TYB
We may be witnessing the messy death of a star in real time
January 13, 2026
Could a star have its own heartbeat? It sounds more like poetry than physics, but in the case of a red giant named R Leonis, the answer is a resounding, if slightly erratic, yes.
For over two centuries, we have watched this star. R Leonis is a Mira variable, a type of aging star that pulsates like a rhythmic, celestial heart.
It expands and contracts, dimming and brightening with a regularity that makes it a favorite observing target for backyard astronomers and professional researchers alike.
We thought we had its rhythm figured out — a little wobble here, a slight drift there, but mostly a steady, predictable drumbeat in the constellation Leo, the Lion.
But a recent analysis of 200 years of data has revealed that this cosmic heart is beginning to beat faster.
In a new paper accepted for publication in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society and available as a preprint via arXiv, researcher Mike Goldsmith dove into the historical records of R Leonis.
By combing through the American Association of Variable Star Observers (AAVSO) archives, Goldsmith tracked the star's brightest and dimmest points across more than two centuries. The result? This old star is changing.
The most shocking finding is that the star's fundamental pulse, which is the time it takes to go from bright to dim and back again, has shortened by about three days since the early 1800s.
In the grand scheme of a star's life, three days might seem insignificant. But for a star that usually sticks to a strict schedule, it is a foundational shift.
It is the stellar equivalent of your formerly consistent resting heart rate suddenly picking up speed for no apparent reason.
So, what does the faster pulse mean?
The paper suggests we are witnessing the actual, real-time evolution of a star. R Leonis is an oxygen-rich Mira variable, a massive star nearing the end of its life. As it burns through its final reserves of fuel, its internal structure shifts.
But the period shortening isn't just a straight line. Goldsmith found clear modulations — long-term cycles of change — on timescales of roughly 35 and 98 years.
It appears that the star has multiple overlapping rhythms, like a drummer trying to play three different time signatures at once.
And then there's the dust.
We have always known that these stars are messy creatures. They cough up huge clouds of soot and gas into space, creating a circumstellar disk.
Goldsmith noticed something perplexing: The star's dimmest moments show a strange coherence; they stay at a very similar brightness for decades, before shifting.
This finding suggests that the dust shells surrounding R Leonis aren't just drifting away sluggishly; they are evolving, thickening and thinning in ways that fundamentally change how we see the star.
The paper relies heavily on historical observations, and while the AAVSO data offer useful historical context, measuring a star's brightness by the naked eye in the year 1820 is a bit different from using a modern CCD camera on a state-of-the-art telescope. There is always a chance that some of these modulations are artifacts of how we observe, rather than indications of how the star behaves.
But if Goldsmith is right, R Leonis is giving us a front-row seat to the messy, beautiful death of a star. It isn't a quiet exit; it is a series of fits and starts, a dance that is slowly accelerating as the star prepares for its final act.
As more data flow in from the next decade of digital surveys, we might finally understand if this period shortening is a permanent trend or just a passing phase. For now, the "heart of the lion" beats faster. It is enough to keep us watching.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/we-may-be-witnessing-the-messy-death-of-a-star-in-real-time
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.21296
https://www.space.com/astronomy/black-holes/astronomers-watch-2-supermassive-black-holes-caught-in-a-twisted-dance-with-never-before-seen-jet-behavior
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2026/01/aa55831-25/aa55831-25.html
Astronomers watch 2 supermassive black holes caught in a twisted dance with never-before-seen jet behavior
JAnuary 13, 2026
Astronomers have used the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) to observe a violent cosmic dance between a suspected pair of supermassive black holes at the heart of a distant galaxy.
The evidence for this tryst between cosmic monsters lies in the twisted properties of the jets that erupt around the black holes.
The supermassive black hole pair, or binary, lurks at the heart of the quasar OJ287, located at the center of a galaxy around 1.6 billion light-years away from Earth.
Using a level of resolution that would be able to spot a tennis ball on the surface of the moon, the team spotted two shockwaves flowing down the jet of OJ287.
The shocks, interestingly, were seen traveling at different speeds. And as they travel, passing through strong magnetic fields, these shockwaves appear to produce a phenomenon never seen before.
This is just the latest major black hole breakthrough delivered by the EHT, which in April 2017 captured the first-ever image of a black hole, the supermassive black hole M87*, released to the public in 2019.
The network of telescopes followed this up with an image of Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way's own supermassive black hole, which the public got to see in 2022.
Since then, the EHT has continued to make waves in black hole science.
"This result shows that the EHT is not only useful for producing spectacular images, but can also be used to understand the physics that govern black hole jets," EHT team member Mariafelicia De Laurentis said in a statement.
"Distinguishing observationally between what is due to geometry and what is instead the result of real physical processes is a key step in comparing theoretical models with observations."
Snapshots of a black hole jet
The team captured two snapshots of the OJ287 system on April 5, 2017, and then on April 10 in the same year.
These revealed substantial changes in both the structure and polarization of the OJ287 that occurred over the course of just five Earth days. That is the shortest interval over which such changes have been observed in a black hole jet.
These changes are thought to be the result of shocks interacting with instabilities in velocity called Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities.
They result in a highly twisted structure within a jet, with three distinct polarized components: two slower and rotating in opposite directions to one another, one faster and rotating counterclockwise.
This represented the first direct confirmation of a helical magnetic field with the jet of a black hole.
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"We are spatially resolving the individual shock components and observing their interaction with Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities," team member Ilje Cho of the Korea Institute for Astronomy and Space Science said.
"This is the first time we have directly observed this interaction between shocks and instabilities in a black hole jet."
"These observed variations in the jet are usually interpreted in terms of a precession effect of the jet itself.
However, precession models would expect the jet components to move ballistically along the jet," EHT team member Rocco Lico of the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) said.
"Our observations, however, indicate non-ballistic motions of these components, calling into question the precession hypothesis as the sole explanation for the observed morphology of the source."
The rapid motions measured by the team suggested the kinetic energy of the particles exceeds the magnetic energy within the internal regions of the jet.
This favors the development of Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities, which arise due to the difference in velocity at the surface between the jet, which moves at speeds approaching light-speed, and the much slower surrounding matter.
These instabilities can cause helix-shaped distortions that manifest as a "twisted" structure, just like that which the EHT spotted in the OJ287 jet.
The twisted structure of the jet observed in OJ287, the high degree of polarization of the three components, and the evolution of their polarization angles, indicate a complex interaction between Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities and shocks in a jet permeated by a helical magnetic field.
"These rotations in opposite directions are the smoking gun," research team leader José L. Gómez of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía-Csic said in the statement.
"When the shock wave components interact with the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability, they illuminate different phases of the helical structure of the magnetic field, producing the polarization oscillations we observe."
The team's model proposes that the Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities generate filamentary structures that interact with propagating shocks in the jet.
"These interactions compress the magnetic field and amplify the emission in specific regions of the jet, explaining the observed features in both total intensity and polarized light, as well as the rapid variations in polarization angles and the apparent non-ballistic motions observed, despite the presence of a globally rectilinear jet," Lico said.
"For the first time, high-resolution EHT data allow us to directly visualize these structures, providing concrete evidence of the interaction between jet instabilities, shocks, and helical magnetic fields."
OJ287 was the ideal candidate to make these observations because the dancing supermassive black holes in this pair are well known for their periodic outbursts, making it a unique laboratory to study black hole physics.
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Mystery shockwave around dead star stuns astronomers: 'We found something never seen before and entirely unexpected.'
January 12, 2026
The shockwave, observed by the VLT's Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE), is being created as the white dwarf moves through space, rotating around the center of the Milky Way as it does, much as the sun and our galaxy's other stars do.
The dead star is pushing the interstellar gas in front of it as it travels, creating a type of shockwave called a bow shock, similar to how a wave builds up in front of the bow of a ship.
"Our observations reveal a powerful outflow that, according to our current understanding, shouldn't be there," Krystian Iłkiewicz, a postdoctoral researcher at the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center in Warsaw, Poland, said.
The team first saw hints at this unexpected structure when they examined images of RXJ0528+2838 captured by the Isaac Newton Telescope in Spain.
Noting the unusual shape of this formation, they followed these initial observations up with the VLT's MUSE instrument.
"Observations with the MUSE instrument allowed us to map the bow shock in detail and analyse its composition," Iłkiewicz added.
"This was crucial to confirm that the structure really originates from the binary system and not from an unrelated nebula or interstellar cloud."
Both the size and the shape of the bow shock around RXJ0528+2838 imply to the team that material has been flowing away from this white dwarf for at least 1,000 years.
That is a mystery in itself, as scientists can't explain how a white dwarf with no surrounding disk of matter can maintain an outflow for such a prolonged period of time.
The team isn't completely in the dark with regards to this, though. They suspect that the powerful magnetic field of RXJ0528+2838 is channeling stellar matter stolen from the companion star directly to the white dwarf, without giving a disk a chance to form.
"Our finding shows that even without a disc, these systems can drive powerful outflows, revealing a mechanism we do not yet understand,” Iłkiewicz said.
"This discovery challenges the standard picture of how matter moves and interacts in these extreme binary systems."
However, even with this magnetic field accounted for, the team thinks that the shockwave should only have been maintained for around 100 years.
That means there must be another energy source or "mystery engine" in this system that has been powering this outflow and the shockwave it creates for a period ten times longer than that.
Solving this mystery could depend on studying further binary systems of this type using the forthcoming Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction in the same location as the VLT operates, the Atacama Desert region of northern Chile.
Scaringi predicts that the ELT will help astronomers to "map more of these systems as well as fainter ones and detect similar systems in detail, ultimately helping in understanding the mysterious energy source that remains unexplained."
https://www.space.com/astronomy/stars/mystery-shockwave-around-dead-star-stuns-astronomers-we-found-something-never-seen-before-and-entirely-unexpected
https://www.eso.org/public/news/eso2601/
Space Force hosts its third annual Guardian Arena
Jan. 12, 2026
The United States Space Force hosted its third annual Guardian Arena, Dec. 8–9, at Kennedy Space Center and Patrick Space Force Base, bringing together Space Force units to compete in a series of physical, academic and tactical events designed to assess operational readiness and team performance.
The two-day event challenged Guardians to apply critical thinking, physical endurance and teamwork in demanding, mission-focused scenarios.
Guardian Arena III featured an academic challenge, a tactical event known as “Guardian Strike,” and 14 additional physical and problem-solving stations conducted across both locations. T
eams earned cumulative scores based on their performance in each event, requiring participants to adapt quickly while operating in high-pressure environments reflective of real-world conditions.
The annual competition reinforces the Space Force’s focus on developing disciplined, resilient Guardians capable of executing missions across contested domains while cultivating a competitive, warfighting mindset.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4376212/space-force-hosts-its-third-annual-guardian-arena/
Drone hits Kazakh tanker en route to Russian port
13 Jan, 2026 13:29
An oil tanker commissioned to transport crude from an internationally-owned terminal located at a Russian Black Sea port has been attacked by a drone, Kazakhstan’s state-owned oil company KazMunayGas (KMG) reported on Tuesday.
The Matilda was hit earlier in the day on its way to pick up cargo at the Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) terminal this coming Sunday, the statement said. No crew members were hurt, KMG added, noting that the tanker remains seaworthy.
Reuters reported attacks on four tankers in the Black Sea that were on their way to the CPC terminal, located at the Russian port of Novorossiysk, including the Matilda, citing sources.
The report suggested that Ukraine may have been responsible for the attacks, citing Kiev’s history of targeting the consortium’s assets in Russia, but said that Ukrainian officials have not commented on the situation.
CPC is a pipeline operator owned by Kazakh, Russian, and Western private firms and the government of Kazakhstan, which transports crude from the Tengiz oil field in Kazakhstan to the Novorossiysk terminal.
The Russian military has in the past reported Ukrainian attacks on the infrastructure, as Kiev seeks to undermine Moscow’s international oil trade.
Although Kiev does not officially claim credit for attacks on civilian infrastructure, the role of Ukrainian special services in several incidents has been broadly reported in domestic and international media.
Moscow has described them as an element in a global Ukrainian campaign of sabotage and terrorism targeting Russian interests.
https://www.rt.com/russia/630913-kazakh-oil-tanker-hit-ukraine-drone/
https://www.rt.com/russia/630910-video-retaliation-shipping-ukraine/
Deep-state forces from abroad instigated violence in Nepal – former foreign minister
13 Jan, 2026 12:43
External deep-state forces were instrumental in instigating the September 2025 violence in Nepal that led to the ouster of the government, its former foreign minister has told RT India.
K.P. Sharma Oli resigned as Nepal’s prime minister after violent clashes – known as the Gen Z protests – killed 77 and injured more than 2,000.
Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, a former foreign minister, has now backed Oli’s assertion that Gen Z protests that led to the ouster of the government were backed by external forces.
“Those elements who were actively engaged with the deep state, who used the cross-border misinformation and disinformation to instigate the violence, they were active,” he told RT India in an exclusive interview.
The remarks came after Oli told RT India about external influences in the uprising last year.
Gyawali said Kathmandu’s growing engagement with India and China and its aspiration of being a bridge for the economic development of Nepal between the two neighboring countries “was not a very good message to some powers.”
He added, “[They] wanted to use Nepal’s geostrategic location for their policy in their favor. So maybe our engagement with our neighboring countries may have some grievances to the big powers as well.”
The Grayzone has cited leaked documents to reveal that the US government’s National Endowment for Democracy (NED) had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars tutoring Nepalese young people to stage the protests.
The Gen Z protests happened as the US sought to neutralize Chinese and Indian influence over Kathmandu, Grayzone investigations revealed.
The NED is officially a US State Department-funded nonprofit that provides grants to support ‘democratic initiatives’ worldwide.
The International Republican Institute (IRI), a NED division, has been accused of funding clandestine activities in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, apart from funneling tens of millions of dollars to Ukrainian political entities and anti-Russian
https://www.rt.com/news/630891-deep-state-forces-nepal-protest/
https://www.rt.com/news/630762-russia-ukraine-abducted-children/
Here’s who really weaponizes children in the Russia-Ukraine conflict
9 Jan, 2026 21:22
As accusations of abductions resurface, it’s clear the West doesn’t care about facts on the ground if they contradict the narrative
For the last three years, Ukraine and concerted legacy media campaigns have been screaming that Russia has abducted, or forcibly displaced, thousands of Ukrainian children – even up to 1.5 million!
The accusations resurged in December, with a UN General Assembly vote on a draft resolution on the return of Ukrainian children.
During the meeting, Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mariana Betsa once again pushed claims that “at least 20,000 Ukrainian children have been deported to Russia,” in spite of the fact that months prior, during the June Istanbul talks, the Ukrainian side finally provided a list of the children it accuses Russia of abducting: 339 children, surprisingly far fewer than the number alleged for years.
The absence of over 19,500 on the list indeed leads to many questions, mainly: is Ukraine lying again? Recall that in 2022, the accusations by the (now former) Ukrainian ombudswoman, Lyudmila Denisova, about “sexual atrocities” allegedly committed by Russian soldiers, were revealed to be lies and propaganda. So much so that Denisova was sacked. But before her dismissal, legacy media and the UN all backed the lies.
Some recent accusations are that children were being sent to labor camps in Russia – “165 re-education camps where Ukrainian children are militarized and Russified” – or even of being sent to North Korea, as Katerina Rashevskaya of the Ukrainian Regional Center for Human Rights told the US Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs on December 3.
The footnotes of the claims made by Rashevskaya, instead of a source for the information, say “The Regional Human Rights Center can provide information upon request.” In other words, her sources are “trust me, bro.”
Regarding the North Korean camp in question, if two Russian teens were sent there, they’d potentially be made to enjoy water slides, basketball and volleyball courts, an arcade room, a rock climbing wall, art and performance halls, an archery range, a private beach, and hikes in the mountains.
Regarding the list of 339 children Ukraine says were abducted by Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova remarked, “30 percent of the names on the list could not be verified, as most of those children were never in Russia, are now adults, or have already returned to their families. As for the Ukrainian children who are actually in our country, they are under state care in appropriate institutions. They are safe now; in many cases, their evacuation from combat zones saved their lives. Local children’s rights commissioners are now working to reunite them with their relatives.”
Just as legacy media has whitewashed the eight years of Ukraine’s war against Donbass civilians prior to Russia commencing its military operation in 2022, including the Ukrainian shelling which killed 250 children starting in 2014, media likewise ignore the children Russia says are missing.
During the talks in Istanbul, Zakharova noted, “the Russian side presented Ukraine with a list of 20 Russian children who are either currently in Ukraine or relocated from Ukraine to Western Europe, including to countries that endorsed this very statement.
Now, the burden falls on these states to provide Russia with a substantive response regarding our 'list of 20.'”
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Over 500 Ukrainian orphans abused in Türkiye
Recently, Donbass-based journalist Christelle Néant wrote about a report published on a pro-Ukrainian website which broke the story of 510 Ukrainian children who had been evacuated by a Ukrainian oligarch in 2022 from Dnepropetrovsk to Türkiye, where the benevolent foundation which brought them there allegedly allowed its staff to beat the children, sexually assault them, and deny them food if they refused to perform on camera to raise funds for their lodging. These are just some of the reported violations of the orphans’ rights.
The details of the report show that the children suffered physically and psychologically. Additionally, two underage teens were impregnated by staff at the hotel they stayed in, with educators allegedly aware of the interactions.
According to Néant, the orphanage director’s response to the fact of one of the teens in her care becoming pregnant was to blame the girl: “This young girl comes from an asocial family. Well, this way of life is already inscribed in every cell, in the blood of these children.”
“In almost 10 years of work in Donbass,” Néant wrote, “I have conducted or filmed many humanitarian missions to orphanages in the region.
And never ever have I heard a director make such vile remarks about one of the children in her care. Even the most difficult and recalcitrant were cared for with pedagogy, love, and patience.”
Ukraine hunting down children
In April 2023, Christelle Néant and I interviewed Artyomovsk civilians who had recently been rescued by Russian soldiers.
In addition to being deliberately shelled by Ukrainian forces who knew they were sheltering in the basement of a residential building, the civilians we spoke to told us about Ukrainian military police hunting for children.
The evacuees told us some of these police went by the name ‘White Angels’, and were taking childrenaway without their consent or that of their parents.
Around that time, more reports came out about these abductions or attempted abductions, including an 11-year-old girl who spoke of how White Angels, who introduced themselves as military police, came to the basement she was sheltering in with a photo of her, looking for her, and saying they needed to take her away, because “Russia killed her mother.” According to the girl, her mother was alive and with her.
Reports of these abductions also emerged in Avdeyevka, Kupyansk, Slavyansk, Chasov Yar and Konstantinovka, as well as in Ukrainsk and Zhelannoye.
Néant wrote of a July 2023 conference on Ukraine’s crimes against the Donbass children, in which Liliya and her daughter Kira from Schastye, in the Lugansk People’s Republic, spoke.
They gave evidence of how, “at the start of the special military operation (when Ukraine controlled Schastye), around ten children were taken from a school in Schastye to western Ukraine by the headmistress of the school, on orders from Kiev, without informing their parents.”
The children were even forbidden to call their parents, Néant wrote, “But Kira knew her mother’s telephone number by heart and managed to call her to let her know that they were in Lviv and then Khoust.
Thanks to Liliya’s determination to find her daughter, we discovered how Kiev ‘exports’ the children it abducts.” Ukraine had forged a new “original” birth certificate for Kira. The girl said she and the other children were to be sent to Poland.
Former SBU officer Vasily Prozorov spoke at the same conference, where he explained, according to Néant, “that one of his investigations had revealed that some of the children abducted by Ukraine are sent to pedophile networks in Great Britain, via a whole network of Ukrainian and British officials or former officials who work together.
On the British side, members of MI6 and the Foreign Office are involved.”
Prozorov, she wrote, spoke of “another of his investigations on organizations registered in EU countries involved in ‘exporting’ children from Ukraine under the pretext of providing them with shelter.
These organizations take unaccompanied Ukrainian children out of Ukraine. What happens to them afterwards is unknown.”
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Evacuees from Kherson reject ‘abduction’ claims
In November 2022, in the southern Russian seaside city Anapa, I met numerous people displaced from Kherson who were being lodged in hotels and apartments in the city.
The first site I visited was a few minutes by taxi outside of the city, one of many hotels along the coast. The hotel director showing me around said they don’t call them refugees, “we call them guests of the building,” and spoke affectionately of them, how grateful they were to be there, far from any shelling. Just under 500 refugees had been living there since October, she told me.
No guards monitored the entrance/exit; the refugees walked around tidy grounds. But in any case, I asked about their freedom of movement, or lack thereof.
“They move freely, of course. We don’t prohibit them from going out. Many aren’t here now because they’re in town, looking for jobs, getting documents. Children are at school.”
With my hired translator, I spoke with two Kherson women, a young mother and her own mother, to hear their stories.
“We were living with explosions at night, it was very scary, not only for myself, but for my children and for my grandchildren,” the older woman said. “When you go to bed, you don’t know if you will get out of bed in the morning. We were forced to leave.”
I asked who was shelling them. “Word of mouth transmits very clearly, and people around us spoke about it. We were bombed by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Russian soldiers protected us.”
The younger woman said she used to speak with the Russian soldiers there. “They are friendly. We wanted to hug them, because we felt protected. They helped us, gave us humanitarian aid, brought it to the house.”
Some minutes’ taxi ride away, I visited an apartment complex that could have served tourists in summer. There, fifty buildings housed around 1,500 refugees who had also arrived in October, mostly from Kherson Region.
My translator and I walked around, passing playgrounds, a pharmacy, a library, a swimming pool, a gym, a small petting zoo with peacocks, and a kindergarten. Near a playground, I spoke with a mother sitting on a bench with two of her four children.
“In the early days, there was bombing. We spent two and a half weeks in the basement. It was unbearable, the children were very afraid.” One of her daughters became ill. “She had acute inflammation of the lower jaw, we think due to hypothermia. We took her to Simferopol and she had surgery.”
In Anapa, she said, her children hadfull medical examinations. “We were helped by the mayor of the city of Anapa. We are grateful for everything.”
I mentioned that according to Western media, she and her family were kidnapped by Russia. She replied that her husband’s parents had demanded to see the children, having been told that children were being separated from their parents in Russia.
“His mother called three days in a row, saying, ‘Where are the children?’ We answered, ‘They went to the cinema. They’re playing, etc.’ She said, ‘Show me the children, they say that they took your children from you.’”
Details matter
Whereas legacy media continue to push the “Evil Russia child kidnapper” narrative, there is ample evidence that Ukraine is guilty of doing precisely what it accuses Russia of.
The is also a significant absence of evidence regarding the ‘20,000 kidnapped children’ claims still being pushed.
Will media investigate the reports of abuse of Ukrainian children in Türkiye? Surely not. It wouldn’t suit their scripted anti-Russia bias.
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'A series of loud explosions' — Ukraine 'destroys' key Russian drone factory in Taganrog, SBU says
January 13, 2026 12:25 pm
Ukraine struck a key Russian factory involved in the production of strike and reconnaissance drones in Taganrog, Rostov Oblast, overnight on Jan. 13, sparking a huge blaze and a "series of loud explosions," Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said.
"The SBU's Alpha Special Operations Center, together with units of the Ukrainian Navy's forces and equipment group, struck the production buildings of the Atlant Aero plant," the agency said in a statement.
The plant is involved in the production of "Orion" drones, electronic warfare complexes, and digital integration systems for strike FPV (first person view) drones and loitering munitions.
"The destruction of the plant will reduce the production of (unmanned aerial vehicles) UAVs and weaken the technical capabilities of the occupiers to conduct reconnaissance and strike operations using drones," the SBU said.
"Each stopped production line means hundreds of drones that will not fly over Ukrainian cities, kill civilians, or destroy homes."
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The plant in Taganrog has previously been targeted by Ukraine, most recently in June of last year.
Throughout Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine and Russia have extensively invested in drone technology, revolutionizing the way wars are fought.
The SBU has been at the forefront of this, regularly striking targets inside Russia.
Overnight long-range strikes successfully damaged an ammunition depot and oil facility in central Russia, a source inside the agency told the Kyiv Independent on Jan. 6.
The strikes are just the latest in an escalating Ukrainian "deep strike" campaign against Russian military targets and oil infrastructure, made possible by the growing domestic production of long-range attack drones.
According to the SBU source, long-range drones operated by the agency's Alpha special forces unit struck a large Russian arsenal near the town of Neya in Kostroma Oblast, claiming that explosions from the secondary detonations of ammunition at the depot "rang out all night."
https://kyivindependent.com/a-series-of-loud-explosions-ukraine-destroys-key-russian-drone-factory-in-taganrog-sbu-says/
other Russia and Ukraine
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4079820-ukrainian-drones-destroy-weapons-depot-in-makiivka-strike-energy-hub-in-crimea.html
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/kazakhstan-oil-output-plunges-as-ukrainian-drones-strike-russia/ar-AA1U8qAk
https://oboronka.mezha.ua/en/sbs-dronom-urazili-zrk-strila-10-reyd-307702/
https://newsable.asianetnews.com/world/zelenskyy-briefs-dutch-pm-on-russias-intensified-drone-missile-attacks-articleshow-2z1zcg8
https://www.realcleardefense.com/2026/01/13/hellfire-armed_drone-killing_buggy_appears_in_ukrainian_service_1158404.html
https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4079655-death-toll-from-massive-drone-attack-on-kharkiv-suburb-rises-to-four.html
IDF on Alert for Surprise Scenarios with Iran
January 13, 2026
The Times of Israel reports that the IDF is on alert for any unexpected or sudden developments involving Iran, as threats of potential U.S. intervention increase.
This follows reports of the killing of anti-theocracy protesters, with death tolls estimated in the thousands. An internet blackout imposed by the Iranian regime since last week has made communication and independent assessments difficult.
As U.S. President Donald Trump is briefed today on possible diplomatic and military actions against Iran, the IDF is reviewing its defensive capabilities.
IDF spokesperson Brig. Gen. Effie Defrin urged the public not to “lend a hand to rumors” surrounding the situation in Iran.
“The protests in Iran are an internal matter,” he said in a post on X.
Defrin added that the IDF is “prepared defensively” and continues to conduct regular situational assessments, noting that updates will be provided if circumstances change.
Iran has stated that it is open to diplomacy, though an Israeli source warned that these statements may be intended to delay concrete actions such as military strikes.
Iran’s foreign minister has also blamed the United States and Israel for the violence stemming from protests that began on December 28, though no evidence has been provided to support this claim.
Current U.S. actions include President Trump imposing tariffs on countries that do business with Iran, as well as Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite system offering internet access to Iranians.
Meanwhile, the IDF has stated that it does not intend to strike first and will respond only if attacked, emphasizing that it is prepared to do so.
We pray for the Iranian people fighting for freedom and are deeply grateful for the continued dedication and readiness of the men and women of the IDF, while praying that the situation does not escalate into further conflict.
https://www.ifcj.org/news/stand-for-israel-blog/idf-on-alert-for-surprise-scenarios-with-iran
https://www.timesofisrael.com/idf-says-its-on-alert-for-surprise-scenarios-as-us-mulls-military-strikes-on-iran/
other Israel
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-kills-2-gunmen-in-rafah-firefight-search-for-additional-suspects-ongoing/
https://www.jns.org/idf-kills-three-terrorists-gathering-intelligence-on-troop-movements-in-gaza/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/4-suspects-who-impersonated-idf-troops-in-west-bank-heist-nabbed-by-israel-police-pa/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/unifil-says-idf-tanks-in-south-lebanon-fired-shells-near-peacekeepers-used-laser-to-track-them/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-denies-unifil-claim-that-tank-fire-endangered-peacekeepers-in-south-lebanon/
https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/idf-says-flooding-hit-central-israel-base-no-impact-on-operations/
Two Myanmar government staff killed in drone bomb attacks during phase two of general election
Tuesday, 13 Jan 2026 4:06 PM MYT
YANGON: According to the Ministry of Information, on the day the second phase of the election was held, two government staff members were killed due to drone drop-bomb attacks in Mandalay, Sagaing, Bago, Magway, and Kayah State.
On January 11, when the second phase of the multiparty democratic general election was conducted, terrorist insurgent sabotage groups carried out attacks with the intention of killing, injuring and intimidating voters and disrupting the election process.
These attacks included the use of drones to drop bombs in Hpruso Township, Kayah State, and the arson and destruction of the home of a village administrator in Taung Thone Lone Village, Kyan Gyi Village Tract, Kyunsu Township, Tanintharyi Region.
Similarly, in Magway Region, attacks were carried out in Gangaw, Seikphyu, Salin, and Kanma towns using fixed-wing drones, rocket launchers, drop bombs and small arms.
In Sagaing Region, attacks using handmade rockets and drop bombs were launched in Chaung-U, Butalin, and Myinmu towns. In Bago Region, drop bombs were deployed in Htantabin Town.
As a result of these attacks, two government staff members were killed, while two other staff members and one civilian were injured.
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/aseanplus-news/2026/01/13/two-myanmar-government-staff-killed-in-drone-bomb-attacks-during-phase-two-of-general-election
India accuses Pakistan of drone incursions in Kashmir
Tuesday, 13 Jan 2026, 9:51 pm
India’s army chief accuses Pakistan of flying drones into Indian-administered Kashmir, warning the incursions are unacceptable amid ongoing tensions.
NEW DELHI: India’s army chief has accused Pakistan of flying drones into Indian-administered territory in the disputed Kashmir region.
General Upendra Dwivedi told reporters on Tuesday that the incursions were unacceptable and that Pakistan had been told to stop.
He said the heads of military operations from both countries spoke earlier on Tuesday to address the issue.
India’s army reported sighting multiple drones over Indian-controlled border villages last week.
“These drones, I believe, were defensive drones, which want to come over (our territory) to see if any action is being planned against them,” Dwivedi said.
There was no immediate response from Pakistan’s army to the allegations.
Dwivedi detailed that several low-flying drones entered Indian airspace with their lights on.
He said as many as seven were spotted on Saturday, with another two or three on Sunday.
“It’s possible they wanted to see if there were any gaps, laxity in our defence, any gaps through which they could send terrorists,” he added.
The general stated that Indian forces remain fully alert along the heavily fortified Line of Control.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since 1947, with both claiming the Himalayan territory in full.
The neighbours fought a four-day clash in May 2025, weeks after India accused Pakistan of backing a deadly attack on tourists.
Pakistan denied involvement in the attack, which preceded a conflict that killed at least 70 people.
That conflict saw extensive use of drones alongside intense missile and artillery barrages.
Rebel groups in Indian-run Kashmir have waged a 35-year insurgency for independence or merger with Pakistan.
https://thesun.my/news/world-news/india-accuses-pakistan-of-drone-incursions-in-kashmir/
Department of Homeland Security Launches New Office to Advance Drone and Counter-Drone Technologies
January 12, 2026
$115 million investment in counter-drone technologies that will be critical in securing America250 and 2026 FIFA is in final stages
WASHINGTON – The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) today announced the launch of a new office dedicated to rapidly procuring and deploying drone and counter-drone technologies, marking a major step forward in restoring American airspace sovereignty – a top priority for the Trump Administration.
Drones are transforming industries nationwide, but they are also increasingly exploited by malicious actors.
The new DHS Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems will oversee strategic investments in drone and counter-drone technologies that can outpace evolving threats and tactics.
The Program Executive Office has already begun its work and, this week, will finalize a $115 million investment in counter-drone technologies that will be critical in securing America250 and 2026 FIFA World Cup venues, underscoring the historic responsibility of protecting events that commemorate 250 years of American independence and welcome the world for the largest World Cup in history.
“Drones represent the new frontier of American air superiority. Under President Trump, we are entering a new era to defend our air superiority to protect our borders and the interior of the United States,” said Secretary Kristi Noem.
“With the creation of the DHS Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems, President Trump continues his historic legacy in developing American dominance.
This will help us continue to secure the border and cripple the cartels, protect our infrastructure, and keep Americans safe as they attend festivities and events during a historic year of America’s 250th birthday and FIFA 2026.”
President Trump has championed the protection of the country from drone threats, initially signing the law in 2018 that gave DHS Components the authority to detect and mitigate drones.
Since then, the Department has conducted over 1,500 missions to protect the United States from illicit drone activities. The new Program Executive Office will be taking the threat of hostile drones head-on and innovating ways drones can keep us safe from other threats on the ground, equipping the Department with the technology and expertise we need to keep us Americans safe.
With support from President Trump, the Department is now making unprecedented investments to secure American airspace. Other key Department initiatives include:
Industry Engagement: DHS recently requested proposals from the counter-drone industry for a new $1.5 billion contract vehicle, enabling Components such as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to quickly and strategically acquire advanced technologies needed to protect their officers and U.S. citizens.
Expanded Authorities: In December, DHS authorities were broadened, authorizing all Department Components, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement partners, and correctional agencies to fully combat drone threats.
Rapid Grant Deployment: Last month, FEMA completed the fastest non-disaster grant award in the history of the Department, awarding $250 million in grants for counter-drone capabilities to the 11 states hosting FIFA World Cup 2026 matches and the National Capital Region.
https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/01/12/department-homeland-security-launches-new-office-advance-drone-and-counter-drone
Mysterious Drone-Like Object's Sighting Over Thermal Plant Sparks Panic, Security Alarm In Jaisalmer
Updated : January 13, 2026 at 5:58 PM IST
Jaisalmer: The sighting of a drone-like object in Ramgarh area of Jaisalmer district on Monday night triggered a security alarm in Rajasthan.
The object was spotted hovering above a thermal power plant. The brightly lit object reportedly flew over the sensitive area for about an hour before suddenly disappearing.
This incident came at a time when there were an increase in drone incursion attempts and infiltration activities in border areas following Operation Sindoor.
Bright light spotted at 10 pm
According to Ramgarh Police Station in-charge Bhutaram Bishnoi, residents said they saw a "bright light" in the sky above the power plant at around 10 pm on Monday.
“It is suspected to have been a drone. It was seen hovering over the plant and the surrounding area until about 11 pm before suddenly vanishing,” he said.
The thermal power plant is considered strategically important. The presence of a drone flying in this restricted and sensitive area is seen as a major security lapse.
The district administration has already imposed a complete ban on flying drones without permission in Jaisalmer.
Agencies on alert, investigation underway
According to sources, the matter is being investigated seriously, and all aspects are being considered. The incident has created an atmosphere of fear in the surrounding villages.
Villagers said that drones have been spotted in the area before, but flying for such a long duration is a cause for concern.
People suspect that the drone may have been used for reconnaissance or as part of preparations for a larger conspiracy.
The police and administration have appealed to the public not to pay attention to rumours but to immediately inform security agencies of any suspicious activity.
If the drone is found to have been flown by a local person, strict legal action will be taken against them, police said.
https://www.etvbharat.com/en/state/mysterious-drone-like-object-sighting-over-thermal-plant-sparks-panic-security-alarm-in-jaisalmer-enn26011304278
Aussie miners baffled after spotting bizarre object in the sky above the Pilbara: 'Genuine UFO'
Updated: 23:25 EST, 12 January 2026
A group of miners have shared disturbing photos of a 'UFO' they spotted in a remote region of Western Australia during an early-morning drive.
The six workers were stunned when they saw the airborne object near Fortescue Metals Group's Solomon mine site in the Pilbara region at about 5am on December 7.
The group spotted the strange object while driving from their laboratory worksite to catch a bus back to camp in the Hamersley Ranges.
According to one witness, it stood out clearly against the morning sky.
'There were six of us in the car,' the witness said. 'The people in the front noticed it first and commented that it looked weird.'
The driver initially thought the object was a cloud, but decided it looked more like a triangular UFO shape often seen in other sightings around the world.
'It can't be,' the shocked witness said. His friends in the back seat of the vehicle noticed the object shortly afterwards. 'Look at that,' one said.
Another suggested it could be a medical evacuation helicopter, but others disagreed.
'It was in no way shaped like one,' they said, while admitting the distance made it hard to identify clearly with the naked eye.
One of the workers, Afrasiab Khan, took photos of it on his phone.
'That is a genuine UFO, guys,' he told his workmates. No official explanation has been provided for the sighting.
Last year, a bizarre object was found on fire in remote WA with no visible signs to indicate how it got there.
Police coordinated a multi-agency response after the item was found in October near a mining site near the small town of Newman.
The large black object was similar to other known space re-entry debris, WA Police said in a statement.
It sparked intrigue similar to previous UFO sightings across the country.
A month earlier, there were reports of strange lights in the sky near Point Moore in Geraldton, 420km north of Perth.
Perth Observatory received a number of reports of lights across a widespread area which a spokesperson described as 'very confusing'.
The Department of Defence said there were no military training activities in the area on the night of the sightings.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15457627/strange-object-pilbara-western-australia.html
UFO Disclosure and the Doctrines of Demons: Is the Great Falling Away Near?
Jan 13, 2026
For decades, the idea of UFOs belonged to late-night radio, obscure conferences and fringe documentaries.
Not anymore.
What was once dismissed as a conspiracy theory has now exploded into the mainstream—and author and researcher L.A. Marzulli believes this sudden shift is not an accident, but a sign of prophetic times.
“Everything is in lock step,” Marzulli told Charisma Media during a recent interview. “Congress is talking about the UAP/UFO phenomenon. Whistleblowers are coming forward… All these people say the same thing: We are not alone in the universe.”
From classified briefings to headline documentaries such as The Age of Disclosure, the cultural messaging is clear: humanity is being prepared for something. And it’s happening fast.
Marzulli, who has spent over 30 years investigating UFOs, abductions, cattle mutilations and alleged hybridization programs, believes the biblical warning in 1 Timothy 4:1 is unfolding before our eyes:
“The spirit clearly says that in the latter times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
“This is exactly where we are,” he says without hesitation.
A Silent Church and a Loud Culture
While government officials and former intelligence operatives fill documentaries with testimony, Marzulli’s concern is not merely national security—it’s spiritual deception.
“The phenomenon is now out of the back room. It’s no longer [a] conspiracy theory. And what’s alarming to me is the slumber of the church.”
A Coming Announcement?
Marzulli imagines what global disclosure could look like if world leaders make a coordinated announcement:
“Folks, I have an announcement to make. We have been in contact with other life forms… They are friendly… We are not alone in the universe.”
He warns that such a moment could trigger the prophetic “falling away,” causing many—especially the unprepared—to abandon biblical faith for a new supernatural narrative.
The Prophetic Worldview Behind the Phenomenon
Unlike secular ufology, Marzulli ties the entire disclosure movement back to Genesis, fallen angels, the Nephilim and a millennia-long spiritual war.
“People are deceived… There is another paradigm, a biblical paradigm,” he says.
This, Marzulli argues, is the real battle—not technological, but theological.
Preparing the Saints
For that reason, Marzulli and other researchers are urging pastors and believers to engage now, not later.
“This is a real phenomenon… and we as believers need to be able to say, ‘This is in the Bible.’”
In a world rushing toward disclosure, he offers a warning that doubles as a prophetic trumpet blast:
“People are falling from the line, and that’s why we’re pushing back.”
As the world races toward what many believe will be a full-scale disclosure moment, the church cannot afford to shrug or sleep through the birth pangs of prophetic fulfillment.
Now, more than ever, the remnant must be vigilant, rooted in Scripture and prepared to give an answer for the hope that is within us. The shaking has only just begun.
https://mycharisma.com/culture/ufo-disclosure-and-the-doctrines-of-demons-is-the-great-falling-away-near/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSoLPwdLL50