffrey Sachs: An Open Letter to Chancellor Merz - Security Is Indivisible and History Matters (12/19/25)
■ Jeffrey Sachs: NATO & Russia On the Brink of Nuclear War (09/25/25)

Budapest has also opposed the bloc’s proposed 20th package of sanctions against Russia amid an oil supply row with Kiev | Hungary has blocked the EU’s proposed €90 billion ($106 billion) emergency loan for Ukraine, as well as the latest package of sanctions on Russia, citing Kiev’s allegedly deliberate disruption of oil supplies to the country. ● Hungary placed the double veto on the initiatives on Monday as Kiev and Budapest remain locked in a bitter row over the Soviet-era Druzhba oil pipeline – which carries Russian crude to Hungary and Slovakia and has been out of commission since late January. Kiev claims that it was damaged by Russia, which has denied the allegations. ● Budapest has echoed Moscow’s stance, accusing Kiev of deliberately withholding supplies for political reasons and subjecting the country to an “oil blockade,” and threatening retaliation.

■ Slovakia halts electricity supplies to Ukraine (RT) | Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico has said his country will not provide emergency electricity supplies to Ukraine until Kiev restores the flow of Russian oil to Slovakia through the Druzhba pipeline. [...] Both Slovakia and Hungary have accused Ukraine of deliberately withholding supplies for political reasons and threatened retaliation. Announcing the halt to electricity supplies to Ukraine, Fico reiterated that Ukraine’s actions were a “purely political decision aimed at blackmailing Slovakia.”

✅ Condoleezza Rice and Robert Gates Demand USG Military Involvement in Ukraine (Kurt Nimmo)(01/13/23)
✅ The Ukraine in Turmoil (Israel Shamir) (05/21/14)
✅ The Brown Revolution of the Ukraine (Israel Shamir) (02/26/14)
■ US State Department Revealed As Mastermind Behind Ukraine Unrest (02/07/14)

"Russian soldiers are acting cohesively and accurately in the special military operation zone." | On Defender of the Fatherland Day, Putin presented state awards to military personnel who have been awarded the title of Hero of Russia and the Order of Courage. Other key statements:

■ NATO Must Return to 1997 Borders for Peace in Ukraine - Finnish Politician (Sputnik)

Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman Maria Zakharova recalled numerous accusations against Russia, adding that the country came up with "arguments and facts" to refute them | The Epstein files have shed light on the "heinous scum" who were been inventing myths about Russia for many years to divert attention from their own crimes, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, told TASS in an interview.

The Ukraine conflict can be settled only if the US fully grasps Moscow’s goals and red lines, President Donald Trump’s envoy has said | US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, has said that President Vladimir Putin has always been candid with him about Russia’s goals and red lines in the Ukraine conflict, stressing that a settlement is impossible without a clear understanding of Moscow’s position. In an interview with Fox News on Saturday, Witkoff – who has played a central role in diplomatic efforts – reflected on his extensive contacts with the Russian leader.

Witkoff said Putin has clearly outlined his red lines and also argued that negotiations cannot succeed unless both sides understand each other’s motivations. The envoy also raised the prospect of a direct summit between Putin and Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky.

Colonel General Sergei Rudskoy, Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, detailed Ukraine's staggering losses in an interview with Russian media.

Monthly mobilization numbers have dropped by nearly half.

■ Ukrainian army disappearing – Russian general (RT)

Dmitry Rogozin | The cavalry won't come and save us. | Yesterday, I was asked to comment on Kaja Kallas's ultimatum to Russia. But I won't. I'd rather comment on her photo.

❖ Here before you is former Soviet Pioneer Kaja Kallas. She was born in 1977. Her father's name was Siim. Although an anti-Soviet figure, he was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1972 until the USSR's collapse. The family was well-off, as Siim Kallas was the modest director of the Estonian branch of the USSR Savings Bank. He was married to a doctor, Kristi Kartus. She came from a family of Estonian Nazis exiled to Siberia who actively collaborated with the Nazis (Kaja Kallas's grandfather was a member of the local fascist organization "Omakaitse," which carried out mass executions of Jews and supporters of the Soviet regime, as well as guard duty in concentration camps for Soviet prisoners of war).

❖ This is the kind of family that pioneer Kaja Kallas grew up in. An aspen tree doesn't produce oranges.

❖ It's worth noting that in Brussels, a team of grandchildren of Nazis and collaborators has formed within the leadership of the Council of Europe. They are not embarrassed by, but rather proud of, their families' dark, grim, and brown past. All their actions are guided by the logic of revenge and aimed at the destruction of Russia and the Russian people. There's no need to read or comment on their proclamations, demands, notes, or appeals. Burn them all without reading.

❖ We all need to understand who and what we're up against. We need to subordinate our actions to our instinct for national self-preservation. A difficult struggle for survival awaits us, and we will win it if we take off our rose-colored glasses and begin preparing for a major fight in which we will have to use the entire arsenal of weapons at our disposal. Negotiating a "deal" with these former "pioneers" is impossible.

And finally..."The cavalry won't come and save us. — Why? — Because we are the cavalry now." (Translation: Google)

✅ «Мир невозможен без Европы»: Каллас предъявил Москве наглый ультиматум (С. Шилов)

Europe wants the fighting in Ukraine to continue for as long as possible, and its actions prevent any constructive contribution to a settlement, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated to journalists.

✅ Carnegie Foundation: The war in Ukraine will continue, Kyiv will not renounce Nazism, and the West still wants Russia's defeat (Elena Panina)

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested on his 66th birthday [...] Last week, Thames Valley Police announced that they had begun investigating allegations that Mountbatten-Windsor had shared confidential information with Epstein. This refers to the period when the royal family member, who at that time still held the titles of Prince and Duke of York, was the UK's special representative for international trade and investment. He held this position from 2001 to 2011. ● According to the Sky News TV channel, the data published by the US Department of Justice in the Epstein case file contains information that, in 2010, Prince Andrew provided Epstein with reports on his trips to Vietnam, Singapore, and China and shared confidential information about investments in Afghanistan.

■ Police arrest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor at Sandringham (ITV News)
■ Live updates: British police arrest Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor over Epstein links (Reuters)

Vladimir Lytkin | Trilateral talks in Geneva have reached an impasse | The exact positions that the Ukrainian delegation didn't accept weren't specified. And it doesn't matter; it was clear from the start that nothing good would come of these negotiations. The Kyiv junta won't accept Russia's terms, even under pressure from the US. Zelenskyy has strong support from European globalists. Look how quickly they rushed to Geneva, trying to force their way to the negotiating table. So the only thing Russia and Ukraine can agree on is an exchange of prisoners and the dead. That would be a positive. Anything else would be a negative. The only way to force Kyiv to accept our terms is capitulation, and that can be achieved by military means.

■ Russia Repeatedly Proved It Seeks Peace - Foreign Ministry on Geneva Talks (Sputnik)
■ Trump envoy reports ‘progress’ at Russia-US-Ukraine talks (RT)
■ Тяжелые и деловые. Чем завершились переговоры России, США и Украины в Женеве (rg.ru)

Craig Murray | The ruling is that Palestine Action is a terrorist organisation, but that the Secretary of State is not obliged to proscribe all terrorist organisations but may use her discretion. | On the face of it the English High Court ruling that the Palestine Action proscription is unlawful makes the decision that the proscription remains in place pending appeal utterly illogical. But what if the High Court ruling is deliberately designed to fail at appeal? ■ I believe that it is. They chose an extremely narrow path to rule that proscription was unlawful and produced an extremely weak judgment. This gives an impression of fairness in the judicial system – except that nothing has changed, the ban remains in force. And it remains in force because the judgment is designed for the government to win at appeal. The judgment for the most part is precisely what you would expect from three hand-picked, known right-wing, judges.

The bloc is seeking to put the Baltic and the Arctic under a “barrack-like” regime, the Russian ambassador to Norway has said | NATO countries are plotting an illegal maritime blockade of Russia, particularly in the Baltic and the Arctic regions, Moscow’s ambassador to Norway, Nikolay Korchunov, has said. In an interview with RIA Novosti published on Saturday, Korchunov accused the bloc’s members, including Norway, of “putting the Baltic-Arctic region on a barrack-like footing” by holding a series of exercises. This, he added, is aimed at “restricting freedom of navigation and violates international law norms.” According to the envoy, NATO is also developing plans for “a partial or complete naval blockade” of Russia. [...] In recent months, Western countries have detained several Russia-linked cargo vessels under various pretenses. Moscow has consistently condemned the seizures as “piracy” and a blatant violation of international maritime law.

Simplicius | The elites are in panic over how to convince their populaces to fan the flames of war ever higher. | The Munich Security Conference has kicked off, and not surprisingly the Brussels nomenklatura and its attendant apparatchiks and media flacks are pushing war hysteria. The purpose of this is to make the Ukrainian conflict feel existential to Europeans to jawbone them into parting with their dwindling eurobucks for the sake of bleeding Russia as much as possible.

■ Munich conference ignoring Kiev’s ‘hellish terrorism’ – Moscow (RT)

✅ Munich Security Conference and the U.S. elephant in the room (Strategis Culture Foundation) | Cosmetic cover-up of Western elite corruption and crimes is no longer possible. The annual Munich Security Conference opens this weekend with the theme: “Under Destruction… The world has entered a period of wrecking-ball politics.” The use of euphemism and blandishment is out in force this year as the Western elite gather in Bavaria. However, absurdly, the conference, as usual, shies away from calling out the main source of global threat… the United States of America. [...] A survey of barbarism under Trump over the past year includes:

Needless to say, these are all criminal violations of the United Nations’ Charter and international law. And yet Trump thinks he deserves a Nobel Peace Prize. The disconnect speaks of insanity. How perverse that this could all be a deliberate distraction from the association with child rapist and Mossad asset Epstein.

John McEvoy and Alex Morris | Exclusive: Declassified obtained data on the number of UK nationals in the IDF. We are publishing it for the first time | More than 2,000 Britons served in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) during the Gaza genocide, it can be revealed. The information was obtained by Declassified via a Freedom of Information request issued to the IDF by lawyer Elad Man from the NGO Hatzlacha. The data outlines the number of people with dual and multiple nationalities who were IDF service members as of March 2025. It shows how 1,686 British-Israelis and a further 383 people with British, Israeli, and another nationality served in the IDF amid the annihilation of Gaza. They were among over 50,000 IDF soldiers with Israeli and at least one other nationality. The largest cohorts come from the US, Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany. Prior to this, data was only available on the number of Britons without Israeli citizenship serving in the IDF, so-called lone soldiers, a figure that was as low as 54.

Military preparations by Norway, Sweden and other NATO countries pose a direct threat to Russia's national security and compel Moscow to take military and technical measures in response, Russian Ambassador to Oslo Nikolai Korchunov said in an interview with Sputnik. | TXT

Korchunov said these and other military preparations by NATO countries on the northern flank, openly aimed against Russia, increase tensions and pose a direct threat to Russia's national security, compelling Moscow to adopt military and technical countermeasures.

Migration Watch UK | Introduction | 1. Since the late 1990s, net migration to the UK has been rising and records regularly broken. The high-water mark was 745,000 in 2022 (originally reported by the Office for National Statistics as 606,000). The charts and table in this revamped tracker will automatically update every day in the late afternoon. What is net migration? | 2. Net migration is the difference between the number of people who have come to Britain (immigrants), and those who have left (emigrants). If the number of immigrants was equivalent to the number of emigrants, net migration would be net zero. The last time net migration to the UK was that low was 1993, before which net migration had periodically fallen below zero, resulting in a net outflow of people to which the emigration of British nationals made a significant contribution. How has the make-up of migrants changed? | 3. Post-2004, immigration from Eastern and Central Europe considerably increased immigration from the European Union, prior to this it had been comparatively low. However, It wasn't until 2012 that EU migration started outstripping non-EU migration. 4. Chart 2 reveals that from 2010 to 2019, major immigration to the UK came from the European Union. After Brexit, EU immigration to the UK declined. In 2022, Chart 3 indicates a shift – out of 1.3 million visas, only 47,000 went to EU nationals. Meanwhile, migration from South and East Asia increased significantly, with noticeable rises from the Middle East and Sub-Saharan Africa, albeit to a lesser degree.