TYB
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMOG-5TTiCg
Oreshnik strike disabled Ukrainian warplane plant – Moscow
12 Jan, 2026 13:40
A Russian strike using the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile system last week disabled a Ukrainian aviation plant in Lviv, which was repairing and servicing warplanes and producing long-range drones, the Defense Ministry in Moscow has said.
In a statement on Monday, the ministry said, citing several independent sources, that the attack successfully hit a facility which supported the operations of Ukrainian Soviet-era warplanes, including MiG-29 jets, as well as Western-supplied F-16s.
The plant also produced long- and medium-range strike drones that were “used for strikes against Russian civilian targets deep inside the territory of the Russian Federation,” officials said.
The ministry added that the strike hit production workshops, storage facilities holding finished drones, and infrastructure at the plant’s airfield.
Officials also noted that the same attack involving Iskander and Kalibr missiles struck drone production facilities in Kiev. Some of the projectiles also hit energy infrastructure supporting Ukraine’s defense industry, officials said.
Kiev has not commented on the scope of the damage yet, but Lviv Mayor Andrey Sadovoy confirmed at the time that “a piece of critical infrastructure” had been hit.
Last week, Moscow said that the Friday bombardment was a response to an attempted “terrorist attack by the Kiev regime” on the residence of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Novgorod Region.
Officials reported that Ukraine launched 91 long-range drones targeting the presidential compound, though all of the UAVs were neutralized.
Russia first used the Oreshnik in late 2024, targeting a Ukrainian defense industry facility in Dnepr.
At the time, Putin said the Oreshnik missiles travel at ten times the speed of sound and cannot be intercepted by any existing air defenses.
https://www.rt.com/russia/630857-oreshnik-targets-ukraine-warplane-factory/
https://t.me/AMK_Mapping/21643
Ukrainian attack targeting railroad bridge thwarted in Russia – FSB
12 Jan, 2026 10:19
A Ukrainian plot to blow up a railroad bridge in Russia’s Urals has been thwarted, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) reported on Monday.
The planned attack reportedly targeted one of three railroad bridges in the key transport hub of Chusovoy in Perm Region, 1,250 km east of Moscow.
Ukrainian agents scammed the collaborator into transferring around $4,400 in savings to accounts they controlled, then convinced him that “testing” anti-terrorist preparedness would help recover the funds, the FSB said.
By the time Russian security raided his residence, the suspect had produced 10 kilograms of homemade explosives and obtained other bomb components, including a web camera to monitor the bridge and remotely time the explosion.
The man, who is in his mid-50s, faces a possible life sentence for attempted terrorism, the FSB said.
Russian investigators have blamed the Ukrainian government for a number of plots targeting civilian infrastructure, including coordinated bombings of two bridges last year. O
ne of the attacks caused a deadly passenger train derailment in Bryansk Region, killing the engineer and six passengers and injuring over 100 people.
https://www.rt.com/russia/630836-fsb-terrorist-attack-bridge/
>Let’s get to work
Zelensky makes another move to avoid election
12 Jan, 2026 14:11
Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky has submitted two draft bills to the parliament to extend martial law and general mobilization for another 90 days, effectively postponing elections once again.
The move comes despite pressure from US President Donald Trump and the Ukrainian leader earlier saying he was open to holding an election.
One of the draft laws submitted to the Verhovna Rada on Monday would extend martial law from February 3 to early May, which would effectively bar national elections for this period.
Martial law has been renewed repeatedly in three-month increments since 2022. The other bill would prolong the controversial forced mobilization campaign on the same timetable.
Zelensky’s presidential term expired in May 2024. The Ukrainian leader refused to hold a new election, citing the conflict with Russia.
Moscow subsequently declared him “illegitimate,” arguing that authority now rests with the Ukrainian parliament. Russian officials also noted that Zelensky’s dubious status is a major legal obstacle to signing a peace agreement.
This comes despite pressure from Trump – who labeled Zelensky “a dictator without elections” last year – to hold an election. In December, Zelensky said he was ready to hold an election within months if the West could provide Kiev with robust security guarantees.
A poll in January by Ipsos suggested that former Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny – widely viewed as Zelensky’s main rival – is leading potential presidential candidates with around 23% support, while Zelensky trailed at 20%.
If the second bill passes, Ukraine will prolong its mobilization campaign, which has been marred by numerous violent incidents between draft officers and reluctant recruits. Officials in Kiev have acknowledged a decline in enthusiasm to serve, but insisted that drastic measures are required to replenish growing battlefield losses.
https://www.rt.com/russia/630856-zelensky-election-martial-law/
Ukraine drone attacks target Lukoil’s largest offshore fields
January 12, 2026
Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces struck three Lukoil drilling platforms in the Caspian Sea on Sunday, January 11.
Ukraine’s General Staff said that the military hit platforms on Lukoil’s three largest offshore oil fields.
“As part of measures to reduce the aggressor’s military-economic potential, units of the Defence Forces of Ukraine hit three drilling platforms of the Lukoil corporation in the Caspian Sea, named Vladimir Filanovsky, Yuri Korchagin, and Valery Greifer.
These facilities are involved in providing support to the Russian occupation army,” the General Staff said.
It added that “direct hits have been recorded” and that the extent of the damage was being assessed.
According to Ukraine’s military news website, Militarnyi, NASA FIRMS satellite fire-monitoring data show no signs of fire at the V. Filanovsky platform. A similar situation applies to the Yuri Korchagin and Valery Greifer platforms.
This suggests that the drones might have hit the hulls without igniting or depressurising oil or gas products. According to the Ukrainian military, these facilities stopped operations after the attacks.
The Russian Ministry of Defence did not confirm the attacks. However, it did say that seven drones were allegedly intercepted over the Caspian Sea.
This was not the first attack on Lukoil’s offshore oil and gas platforms. The first attack was on the Vladimir Filanovsky oil and gas field last month.
V. Filanovsky field is the largest oil field discovered in the Russian sector of the Caspian Sea, with initial recoverable reserves estimated at 129m tonnes of oil and 30 bcm of gas.
Commercial production began in 2016 and reached its plateau level of 6 m tonnes per year in 2018.
Yury Korchagin was the first field developed by Lukoil in the Caspian Sea, with commercial operation beginning in 2010. Its reserves are estimated at 77.8m tonnes of oil.
Valery Grayfer, formerly known as the Rakushechnoye field, is the third major Caspian project developed by Lukoil. Production at this field began in 2023, with a planned annual production rate of 1.2m tonnes of oil.
https://splash247.com/ukraine-drone-attacks-target-lukoils-largest-offshore-fields/
other Russia and Ukraine
https://english.nv.ua/russian-war/russia-attacks-ukraine-with-156-drones-overnight-135-downed-50574945.html
https://united24media.com/latest-news/ukrainian-fpv-drone-hunts-down-russian-self-propelled-gun-as-crew-flees-in-panic-14936
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/01/12/poland-to-transfer-mig-29s-to-ukraine-in-february-after-drone-tech-talks-conclude/
https://euromaidanpress.com/2026/01/12/downed-drone-safe-not-anymore-russia-booby-traps-starlink-terminals-for-its-drones-with-backup-explosives/
https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/russia-unveils-dandelion-tank-to-counter-drone-threats/ar-AA1U2iBT?cvid=6964d25909424a38805f026957f4b55f&ocid=hpmsn
https://defensemirror.com/news/40864
https://www.kyivpost.com/post/67898
Netanyahu’s chief of staff detained in leak probe
12 Jan, 2026 09:02
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s chief of staff, Tzachi Braverman, has been detained and questioned by police over alleged attempts to interfere with a probe into the leak of a classified document to German tabloid Bild.
Braverman’s questioning lasted around 13 hours on Sunday, the Times of Israel reported. He was released on restrictive conditions including a 15-day ban on attending the Prime Minister’s Office and a 30-day ban on leaving the country.
The restrictions could delay Braverman’s entry to the post of Israeli ambassador to the UK, for which he was approved last year.
In September 2024, Bild published a top-secret military intelligence paper, presenting it as proof that Palestinian armed group Hamas was not interested in reaching a hostage deal with Israel.
Netanyahu’s former spokesman, Eli Feldstein, who was arrested in October 2024 and charged with leaking the paper to the tabloid, said in an interview last month that the prime minister supported the attempts to use the document to reinforce the public argument that more pressure on Hamas was needed.
Feldstein also claimed that Braverman was aware of a covert probe into the Bild leak months before it made headlines and had assured him that he would be able to “shut it down.”
According to Channel 12, the two had a brief face-to-face during the chief of staff’s questioning on Sunday. Braverman’s lawyer later said his client “answered all the investigators’ questions, and denied every invented version of events put forward by the defendant [Feldstein].”
Netanyahu’s Likud party called Braverman’s interrogation a “campaign of persecution” and a “phishing attempt” against the prime minister and his allies.
Opposition Democrats party lawmaker Gilad Kariv argued that anyone who believes that the chief of staff could have acted without Netanyahu’s approval is “living in an illusion,” insisting that the prime minister himself should be interrogated rather than Braverman.
The Bild scandal comes amid a sharp decline in support for Netanyahu’s government, with a poll published by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) in late December suggesting that it is trusted only by a quarter of Israeli Jews and just over 17% of Israeli Arabs.
https://www.rt.com/news/630835-israel-leak-bild-netanyahu/
https://www.jfeed.com/news-israel/idf-hoshen-plan-2026-2030
other Israel
https://www.ifcj.org/news/stand-for-israel-blog/idf-hits-hezbollah-and-hamas-over-weekend
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-it-killed-3-armed-gazans-wounded-another-who-posed-immediate-threat-to-troops/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/red-crescent-reports-palestinian-man-seriously-hurt-by-idf-fire-while-trying-to-scale-west-bank-security-barrier/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-has-demolished-over-2500-buildings-in-gaza-since-start-of-ceasefire-nyt/
https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/security-aviation/2026-01-12/ty-article-magazine/.premium/secret-israeli-army-docs-were-exposed-online-it-took-six-days-to-close-the-breach/0000019b-b196-d2d7-a79b-fbd6b6800000
https://thenewsmill.com/2026/01/israel-strikes-hezbollahs-multiple-weapon-storage-sites-in-southern-lebanon/
https://www.jns.org/idf-renews-strikes-after-hezbollahs-continuous-breaches-of-truce/
https://jcfa.org/end-of-the-state-of-war-with-syria/
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/bk681xzbwl
IDF's New Five Year Plan: Space, Robots, AI, and More
JAN 12, 2026 08:32
IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir has begun advancing concrete steps to implement a new five-year military plan that aims to fundamentally reshape Israel’s defense posture through advanced technology, automation, and strategic independence.
The plan, known as “Hoshen,” is slated to cover the years 2026–2030 and reflects lessons drawn from more than two years of continuous war following October 7, 2023.
According to the IDF, roughly a dozen planning teams have already begun work on the framework, despite formal implementation only being scheduled to begin on April 1.
In the coming months, these teams are expected to present detailed operational concepts to senior command forums, outlining goals, capabilities, and integration across all branches of the military.
One of the most striking elements discussed by the IDF is the exploration of a defensive “beepers”-style system. The reference is to the September 2024 operation in which thousands of Hezbollah operatives were wounded simultaneously using rigged communication devices.
For the first time, the IDF has openly signaled that similar concepts may be adapted for defensive purposes, potentially as a pre-positioned deterrent or early-response system in the event of a ground invasion.
Officials did not clarify whether such systems would be deployed along Israel’s borders, inside Israeli territory, or covertly embedded within enemy infrastructure.
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The Hoshen plan places a heavy emphasis on robotics and autonomous systems. The IDF intends to dramatically expand the use of unmanned platforms across land, sea, and air forces, both independently and in coordination with human soldiers.
The goal is to reduce troop exposure, increase operational persistence, and improve response times in complex combat environments.
Artificial intelligence is another central pillar. The IDF plans to embed AI more deeply into operational planning, battlefield management, logistics, and decision-support systems.
To support this shift, the military has already begun expanding high-capacity data centers and computational infrastructure, recognizing that future conflicts will be shaped as much by data dominance as by firepower.
Space has also emerged as a growing arena of concern. The IDF says it will invest in new space-related capabilities and doctrines, as rival powers, particularly Iran with Russian assistance, continue to expand their satellite and space-launch programs.
Israeli defense planners view this trend as a direct challenge to long-standing Western advantages in intelligence, surveillance, and communications.
The plan also addresses the less glamorous but critical task of restoring readiness.
After years of sustained conflict, the IDF is focusing on rebuilding resilience among reservists, conscripts, and career personnel, many of whom have faced repeated deployments and extended strain.
Financially, the plan is being developed alongside a dramatic shift in long-term defense funding.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently announced that Israel is preparing for a scenario in which it relies far more heavily on domestic resources, with up to NIS 350 billion earmarked over a decade to boost weapons production and technological independence.
The IDF is expected to use roughly half of that sum under Hoshen.
This marks a departure from previous multi-year plans, such as “Tenufah,” which was disrupted by the Hamas invasion and the ensuing war.
It also reflects uncertainty surrounding future US military aid, as Israel and Washington begin discussions on the next Memorandum of Understanding, set to replace the current framework that runs through 2028.
Taken together, Hoshen signals an IDF preparing not just for the next war, but for a radically different kind of battlefield, one defined by automation, artificial intelligence, space competition, and the need for strategic self-reliance.
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Pakistani drone intrusions trigger tension along IB, LoC in Jammu; villagers on edge
January 12, 2026 20:01 IST
Although alert troops foiled the nefarious designs of the enemy on Sunday evening, tension flared up in several parts of the Jammu province after Pakistani drones were spotted intruding into multiple forward areas near the International Border (IB) and the Line of Control (LoC) in Samba, Rajouri, and Poonch districts.
An eerie silence prevails in areas adjoining the IB and the LoC, while fear has gripped border residents due to Pakistan's renewed activities.
"After Operation Sindoor, this is the first time Pakistani drones have been spotted in our area.
This is a warning signal because Pakistan has once again started its activities along the border," Ravinder Singh, a resident of Bainglarh village in Samba district, told The International Business Times over the phone.
Recalling the Sunday evening incident, Singh said that several Pakistani drones hovered on the Indian side of the border for a few minutes.
"Throughout the night, villagers kept watching activities from across the border," he said, adding that his village is located just a stone's throw from the IB.
Reports said that when Indian forces opened fire to bring down a drone in Nowshera, Rajouri, the Pakistani Army retaliated by targeting Indian positions.
Officials confirmed the drone intrusion, but there has been no official or military confirmation of Pakistani firing.
An official stated that all the drones entered Indian airspace from the Pakistani side and returned after hovering within Indian territory for a few minutes.
Sources said the drones intruded near Baba Khori and Ganya villages, adjacent to the LoC in the Nowshera sector of Rajouri. Indian Army personnel opened fire from both villages to bring down the drone.
Despite this, it continued to hover over Indian territory, prompting the army to activate its anti-drone system and fire additional shots. The drone eventually crossed back into Pakistani territory.
Meanwhile, the Pakistani Army opened fire, targeting Indian positions.
Sources said the Pakistani side continued firing for about 10 minutes. A bullet struck the tin shed of a house belonging to a resident of Ganya village.
No one was injured. Ganya village is located about one and a half kilometers from the Zero Line. An Indian Army post is also situated a short distance from the house where the bullet landed, and this post was also targeted.
Meanwhile, another drone was spotted in Khabbar village in Tarayat, Rajouri. An official said the drone, equipped with a flashing light, came from Dharamsal village in Kalakot and continued moving towards Bharakh village.
Security forces have launched a massive search operation after tracking the drones' movements. Following these suspicious activities, ground security was immediately tightened.
People in Poonch also recorded the incident on camera. A drone was spotted at around 6:25 pm in the Mankot sector along the LoC in Poonch district.
Several residents recorded the incident on their mobile phones. The drone was flying at a high altitude.
Drone hovered for three minutes in Samba
A drone with a blinking light hovered over Chak Babaral village in the Ramgarh sector of Samba district on Friday evening. According to eyewitnesses, the drone remained in Indian territory for about two to three minutes before returning to Pakistan.
Upon receiving the information, security agencies and the Border Security Force were alerted, and surveillance was intensified across the area.
At present, no weapons or suspicious material have been reported to have been dropped. An alert has been issued in the border belt.
Third drone intrusion incident in three days
This is the third incident of Pakistani drone intrusion in the Jammu division in the past three days.
On Friday night, security forces recovered weapons dropped by a drone in Palura village near Ghagwal in Samba. The recovery included two pistols, three magazines, 16 rounds, and a grenade.
Earlier on Friday, a spy drone equipped with 12 cameras was recovered in RS Pura in Jammu district. Additionally, a suspicious pigeon was captured in Kharah village in the Akhnoor sector. Rings on its claws bore the inscriptions "Rehmat Sarkar" and "Rizwan 2025."
https://www.ibtimes.co.in/pakistani-drone-intrusions-trigger-tension-along-ib-loc-jammu-villagers-edge-895886
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/security-tightened-in-j-ks-samba-after-pakistani-drone-sightings-near-loc-101768234931725.html
Palantir Co-Founder Invests in Nigeria Based Drone Maker Terrahaptix
January 12, 2026
Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale and a heavy-hitting roster of VCs are backing Terrahaptix, an Abuja-based startup scaling drone production to combat the rising tide of extremism across Africa.
Terrahaptix (also known as Terra Industries) announced Monday it has raised $11.8 million in a funding round led by Lonsdale’s firm, 8VC.
The details
Founded just last year by Nathan Nwachuku (22) and Maxwell Maduka (24), the startup focuses on “sovereign” defense tech designed and manufactured on the continent.
The Gear: Long- and mid-range drones, autonomous sentry towers, and unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs).
The Impact: Its tech currently secures roughly $11 billion in infrastructure, including Nigerian hydropower plants and mining operations in Ghana.
The Board: 8VC’s Alex Moore—a Palantir non-executive director—joined the board last year.
Why it matters
Violent extremism is spreading rapidly from Mali to Nigeria, threatening the continent’s industrial boom.
Groups linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda are gaining ground, leading the ECOWAS regional bloc to declare a state of emergency.
“Africa is industrializing faster than any other region… but none of that progress will matter if we don’t solve the continent’s greatest Achilles’ heel,” Nwachuku said in a statement.
Between the lines
This isn’t just a niche defense play. The investor list includes top-tier firms usually associated with Silicon Valley’s “American Dynamism” movement and fintech giants:
The Investors: Lux Capital, SV Angel, Valor Equity Partners, and Meyer Malka (Managing Partner of Ribbit Capital).
The Goal: The capital will fund a massive expansion of manufacturing capacity to tackle cross-border security and counter-terrorism.
What to watch
Whether “built-in-Africa” tech can move faster than the 1,500-kilometer jihadist corridor currently forming across West Africa.
Terra’s advantage lies in its local engineering team, which builds systems tailored specifically for the regional terrain.
https://techlabari.com/palantir-co-founder-invests-in-nigeria-based-drone-maker-terrahaptix/
https://www.bgr.com/2070014/dragonfire-lasers-drones-type-45-destroyers/
Type 45 Destroyers Are Deploying New DragonFire Lasers To Shoot Down Drones
Jan. 12, 2026 10:47 am EST
The United Kingdom's Royal Navy announced a ÂŁ316 million deal (roughly $414 million) to equip its Type 45 destroyers with state-of-the-art laser weapon DragonFire.Â
This investment marks a major step toward bolstering NATO's drone defenses and delivers Europe its first high-powered defense system with lasers.
It's also seen as a major coup for NATO defenses, looking to adapt to an ever-evolving technological landscape.
Over the past few years, drones have become a growing problem for global military forces. The pilotless vehicles, widely used in the Russia-Ukraine war, have become a major weapon for both sides, accounting for up to 80% of all casualties by early 2025.
Cheaper and less risky than their piloted counterparts, unmanned air, sea, and ground vehicles have steadily become existential threats for traditional defense systems, partly due to the disproportionate costs of deploying and defending against them.Â
As such, the technology has rapidly spread, becoming a popular reconnaissance and attack tool for everyone from drug cartels and Burmese rebels to the Israeli military. Even the FBI is looking to use unjammable drones.
The U.K., for its part, saw firsthand the challenges of developing anti-drone defenses in April 2024, when its Type 45 warship HMS Diamond fended off swarms of Houthi-controlled drones attacking shipping vessels passing through the Red Sea. Â
The attack, which the destroyer countered with its Sea Viper missile system, Phalanx machine gun, and 30mm cannons, underscored the inefficiencies of modern defense systems against drone attacks and the necessity of investments in counteracting the technology.
Developing a diverse range of responses is critical to forming well-rounded, adaptable defenses, particularly as military drone technologies advance.
For instance, Russia's jet-powered Geran-3 drone can bypass electronic defenses, so protecting against it requires diverse anti-drone systems.
Announced in a Ministry of Defence press release in November 2025, the Strategic Defence Review's £316 million contract will see defense company MBDA UK install the first DragonFire laser onto a Type 45 destroyer by 2027, five years earlier than expected. Â
Manufactured in consortium with defense firms Leonardo and QinetiQ, MBDA UK's directed energy weapon system has proven exceptionally effective in recent trials, becoming the first U.K.-built system to down above-the-horizon drones traveling over 400 mph.
Mounted on a rotating turret, the system uses electro-optical cameras and tracking lasers to identify and track fast-moving drones.
Although the full range of the weapon is classified, the U.K.'s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has stated that the high-powered laser "is a line-of-sight weapon and can engage with any visible target."
According to the Ministry of Defense, the laser is incredibly accurate, capable of striking a ÂŁ1 coin roughly a kilometer away.
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The greatest feat of the DragonFire laser, however, is its cost-benefit relative to more traditional defense systems. On a per-shot basis, the laser system costs roughly ÂŁ10.
In comparison, the Sea Viper missile system, which Type 45 destroyers used to down Houthi drones in the Red Sea, costs over ÂŁ1 million per missile.Â
The cost reduction is a boon for the U.K.'s drone defenses, where traditional weapons cost considerably more than their targets, which can cost as low as $350, turning each successfully defended attack into a major financial loss.
In addition to reducing costs, its lack of ammunition has been lauded for reducing the potential for collateral damage.
Because the laser derives from the ship's power stores, it can fire as long as the boat has access to sufficient electricity, giving the U.K.'s Type 45 destroyers a major advantage in extended combat.
The U.K. is investing more in anti-drone warfare
The DragonFire system is far from the only British investment in anti-drone developments, and it will serve as only one part of an ever-expanding defense playbook.
For instance, just one month after the laser system reveal, the Ministry of Defense's newly formed U.K. Defence Innovation initiative announced a ÂŁ142 million program to rapidly escalate the country's development of military drones and defense systems.
The program, which will direct funds to over 30 local firms and universities, aims to apply lessons from the use of asymmetric warfare in Ukraine to the British military's technology development pipeline. Â
Other investments this year include the development of an uncrewed submarine dubbed Excalibur, UAVs, unmanned helicopters, and land-based drone programs, as well as an additional ÂŁ20 million towards laser weapon systems.
The U.K. isn't the only nation to add lasers to its anti-drone defenses. Ukraine, for instance, claims it has developed and deployed its Trident laser system as early as 2024 (via CNN).
Israel's Ministry of Defense, meanwhile, recently added its 100-kilowatt Iron Beam system to its famed Iron Dome.
The U.S. is reportedly looking to add up to 20 high-energy laser systems to its Army's arsenal (via DefenseNews), recently testing mobile Laser-Oriented Counter-UAS Systems atop its Joint Light Tactical Vehicles.
One unnamed NATO partner, meanwhile, reportedly struck a $125 million deal with Australian defense firm Electro Optic Systems to develop its 100 kW high-powered Apollo laser system.
Additionally, South Korea, China, Â Russia, Â France, and Germany are among the nations looking to adopt the technology.
China, in particular, is looking to pair laser technologies with diverse, multi-layered detection, kinetic, and non-kinetic defense strategies.
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https://www.sciencealert.com/bees-may-tell-us-if-we-can-use-math-to-talk-to-aliens
https://direct.mit.edu/leon/article-abstract/doi/10.1162/LEON.a.2591/134427/Could-Mathematics-Be-the-Language-of-the-Universe?
Bees May Tell Us if We Can Use Math to Talk to Aliens
12 January 2026
Humans have always been fascinated with space. We frequently question whether we are alone in the Universe. If not, what does intelligent life look like? And how would aliens communicate?
The possibility of extraterrestrial life is grounded in scientific evidence. But the distances involved in travel between the stars are vast.
If we do contact aliens, it would likely be via long-distance communication, with our nearest neighbouring star being 4.4 light-years away.
Even being optimistic, it would likely take more than ten years for any round-trip communication.
How could that work when we have no shared language? Well, consider how we can engage with creatures here on Earth with minds quite alien to our own: bees.
Despite the vast differences in human and bee brains, both of us can do mathematics.
As we argue in a new paper published in the journal Leonardo, our thought experiment lends weight to the idea that mathematics may form the basis for a "universal language," which might one day be used to communicate between the stars.
Mathematics as the language of science
The idea of mathematics as universal is not new. Writing in the 17th century, Galileo Galilei described the Universe as a grand book "written in the language of mathematics".
Science fiction, too, has long explored the idea of mathematics as a universal language. In the 1985 novel and 1997 film Contact, extraterrestrials reach out to humans using a repeating sequence of prime numbers sent via radio signal.
In The Three-Body Problem, a novel by Liu Cixin adapted into a Netflix series, communication between aliens and humans to solve a mathematical problem occurs through a video game.
Mathematics also features in a 1998 novella by Ted Chiang called Story of Your Life, which was adapted into the 2016 film Arrival. It describes aliens with a non-linear experience of time and a correspondingly different formulation of mathematics.
Real scientific efforts at universal communication have also involved mathematics and numbers.
The covers of the Golden Records, which accompanied the Voyager 1 and 2 space probes launched in 1977, are etched with mathematical and physical quantities to "communicate a story of our world to extraterrestrials".
The 1974 Arecibo radio message beamed out into space consisted of 1,679 zeros and ones ordered to communicate the numbers one to ten and the atomic numbers of the elements that make up DNA.
In 2022, researchers developed a binary language designed to introduce extraterrestrials to human mathematics, chemistry, and biology.
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How do we test a universal language without aliens?
A creature with two antennae, six legs, and five eyes may sound like an alien, but it also describes a bee. (Science fiction has, of course, imagined "insectoid" aliens.)
The ancestors of bees and humans diverged over 600 million years ago, yet we both possess communication, sociality, and some mathematical ability.
Since parting ways, both honeybees and humans have independently developed effective, but different, means of communication and cooperation within complex societies.
Humans have developed language. Honeybees evolved the waggle dance – which communicates the location of food sources, including distance, direction, angle from the Sun, and quality of the resource.
Due to our vast evolutionary separation from bees, as well as the differences between our brain sizes and structures, bees could be considered an insectoid alien model that exists right here on Earth. At least for the purposes of our thought experiment.
Bees and mathematics
In a series of experiments between 2016 and 2024, we explored the ability of bees to learn mathematics. We worked with freely flying honeybees that chose to regularly visit and participate in our outdoor maths tests to receive sugar water.
During the tests, bees showed evidence of solving simple addition and subtraction, categorising quantities as odd or even, and ordering quantities of items, including an understanding of "zero".
Bees even demonstrated the ability to link symbols with numbers, in a simple version of how humans learn Arabic and Roman numerals.
Despite the miniature brains of bees, they have demonstrated a rudimentary capacity to perform mathematics and learn to solve problems with quantities.
Their mathematical ability involved learning to add and subtract one, which provides a launching pad to more abstract mathematics. The ability to add or subtract by one theoretically allows bees to represent all of the natural numbers.
If two species considered alien to each other – humans and honeybees – can perform mathematics, along with many other animals, then perhaps mathematics could form the basis of a universal language.
If there are extraterrestrial species, and they have sufficiently sophisticated brains, then our work suggests that they may have the capacity to do mathematics.
A further question to be answered is whether different species will develop different approaches to mathematics, akin to dialects in language.
Such discoveries would also help to answer the question of whether mathematics is an entirely human construction, or if it is a consequence of intelligence and thus universal.The Conversation
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Anunnaki Ancient Secrets Revealed: The Grand Finale with Erich Von Daniken & Billy Carson
January 12, 2026
Rest in POWER Erich my friend, will miss your wise words and endless knowledge. - Billy
In this epic grand finale of Anunnaki Ancient Secrets Revealed, Billy Carson welcomes the legendary Erich Von Daniken, the pioneering author of Chariots of the Gods, for a mind-expanding discussion that redefines history as we know it.
Together, they uncover the deepest mysteries of the Anunnaki, their role in shaping human civilization, and the suppressed evidence that challenges mainstream archaeology.
From ancient texts to modern UFO disclosures, this explosive episode bridges the past, present, and future of extra-terrestrial contact. Are we the legacy of ancient gods, and is their return imminent?
Tune in for the most profound revelations yet!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKiwKiBRPcs
https://x.com/4biddnKnowledge/status/2010357758839967777
https://www.youtube.com/@ErichvonD%C3%A4nikenOfficial
https://daniken.com/en/startseite-english/
DoD Releases Redacted Report on UFO Whistleblower David Grusch
January 12, 2026
A heavily redacted Department of Defense Inspector General report reveals the conclusion of a UAP-related whistleblower reprisal investigation.
According to documents obtained by The Black Vault through a Freedom of Information Act request, the investigation was closed in February 2025.
The complaint alleged that officials revoked the whistleblower’s eligibility for access to classified information and refused to grant access to compartmented programs in reprisal for reporting UAP-related matters to the DoD Office of Inspector General.
The report confirms the complainant made protected disclosures, including one directly to the DoD Inspector General.
According to the documents, on August 29, 2022, the complainant received notice that their security clearance was being revoked.
They were removed from classified systems, required to surrender their access badges, and placed on paid administrative leave. By December 2022, the final revocation letter was signed.
The Inspector General concluded that protected disclosures were not a contributing factor in the revocation decision, citing a pattern of misconduct separate from any UAP-related disclosures.
However, internal communications reveal confusion among personnel involved in the case.
One September 2022 message asked on what grounds the complainant had for a whistleblower case, with another official responding they had no information about it.
Documents also show officials delayed sending the revocation letter due to concerns about optics since the complainant was claiming whistleblower status.
Despite the revocation, the complainant appealed to the Personnel Security Appeals Board.
On January 9, 2023, they presented their case, and the following day the board voted unanimously to overturn the determination and reinstate the security clearance.
While the report does not name the complainant, The Black Vault notes strong chronological and contextual matches to publicly documented filings associated with former intelligence official David Grusch.
An unclassified procedural filing dated May 25, 2022, reflects a complaint of reprisal signed by David C. Grusch. The Debrief reported in 2023 that the Intelligence Community Inspector General found Grusch’s complaint credible and urgent in July 2022.
Notably, The Black Vault’s FOIA request did not mention Grusch by name. It simply requested all Inspector General complaints referencing whistleblowers who reported UAP-related programs from January 2021 to present. Only one case was returned.
https://www.ufonews.co/post/dod-releases-redacted-report-on-ufo-whistleblower
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9RFcVjv-6A
https://x.com/Eyes_OnTheSkies
https://www.theblackvault.com/documentarchive/dod-ig-releases-final-uap-whistleblower-reprisal-report/
https://x.com/theblackvault
Who Built the U.S. Capitol Building?
Jan 10, 2026
Where are the original construction records for the United States Capitol? The National Archives exist specifically to preserve this evidence, yet what appears in their own Master List raises serious questions.
When we asked them directly to clarify what they actually have — and what they don’t — the response changed everything.
From there, this investigation expands beyond Washington D.C., revealing a growing pattern tied to some of the most important structures in the country.
No speculation. No theories. Just official requests, written replies, and what happens when the paperwork isn’t there. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adykSVHNz38
https://x.com/MYLUNCHBREAK_
REVEALED! ALIEN PLASMA Beings Hidden Among Us - Truth in 2026
Jan 8, 2026
Jay Weidner joins the show to discuss the phenomenon of plasma beings and their influence on us and our planet.
Will 2026 be the year we finally learn the truth about how the intelligence of plasma will explain all unusual phenomena including the existence of UFOs and Non-human intelligence?
Jay says, "YES!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KSDtvC6rwU
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN7Hdc3Rb3YBMHwd_qi-DpQ
https://x.com/higherjourneys
moar plasma
Moneypenny
@nic_moneypenny
📢 FIVE INDEPENDENT SOURCES AGREE UFO ANTI-GRAVITY PROPULSION = ATOMIC FUSION++
IN THIS THREE-PART THREAD….
Bob Lazar, Richard Banduric, Jason Jorjani, Bob Greenyer & Dan Burisch CONFIRM:
UFO CRAFTS EXIST ON US SOIL
Propulsion depends on atomic plasma cold fusion
Small machines the size of a large football can achieve this
Plasma fusion warps space-time
Russians and Germans had the knowledge before the US
Area 51 had a large hanger full of different craft back to the 90s
Lazar & Burisch both worked in different parts of AREA 51 and testimonies mutually support
Below we have clips from Bob Lazar covering the craft, propulsion mechanisms and disclosure
I have picked out eight previous investigations and posts that support this from my profile
Further I have compared notes from Burisch & Lazar interviews for the first time
5:22 PM · Jan 11, 2026
https://x.com/nic_moneypenny/status/2010522706651844686
https://x.com/AshtonForbes/status/2010506198433280245
Are aliens stopping for lobsters? Maine ranks in the top 5 for UFO reports
Jan. 12, 2026 at 12:02 PM EST
You know Maine for its lighthouses and lobsters, but did you know it’s also one of the country’s most active states for UFO reports?
Not because of dramatic abductions, but because people here call in when they see something strange in the sky.
A recently released report shows Maine’s high ranking isn’t about an alien arms race. It’s a numbers game: the state records roughly 21.57 UFO reports per 100,000 residents.
That per-capita rate nudges it into the national top tier of reporting, alongside neighbors and surprising contenders.
That figure reflects frequent reporting rather than extreme claims. Compared with states like Idaho or Vermont, Maine files fewer reports that include abduction claims.
Instead, Mainers tend to report sights, odd lights, and the occasional stretch of missing time — curious, conscientious, and often very local.
The study shows New Hampshire with the highest level of incidents per capita, New Mexico ranked last.
One factor could be that Maine communities have active reporting cultures. WABI frequently receives news tips from watchful residents. Not always of an out of this world nature.
So, Maine’s placement near the top is as much about who’s looking up and calling authorities or hot lines as it is about what’s actually up there.
America’s top alien hotspots (ranked)
New Hampshire
Idaho
Vermont
Maine
Oregon
Washington
Montana
Wyoming
Arizona
Connecticut
See something, say something, and beware little green men.
https://www.wabi.tv/2026/01/12/are-aliens-stopping-lobsters-maine-ranks-top-5-ufo-reports/
Israel & Palestine, the “Chosen People,” and the Need for a New Political System | Geniocracy
Jan 11, 2026
In this episode of The Raelian View, host Glenn Carter is joined by Brigitte Boisselier and Thomas Kaenzig for a wide-ranging and deeply philosophical discussion on the Israel–Palestine conflict, the concept of the “Chosen People,” and why current political systems are failing humanity.
The conversation explores the recent decision by Maitreya Rael to close the Israeli branch of the Raelian Movement and establish a Palestinian Raelian Movement instead—an act presented as a symbolic and philosophical statement rooted in Raelian teachings and the relationship between humanity and the Elohim.
Topics discussed include:
The Raelian perspective on the origins of humanity and the role of prophets
The meaning and responsibility behind the idea of the “Chosen People”
The distinction between political systems and the people they govern
Criticism of violence, racism, and the instrumentalization of religion
The role of money, lobbying, and power in modern politics
Why democracy is seen as insufficient in resolving global conflicts
Geniocracy: a proposed political system based on intelligence, altruism, and problem-solving capacity rather than power, popularity, or wealth
This episode emphasizes that the current crises in the Middle East—and globally—are political failures rather than failures of peoples or cultures, and it invites viewers to reflect on alternative models of leadership grounded in ethics, intelligence, and compassion.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWoan5axVjQ
https://x.com/raelian
https://www.rael.org/
https://www.rael.org/extraterrestrials-created-all-life-on-earth/
https://www.rael.org/honorary-guides/
https://v.fandom.com/wiki/Fifth_Column