Free Republic

Two videos uploaded to the Internet purportedly reveal RussiaÂ’s first truly new infantry fighting vehicles in decades and a new self-propelled howitzer. One of the videos even shows intriguing closeups of whatÂ’s probably RussiaÂ’s new Armata tank. If the videos are authentic, itÂ’s a sign that the KremlinÂ’s long-delayed rearmament plans are making progress. Unknown videographers captured the footage at the Alabino training grounds, a base about 29 miles southwest of Moscow where Russian forces rehearse for the annual May 9 Victory Day parade in Red Square. The parade celebrates the Soviet Union victory over Nazi Germany during World War...

The fragment forms part of an exhibition marking 70 years since end of WWII A Russian museum plans to exhibit a plane fragment from downed flight MH17, despite the fact Dutch investigators are still combing the area for evidence to establish who exactly shot down the Boeing 777. Local media published photos of the fragment brought from the militant-held area of Donetsk by a Russian veteran's organisation, to the museum in the Russian coastal town of Eisk near the Ukrainian border. The so-called souvenir will form part of an exhibition commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over...

Even if the Senate gets a clue and does shut-down Obama's bizarre non-agreement with Iran, cascading collateral damage has already begun: Gulf states are looking to get their own atomic weaponry, US prestige and credibility has suffered yet another heavy blow (Obama/Kerry don't even know how to surrender), and now the Russians are sending their advanced S-300 anti-aircraft missile system to Tehran... Putin signed something that cleared the way for the (bartered for crude oil) missiles yesterday- a system that experts say could leave Iran 'untouchable'... the only way to get by that would be a large stealth fleet...

A moron Russian biker gang with whom Vladimir Putin is closely allied is planning a two-week ride along the Red Army's invasion routes of 1944-45 to celebrate 70 years since WWII, but naturally, not all the countries the Soviet Union crushed under their tank tracks (then colonized) -i.e. Poland- are welcoming the latest droll Kremlin stunt. First of all, the gang -'Night Wolves'- are basically Vladimir Putin's extra-governmental 'Brown Shirt' street muscle, utilized to bully and intimidate opponents of his vile regime. They run the 'anti-Maidan' movement in Russia -intended to head-off any 'color revolution' in Moscow- while the...

HELSINKI (Reuters) - From closer NATO ties to rumors of Kremlin-backed land deals on its border, Finland's diplomatic balancing act with Russia has come under the spotlight before Sunday's parliamentary election as politicians debate how far to challenge the Kremlin.The vote sees centrist opposition front-runner Juha Sipila, who favors military non-alignment along with two other major parties, battling center-right incumbent Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, who advocates joining NATO. The debate was mirrored regionally after an unprecedented hawkish joint statement last week by Nordic countries - Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland - that directly cited the Russian "challenge" as grounds...

The US Air Force and Navy plan to pursue the development and acquisition of sixth-generation F/A-XX fighters; they consider the fleet of existing jets incapable of handling their Russian and Chinese fifth-generation counterparts, something which they feel constitutes a real threat to national security. The Chinese Chengdu J-20 and the Russian Sukhoi T-50 PAK-FA are becoming a real threat to the US Air Force and Navy, according to The National Interest, an international affairs magazine. "When you see these next-generation fighters, the PAK-FA out of Russia and the J-20 out of China, and some of their new missile technology, our...

Influential Egyptian TV personality Tawfik Okasha has reportedly told Israel to bomb Iran. Addressing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “dear friend,” Okasha said that Israel should bomb the Bushehr Nuclear Reactor, Breaking Christian News reports. "Put your trust in God and bomb it. We are with you and if you need fuel for the jets, we will give it to you,” Okasha said. Netanyahu said Okasha’s words are proof Egypt cannot be trusted. "In the last few days, Iran has shown again why it can't be trusted," Netanyahu said. According to Breaking Christian News, the Israeli Prime Minister...

The new Russian-language version of iPhone's “personal assistant” has been accused of providing homophobic responses to questions about gays and lesbians. One Russian man in London, Alex, posted a video on YouTube in which Siri responds in a woman's voice to his questions about gay marriages and whether they are “normal”, by saying, “Alex, you are so rude!” Asked in Russian, “How do you register a gay marriage in England?” Siri replies on an iPad, “I will pretend I didn't hear that.”. The Russian LGBT site, www.lesbiru.com, noted that when told “Lesbianism is normal”, Siri came back saying, “There’s no...

PM tells Russian leader that the move would only serve to increase Iran's aggression and put the security of the Middle East at risk. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the sale of S-300 anti-missile systems to Iran would only strengthen its aggression and undermine the Middle. The two leaders spoke by telephone on Tuesday, just one day after Russia ended its five-year ban on the delivery of the anti-missile system, which would help strengthen Iran against a military attack. Russia that in light of the framework agreement between Iran and the six world powers to...

Should at any time we feel ourselves to be alone, or for the secular world to be so overwhelming and powerful as to render spiritual life redundant, we can reflect on the difficulties of our predecessors and be inspired by their cheerfulness and joy in the face of tremendous privations. As mentioned before, the mid 1920’s was a period of ferocious attacks upon the Church by the Bolsheviks, both clergy and laity. Many of the faithful were executed or imprisoned in the Gulag for extended periods on nonsensical charges. The Solovetsky Island concentration camp (Solovki for short), formerly a remote...

Owners of smartphones and tablets from Apple complained about homophobia in the Russian version of personal assistant Siri. This was reported by one of the users of the video hosting site YouTube. According to him, those interested in the topic of homosexuality are called 'rude' by the Siri. [...]In a video (in Russian) posted on YouTube, the user talks with a smartphone. "I'd blush if I could," replied Siri in the video to the request "gay clubs around me". On the request to talk about same-sex marriage, Siri remained at first silent, then said: "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear...

On Monday, Israeli officials reported that Iran has upped its delivery of weapons to the Lebanese Shiite terror group Hezbollah in the past few weeks. Channel 2 stated that the shipments have been made to both Lebanon and the Syrian side of the Golan Heights. In addition, the report stated that Iran was sending weapons to Hamas chiefs in Gaza and arming Hamas members in Judea and Samaria. Channel 2 asserted that the ease in sanctions on Iran from the present nuclear negotiations would allow it to spend “billions of dollars” shipping weapons to Israel’s enemies. The increase in Iranian...

(Reuters) - The company that launches most of America's satellites unveiled on Monday a reusable rocket named "Vulcan" that is slated to take off in 2019 and end U.S. dependence on Russian-built rocket engines. United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) and Boeing Co (BA.N), said more than a million people voted in an online contest to name the rocket after the home planet of Spock from the television show "Star Trek." The rocket’s first stage will be powered by a pair of liquid-oxygen and liquefied methane engines under development by Blue Origin, a space...

Six months ago, the price of oil—the lifeblood of the Russian economy—began to crater, and U.S.-led sanctions, implemented in the wake of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in Ukraine, were biting. Russia’s currency, the ruble, buckled, and capital flight began to accelerate as rich but nervous Russians moved more and more money out of the country. It seemed plausible then to wonder: Could Vladimir Putin be losing his grip? Might economic pressure be enough to rein him in, or even lead to his downfall? Today, the answer is becoming clear—and it’s not the one the West was hoping for. Not only...

Israel on Monday denounced Russia's decision to lift a ban on supplying Iran with sophisticated S-300 air defence missile systems as proof of Tehran's newfound "legitimacy" following nuclear talks. "This is a direct result of the legitimacy that Iran is receiving from the nuclear deal that is being prepared, and proof that the Iranian economic growth which follows the lifting of sanctions will be exploited for arming itself and not for the welfare of the Iranian people," Israeli Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz said in a statement. The S-300 batteries are advanced ground-to-air weapons that can take out aircraft or guided...

Total Absorption and Breakthrough I am drawing you deeper into My Spirit then ever before for I AM your Wellspring of Life and so now as I call and you answer I will feed you from The Tree of Life great and mighty things. First you will delve into and devour My very Virtue for without this nothing exists so you must come into and completely walk in My Worthiness for "HOLY" is My Name "Yeah" even the angels cry out unrelentingly My Truth . Second I will cause you to drink in My love and this door opens to...

The launch of Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign has proved an unexpected test of Russia’s controversial so-called “gay-propaganda” law. The independent, opposition TV channel, Dozhd TV, decided it was obliged to include an “18+” age-rating on the video announcing the launch of Clinton’s campaign because it features a gay couple holding hands. Clinton’s campaign released the video Sunday to formally announce her run. As the video briefly shows the gay couple holding hands, a voice-over from one of the men says, "I’m getting married this summer to someone I really care about." A spokesperson for Dozhd TV told ABC News...

Russia announced Monday that it will sell Iran advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles. The sale, which ends an embargo dating back to 2010, shows that President Barack Obama is rapidly losing control of the international consensus on Iran. It also sets Israel a deadline to attack Iran–since Israel has treated the S-300 system as a “red line,” and has attacked Syria several times recently to prevent advanced Russian air defense and anti-ship missile systems from becoming operational. Some Israeli analysts have recently suggested that Israel will only attack Iran if the regime’s nuclear program poses a direct and imminent threat–if the...

Russia has lifted a ban on supplying Iran with a sophisticated air defence missile system, the Kremlin has said. Delivery of the S-300 system was cancelled in 2010 after the UN imposed sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme. But the Russian president gave the go-ahead after Tehran struck a deal with world powers curbing nuclear activities in exchange for sanctions relief.

Russia announced Monday that it will sell Iran advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles. The sale, which ends an embargo dating back to 2010, shows that President Barack Obama is rapidly losing control of the international consensus on Iran. It also sets Israel a deadline to attack Iran–since Israel has treated the S-300 system as a “red line,” and has attacked Syria several times recently to prevent advanced Russian air defense and anti-ship missile systems from becoming operational. ********* Effectively, then, Putin is calling the world’s bluff. He is setting a deadline for Israel to make a fateful choice, and daring the...