Free Republic

Two oil refineries in Russia's Samara region were hit in Ukrainian drone strikes, the local governor has said, in the latest strike against the country's infrastructure facilities -snip- Samara Governor Dmitry Azarov said Saturday that Ukrainian drones had struck facilities belonging to state-owned energy giant Rosneft, which left one site on fire. There were no immediate reports of injuries from either incident, but unverified footage shared by Telegram users showed a blaze at what appeared to be the Syzran refinery. The Baza Telegram channel said that the fire engulfed 5,380 square feet following the attack at 6 a.m. local time...

The governor of Russia's Samara region said on Saturday that Ukrainian drones had struck two Rosneft oil refineries in the region, causing no casualties but leaving one facility on fire. Governor Dmitry Azarov said in a statement posted on the Telegram messaging app that the Volga river region's Syzran refinery was on fire, but that an attack on the Novokubyshev refinery had been thwarted. He said workers at both plants had been evacuated, and that there were no casualties. Unverified footage published online showed what appeared to be a major fire at the Syzran refinery, with emergency services working at...

The move sends a clear political message, but some experts downplay its military significance. Russia has moved tactical nuclear weapons from its own borders into neighboring Belarus, several hundred miles closer to NATO territory, Western officials confirmed to Foreign Policy, as Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens a wider military showdown with the alliance over its continued support for Ukraine. The move, which Putin first announced in June of last year, is likely aimed at ramping up pressure on NATO’s eastern flank. It follows years of nuclear saber-rattling intended to scare the West into paring back its support for Ukraine, now...

(Story was posted only two hours ago) One of Russia’s biggest oil refineries has been blown up by Ukrainian drones in one of the most brazen attacks of the war to date. Footage shows unmanned aircraft raiding the refinery in broad daylight, easily bypassing air defences to crash into the distillation towers. These towers are the most crucial part of the plant and are expensive and difficult to replace. Each of the towers at Ryazan was hit multiple times during the onslaught on March 13. The refinery produces oil both for Russian consumption and as valuable exports to fuel Putin’s...

Huge fires were burning at industrial sites in Moscow and St Petersburg after the latest round of attacks on Russian infrastructure by Ukraine. In St Petersburg, a blaze broke out at an industrial site close to the airport with footage showing towering flames and a huge column of smoke streaking into the sky. Local reports indicated that a hangar within the industrial zone was ablaze, whilst some suggested a drone had been seen nearby at the time. Meanwhile a similar blaze broke out in the suburbs of Moscow, where a construction warehouse burned to the ground. More footage showed flames...

The Biden administration announced another package of military aid to Ukraine worth up to $300 million on Tuesday after months of warning there was no money left, with officials saying the new funding became available as a results of savings made in weapons contracts. The new package includes much-needed artillery ammunition, anti-aircraft missiles, anti-armor systems and more. In explaining how the Defense Department now has money available for Ukraine aid, a senior defense official said, “We had savings come in that will allow us to offset the cost of a new drawdown package.”

Despite staggering losses in its two-year wider war on Ukraine, Russia still has more tanks, more artillery and more troops than Ukraine has. What Russia doesn’t have more of, is drones. One close count of publicized strikes by explosives-laden first-person-view drones reveals that Ukraine holds a steady 300-drone-a-month lead in confirmed strikes. Since August, Ukrainian troops have flung at Russian troops least 8,273 FPVs—each of which weighs two pounds and hauls a pound of explosives as far as two miles. The Russians have flung back no fewer than 6,059 FPVs. There likely are many, many more FPV strikes that go...

A RUSSIAN military plane crashed in a fireball after flames were seen spurting from one of its engines. It is the latest disaster from Vladimir Putin's creaking military as the IL-76 went down in Ivanovo, Russia. The large aircraft is widely used by the Russian military as a transport plane for the war in Ukraine. It is reported numerous bodies were recovered from the wreckage. Dramatic footage captured the plane plunging from the sky with flames spitting from one of its engines. Putin's military is wracked with corruption and its vehicles and aircraft are often poorly maintained.

American military personnel may have been killed in a Russian strike on a United States-supplied Patriot air defense system supplied to Ukraine, according to a Moscow-aligned lawmaker in comments reported by Kremlin-backed media.When asked for a response to the claims, a spokesperson for the Pentagon told Newsweek, "I can confirm no U.S. injuries because we have no US service members in the fight."

A fleet of Ukrainian drones has targeted Russia, causing explosions and fires at fuel refineries, cutting electricity supplies and reaching Moscow and beyond, according to reports from Russian authorities. -snip- Russian fuel facilities in Oryol and Nizhny Novgorod regions were on fire on Tuesday after drone attacks, local governors and media said. Air defence systems reacted to 25 drones launched by Ukraine over several Russian regions, RIA state news reported, citing Russia’s defence ministry. It was not immediately clear whether all the drones were destroyed. “In the morning, the Kstovo industrial zone, a fuel and energy complex facility, was attacked...

The Biden administration scrambled behind the scenes to prepare for the imminent possibility that Russia would use tactical nuclear weapons in Ukraine, a shocking new report revealed. In 2022, the CIA warned President Biden of a 50% change or higher that Russia would reach for its nuclear arsenal if it found its forces were decimated and the illegally annexed territory of Crimea was at risk, according to the New York Times. Those reports caused Biden to deliver his famous “Armageddon” speech at an Oct. 6, 2022, fundraiser in New York City, in which he warned, “We have not faced the...

A drone launched by Ukraine fell and caught fire at an oil depot in Russia’s Kursk region bordering Ukraine, the regional governor said on Sunday. “Fire brigades and emergency services are working at the scene,” the governor, Roman Starovoit, said on the Telegram messaging app, without giving further details.

WARSAW, Poland (AP) – Poland’s foreign minister says the presence of NATO forces “is not unthinkable” and that he appreciates the French president for not ruling out that idea. Radek Sikorski made the observation during a discussion marking the 25th anniversary of Poland’s NATO membership in the Polish parliament on Friday, and the Foreign Ministry tweeted the comments later in English. Last month French President Emmanuel Macron said the possibility of Western troops being sent to Ukraine could not be ruled out, a comment that prompted an outcry from other leaders.

The Embassy is monitoring reports that extremists have imminent plans to target large gatherings in Moscow, to include concerts, and U.S. citizens should be advised to avoid large gatherings over the next 48 hours.

Russian offensive continues beyond Avdiivka. Ukrainian 47th Mechanized Brigade sends in M2A2 Bradleys and M1A1 Abrams to halt enemy progression. Ukraine transfers more and more reinforcements into that sector to prevent a major breakthrough, and in order to buy time to build more fortifications.

DRAMATIC footage shows the moment another Russian warship is blown to pieces in a massive explosion. Footage shows Putin's £35million Sergey Kotov corvette being struck by a kamikaze sea drone near Feodosia, in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian intelligence confirmed the strike and said the ship was entirely destroyed. One of Vladimir Putin’s most modern warships, the 308ft long patrol vessel Sergey Kotov came into service during the war in 2022. The vessel normally has a crew of 80 - and the fate of those on board remains unclear. The strike is a major blow to Putin's crumbling Black Sea fleet as...

Ukraine has taken responsibility for “disabling” a railway bridge in the Russian mainland region of Samara after explosions were seen in the early hours of Monday morning. Apparently continuing with the strategy to take the war closer to home for Russians, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) confirmed “disabling railway bridge in Russia’s Samara region,” state media Ukrinform reported. In a post on social media, the Ukrainian intelligence service wrote: “The Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine confirmed the fact that the railway bridge over the Chapayevka River in was disabled.”

The war in Ukraine is based on lies — lies about how it started, how it’s going, and how it will end. We are told that Ukraine is winning when in fact it is losing. We are told that the war makes NATO stronger when in fact it is depleting it. We are told that Ukraine’s biggest problem is a lack of funds from the U.S. Congress when in fact the West can’t produce enough ammunition — a problem that will take years to fix. We are told that Russia is suffering greater casualties when in fact Ukraine is running...

Today, we mark two years since Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. Starting the biggest war in Europe since World War Two. Let me begin by honouring all those brave Ukrainians who have fallen or been wounded in defence of their homeland. The situation on the battlefield remains extremely serious. President Putin’s aim to dominate Ukraine has not changed. And there are no indications that he is preparing for peace. But we must not lose heart. Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable skill and fierce determination again and again. Ukraine did not collapse in weeks, as many feared it would. You have recaptured...

But upcoming Biden administration and German decisions concerning the deployment of precision deep-strike weapons — namely ATACMS and the Taurus cruise missile — are likely weighing heavily on Putin’s mind, along with the coming introduction of F-16 fighter jets. Ditto bilateral security guarantees, some signed just days ago, with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy and Canada — and Sweden’s and Britain’s announcements last week of additional military assistance. Europe is not giving up on Ukraine. Propaganda wins aside, it was a losing week for Putin... As many as 65 soldiers from Russia’s 39th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade...