Free Republic

This is the moment a man, said to be a Ukrainian prisoner of war, takes one last drag from a cigarette next to a shallow grave before reportedly being executed by Russian troops. The chilling video has emerged as Kyiv described the death of the soldier as a 'heinous war crime'. In the grim footage, a man - who can be seen smoking a cigarette in a small hole in the ground - says 'Glory to Ukraine' - while a group of unseen soldiers are heard sneering in the background. He is then shot to death with automatic weapons in...

A former Kremlin official has said that prior to Russian President Vladimir Putin's partial mobilization order in September 2022, Russia's Airborne Forces had lost up to half of their personnel. Mikhail Zvinchuk, creator of the Rybar Telegram channel, and former Kremlin military press agent, was speaking on his state TV show. An excerpt of the program was posted on Twitter by Dmitri, a member of War Translated, an independent project that translates materials about the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. "The creator of Rybar channel who now has a live TV program admits that Russian VDV forces lost 50% of personnel...

Coast guards rescued three divers off the northern coast of Poland over the weekend whose dubious explanation of their night-time dive near critical energy infrastructure, along with their mysterious identities, has reportedly sparked a cross-agency investigation. The three men, who told authorities they were Spanish nationals, were rescued near the Polish coastal city of Gdansk on Saturday night after their small motorboat broke down and they couldn't return to shore. Since then, doubts over their intentions have mounted. They were rescued not far from the Naftoport facility at the Port of Gdansk, which receives tanker shipments of oil and other...

A former commander with the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group has claimed asylum in Norway after deserting from the mercenary outfit. Andrey Medvedev, 26, crossed the border into Norway last Friday, where he was detained by border guards. He is currently being held in the Oslo area where he faces charges of illegal entry to Norway, his lawyer Brynjulf Risnes told the BBC. Mr Risnes said his client left Wagner after witnessing war crimes in Ukraine. The Norwegian Border Guard confirmed to the BBC that a Russian man had been detained after crossing the country's 198km (123miles) long border with Russia,...