Europe's Attitudes Towards Russian Deserters Are Hardening, Limiting Asylum

European countries are becoming less sympathetic to Russian army deserters or those fleeing Russia to avoid conscription. 

The reasons for this hardening of attitudes make sense: too many war crimes committed by too many Russian soldiers; a majority have criminal records and could resume their illegal careers; having grown up in Russia they may be hostile to western values - and they could become subject to recruitment by Russian intelligence services which dont take no for an answer. In sum, Russians have generally supported the Ukraine invasion and now live in a culture alien to that of the civilized world. JL

Anna Matveeva reports in Novaya Gazeta:

Officials say they regard anyone who fought in the Russian military as a security risk, noting that participants in the war in Ukraine are often traumatised, frequently have criminal records, may be hostile to Europe and European values, and could be vulnerable to recruitment by the Russian intelligence services. “Overall, Europe’s attitude towards Russian deserters and other asylum seekers is becoming noticeably harsher than it was in the first year of the war. In Germany, for example, the Merz government has attempted to crack down on asylum, and the authorities are assessing asylum claims less sympathetically and refusing them more often.”

Russian Recon Group Staging 'Flag Selfie" In Zaporizhzhia Oblast Wiped Out

The Russian military is not a learning organization lesson #1 billion: Unable to actually capture and occupy Ukrainian territory in most sectors of the front, Russian commanders have resorted to sending small teams into villages or housing clusters to take selfies of themselves raising the Russian flag and then claiming a gain. 

But the tactic has become suicidal as Ukrainian drone teams monitoring the front detect them almost immediately and the eliminate them. JL

Stanislav Pohorilov reports in Ukraine Pravda:

Ukrainian forces from the 33rd Assault Regiment wiped out a Russian sabotage and reconnaissance group in a Zaporizhzhia oblast village where they were attempting to stage a 'flag selfie." "The enemy, as always, colours in its maps and then, in a bid to catch up with its 'gains', sends in a sabotage and reconnaissance group to put up their  flag. The outcome of such 'photoshoots' is always the same: the enemy group is wiped out and the Ukrainian flag flies over Prydorozhnie."

Ukraine Obliterates 6,000 Russian FPV Drones In Hit On Storage Depot

Ukrainian drones and missiles obliterated a Russian military warehouse in Rostov containing 6,000 FPV attack drones and their components. 

The long distance strike was designed to degrade Russian drone capabilities in the northeast sector and disrupt the Kremlin's offensive plans in that area of the front. JL

Kateryna Hodunova reports in the Kyiv Independent:

Ukrainian forces destroyed 6,000 FPV (first-person-view) drones and their components in a major overnight strike on Russian military targets overnight on Feb. 9. Ukraine targeted a Russian drone warehouse in the city of Rostov-on-Don, destroying three containers filled with FPV drones and their components. The General Staff added that several additional containers were damaged. The attack underscores Ukraine's focus on disrupting Russian logistics. 

AI Firms Demand "996" Employee Effort But Declining Productivity, Quality Follow

Many AI companies are promoting a "996" work week - 9AM to 9PM, six days a week - 72 hours, almost double the traditional 40 hour week. 

Tech leaders generally and AI zealots in particular appear to believe this is a sign of commitment - and a badge of honor - which also addresses the FOMO mindset that someone else is going to get 'there' first and reap all the financial rewards, as well as fame. But the 40 hour week, far from being a sign of indolence, was actually arrived at by time and motion experts working for Henry Ford who wanted the optimal amount of time his workers could put in to maximize productivity and profit. Studies have shown repeatedly that working longer hours for too great a length of time inevitably leads to declining productivity, effectiveness and quality of output. JL

Theo Leggett reports in the BBC:

AI puts a premium on long hours, typically 9am to 9pm, six days a week (hence "996"). The development of AI has been at a breakneck pace, and companies around the world are now working flat-out to develop ways in which it can be monetised. Huge amounts of money are being ploughed into AI ventures. The ever-present fear is that someone else will get there first. "We look for people who are addicted. We're selling 996 as a badge of honor." (But) studies have shown that as hours go up, productivity increases - then once a threshold is reached it starts to decline again as physical and mental exhaustion sets in. 'The thing young founders get wrong is they view hours worked in and of itself as necessary to think of themselves as productive. And that's where the fallacy lies"

White House Offered $9-12 Trillion Deal To End Ukraine War On Russia's Terms

Knowledgeable observers have long suspected that Trump administration favoritism towards Russia, versus Ukraine, was driven by promises of economic riches. The scale of those has now reportedly been revealed. 

Hacked communications suggest that Putin has offered the White House approximately $12 trillion in economic inducements to end the war on his terms. While that is several times Russia's entire GDP and thus unachievable, the greed of the White House negotiators combined with their relative ignorance about Russia generally suggests the administration may well have been swayed by this delusion. JL

Harriet Barber reports in The Telegraph:

The proposal, dubbed the “Dmitriev package” after Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev, was uncovered by Ukrainian intelligence. "It amounts to around $12tn (£9tn).” The move suggests Moscow is intensifying efforts to influence Donald Trump to win Washington’s favor (as the Russian military invasion and economy have stalled). Experts were skeptical about the proposed economic package, pointing out that $12tn is several times Russia’s entire GDP.

Ukraine's Age 60+ "Steppe Wolves" Volunteer For Hazardous Duties

Until this past summer, Ukrainians over the age of 60 were not allowed to join the military - and serving soldiers hitting that age had to retire. 

But then an unofficial unit of volunteers established themselves and offered to do one of the most hazardous jobs on the battlefield: collecting misfired missiles and repairing them for reuse. Their work ethic was so impressive and contribution so important, that the government changed its law, which now permits those over 60 to join the military as volunteers. JL

Yevhenia Nazarova reports in RFE/RL:

The Stepovi Vovky, or "Steppe Wolves” is a unit not officially recognized by the Ukrainian Army-- but its members, who are all older than 60, are doing a job considered too risky for regular troops: collecting misfired missiles and hauling them to be repaired and reused. "We take it apart, remove the warhead, remove the tail, unscrew it, pull out the ignition system, and replace it. Or replace the powder that ignites the missile so it will launch.” The volunteers tried to enlist in the Ukrainian Army but weren’t allowed to under the law, which forces soldiers to retire at 60. They convinced the government to change the law so citizens 60 years and older could volunteer to join the military.

Russian Loss Of Front Starlink 'Catastrophic," Causing Friendly Fire, Attack Halt

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk restricted access to 'gray zone' Starlink terminal access, which was the only kind Russian troops were allowed to use - but which had become crucial to their operations. 

The result, for Russian forces on the front line and in rear areas has been described as 'catastrophic, as units have lost the ability to communicate with each other, leading to friendly fire incidents and cancelled offensive operations. There is no known substitute available to Russia in the short term. And the Ukrainians are grateful that commercial considerations from licensed users forces SpaceX to enforce its own rules, which hurt the Russians. JL

Howard Altman and Tyler Rogovay report in The War Zone:

Russia is frantically trying to plug massive communications gaps after SpaceX CEO Elon Musk restricted the Starlink satellite communications system in and around Ukraine to only registered users. Starlink gives users high bandwidth, secure communications anywhere. Replacing that capability, especially in the short term, is impossible. The situation is close to critical. Assault operations have been suspended, and unit command and control system is experiencing serious interruptions. It is virtually paralyzed. “Without stable comms on the front line, chaos begins, including incidents of friendly fire. Lack of coordination is already leading to heavy losses. It is a catastrophic situation.”