A Russian soldier dressed in a bizarre penguin-like costume was blown up on the battlefield while attempting to hide from a Ukrainian drone.The troop wore a white thermal-blocking cape, meant to make him invisible to drone sensors. The hooded cloak almost made him look like an emperor penguin, and his feet poked out as he walked across a snowy field. Footage from the Ukrainian drone shows the soldier moving alone before the device locks on and detonates. The cloak offered no protection.Putin’s forces have reportedly used these “invisibility cloaks” to try to avoid detection by Ukraine’s thermal-sensing drones. The penguin incident comes amid reports of harsh discipline by Russian commanders. Chilling footage shows soldiers accused of desertion or refusing orders being taped to trees in freezing temperatures.One soldier, stripped to his underwear, is forced to eat snow by a superior officer.One of the taped men pleads: “It won’t happen again. I’m sorry, please.” The officer replies: “You need to work, not **** off.”This method of punishment appears to be a recurring tactic among Putin’s commanders, according to the Sun. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that an American plan to guarantee Ukraine’s security is “100 per cent” ready to be signed. Zelenskyy said he is awaiting confirmation of the time and place for signing, after which the agreement will go to the US Congress and Ukrainian Parliament for ratification.No immediate breakthrough came from recent trilateral talks in Abu Dhabi between Russian and Ukrainian negotiators, mediated by US officials. The Kremlin said discussions were held in a “constructive spirit” but said significant work is still needed.Shortly after the talks, Moscow launched a heavy overnight assault, targeting central heating and electricity grids and leaving millions without power amid freezing temperatures. Zelenskyy reported that the attack involved over 370 drones and 21 missiles, killing at least one person.
