Free Republic

Russia warned Monday that the risk of a “direct military clash” between Russia and nuclear powers in the West is rising. “Westerners are dangerously balancing on the brink of a direct military clash between nuclear powers, which is fraught with catastrophic consequences,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in a video message to the participants of the Moscow Nonproliferation Conference. The comments come after Russia reacted angrily to the U.S. House of Representatives passing a $61 billion foreign aid package for Kyiv at the weekend. House lawmakers approved the aid Saturday despite long-standing objections from hardline Republicans; the bill now...

Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin is tarnished as a result of Russia’s unprovoked invasion and occupation of Ukraine. Xi has been distancing China from Putin’s predations gradually — out of deference to his two biggest customers, the United States and European Union. But on Sept. 15 his displeasure about the war became public. Putin himself admitted at a press conference following a meeting with Xi that China had “concerns” about his war in Ukraine. So did India. But there is one more elephant in the room: Siberia, a region bigger and richer than any place...

taboo has been broken in Europe. Only a few months ago, it would have been inconceivable for European leaders to propose sending European troops to Ukraine. But on February 26, French President Emmanuel Macron said the deployment of European forces to Ukraine could not be “ruled out.” Since then, other European officials have joined the chorus; the Finnish defense minister and Polish foreign minister have both suggested that their countries’ forces could end up in Ukraine. These comments, combined with existing support for such measures in the Baltic states, show that there is a growing bloc of countries open to...

“We understand that there’s concern about the safety, security and sovereignty of Ukraine, but the American people have those same concerns about our own domestic sovereignty.”Words spoken by House Speaker Mike Johnson in response to a reporter’s inquiry as to why he was holding up aid for Ukraine, certainly, a challenge to both his political and Christian “bona fides.” I would submit that even a 100,000 Central American asylum seekers, including women and children, at America’s southern border do not measure up to 150,000 Russian soldiers armed to the teeth at Ukraine’s eastern border, as was the case on the...

WASHINGTON, DC–Reps. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Chip Roy (R-TX) slammed Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) for violating the Hastert Rule after the $60 billion Ukraine aid bill passed on Saturday without a majority of Republican support. The longstanding rule directs that a Republican speaker will only put legislation up for a floor vote if a majority of the GOP conference supports it. The rule is meant to prevent a GOP speaker from colluding with Democrats to pass bills. But most of the GOP did not back the Ukraine bill.

@RandPaul Ukrainian flags fly in the chamber of the UNITED STATES House of Representatives as they vote to send more of your hard-earned money to a corrupt foreign regime. And just like that they shout “UKRAINE! UKRAINE!” while happily working to secure Ukraine’s borders, not ours.

A BRITISH traitor who fled the UK to fight for Vladimir Putin in Ukraine claims he has been given Russian citizenship. Aiden Minnis, 37, who "hates" the UK and was disowned by his family, boasted about his new Russian passport in a sickening video. Putin's Kremlin cronies rushed through his citizenship, grasping at the opportunity to have a western toy in their propaganda machine. A state TV outlet then splashed the video of the spineless former drug addict boasting about his citizenship and joining the frontline. Minnis, from Wiltshire, brandished his new passport around and bragged in the pathetic video...

The missing American who’d traveled to Ukraine years ago to aid Russian separatists in Donbas was found dead in the country’s war-torn eastern region. The body of Russell Bentley, a 64-year-old U.S. Army vet, was recovered in the Russian-controlled region of Donetsk Oblast, Reuters reported. -snip- The former pothead, who used “Texas” as his military call-sign, left behind a yoga instructor girlfriend to travel to Ukraine. He utilized crowdfunding sites to finance his trip, and had since become a Russian citizen. He also got married after moving to Ukraine, where he began working as a reporter for the state-owned Sputnik...

The United States will withdraw its troops from Niger, a source familiar with the matter said late on Friday, adding that an agreement was reached between U.S Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and Niger's leadership. As of last year, there were a little more than 1,000 U.S. troops in Niger, where the U.S. military operated out of two bases, including a drone base known as Air Base 201 near Agadez in central Niger at a cost of more than $100 million. Since 2018, the base has been used to target Islamic State militants and Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen,...

A U.S. citizen known to have fought with pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine between 2014 and 2017 has been killed in Moscow-occupied Donetsk, Russian media reported Friday. Russia-installed authorities in eastern Ukraine had earlier this month reported the American — 64-year-old Russell Bentley — as missing. "Russell Bentley, known as 'Texas,' a real American, truly from Texas, was killed in Donetsk," the head of the pro-Kremlin RT network Margarita Simonyan said on social media. "He was fighting for our guys," she said. Simonyan gave no details on how he died. The Vostok battalion with which he fought confirmed his death, calling...

The US risks losing its military presence in another African country as the government of Chad sent a letter threatening to end a critical security agreement, according to four US sources, a move that threatens to cede more US influence in the region to Russia. In a letter sent to the US defense attaché last week, Chadian officials threatened to cancel the Status of Forces Agreement, or SOFA, which determines the rules and conditions under which US military personnel can operate in the country. While the letter did not directly order the US military to leave Chad, the officials told...

An exhibit of NATO military equipment in the Museum of Special Military Operation in Moscow keeps growing and growing!All this paid for by US and EU taxpayers.Enjoy the tour, Zeepers.Video at link.

Ukraine's air force has previously said Russia has used the Tu-22M3 aircraft to fire Kh-22 cruise missiles at Ukrainian territory. The HUR said the bomber that was downed "carried out a missile attack against Ukraine on the night of April 19." The aircraft was shot down "as a result of a [HUR] special operation in cooperation with the Air Force," it said, adding that it was struck at a distance of about 300 kilometers from Ukraine. The HUR added: "It should be noted that this is the first successful destruction of a strategic bomber in the air during a combat...

"You can't go anywhere at all, not even to Uzbekistan or Belarus for the May holidays," said one source. -snip- Russia is making overseas travel harder for some officials due to fears that foreign powers may try to gain access to state secrets during the worst crisis in relations with the West for more than 60 years, nine sources told Reuters. The Federal Security Service (FSB) is putting pressure on employees across government ministries not to leave Russia at all, even to visit so-called 'friendly' countries that have not imposed sanctions against Moscow, the sources said. Foreign travel was highly...

DRAMATIC footage captured the moment Ukraine "shot down" a Russian Tu-22M3 nuke bomber sending it spiralling to the ground. The £228million aircraft was part of Vladimir Putin’s nuclear strike force - and the downing is seen as a major blow to the dictator. It crashed over the Stavropol region - some 250 miles from the border - in southern Russia after completing a bombing attack on Ukraine. The long-range strategic bomber was shot down by a S-200 anti-aircraft missile system, said Channel 2, citing sources in Ukraine's GUR military intelligence agency. The GUR said: “As a result of the damage,...

Russian state media outlet Tass has reported that a Russian TU-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in Stavropol Krai, southwestern Russia. The exact cause of the crash remains unknown at this time as some Ukrainian sources claim that it was shot down, which would mark a first for the conflict. The crash comes as Russian bombers launched a series of missile strikes against Ukraine.

Israel launching strikes into Iran...Messaging in Mainstream Media is that Israel's attack on Iran was 'limited'. No comment from Israel.... Tonight some damage reported no casualties in southwestern Russia's Belgorod City and Region... Ratings agency S and P Global lowering Israel's long-term credit rating... At the United Nations Security Council the US vetoing a resolution calling for admission of the Palestinian Authority as a UN member nation... At a meeting of G7 foreign ministers US Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying China is supporting Russia's ability to fight the War in Ukraine... Meanwhile Ukraine is doing more trade with China......

A Disturbing Development: Ukraine’s Alleged Involvement in Sudan Sparks Global Concern In a deeply unsettling turn of events, reports have emerged of Ukraine’s potential role in attacks against the Wagner Group in Sudan, a move that raises alarm bells about a potential escalation towards a global conflict. According to CNN, citing an undisclosed Ukrainian military source, Ukrainian intelligence services may have orchestrated a series of drone strikes and a ground operation targeting a Wagner-backed militia near Sudan’s capital. This startling revelation signifies that the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has transcended its original boundaries, extending far beyond the front...

The start of the Brusilov Offensive was the most successful Russian military operation during the First World War. It crippled the Austro-Hungarian Army and forced the Germans to divert troops from Verdun. But the Brusilov Offensive ultimately was a failure and cost the Russian's an enormous amount of men. What went wrong?

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden reinstated oil and gas sanctions on Venezuela on Thursday, a recognition that lifting the sanctions did nothing to entice the socialist regime to host a free and fair election. The Biden administration lifted some of the strictest U.S. sanctions on dictator Nicolás Maduro’s regime last year as part of a dialogue in which Maduro agreed to host a presidential election sometime in 2014. The deal collapsed rapidly; Maduro scrapped it in October and launched a new wave of violence against anti-socialist dissidents, likely bankrolled by new oil profits. The Biden sanctions relief lasted...