Free Republic

Ukraine said Tuesday it had sunk a Russian patrol ship off the coast of occupied Crimea, claiming another victory over the Kremlin's forces in the hotly contested waters of the Black Sea. Moscow did not confirm the claim, which would represent the latest blow to its naval power as Kyiv strikes targets deep behind the war's front lines, even as its army suffers setbacks on the battlefield. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency said that it had used high-tech sea drones in an overnight attack on the large patrol ship Sergey Kotov near the Kerch Strait, which separates the annexed peninsula’s eastern...

It’s reckless, if not insane, to deploy an open-top, unarmored all-terrain vehicle—in essence, a heavy-duty golf cart—in combat just a quarter mile from the front line. But two years into Russia’s wider war on Ukraine, Russian commanders are at least reckless if not not insane. Apparently this weekend, a Russian unit—possibly the 488th Motor Rifle Regiment—attacked positions held by the Ukrainian 60th Mechanized Brigade in Yampolivka, in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast. A Russian column including what appeared to be MT-LB armored tractors and at least one T-90 tank motored west toward Yampolivka. That itself wasn’t unusual. What was unusual was...

Deliveries of all-new Russian aircraft have been delayed by two years due to safety concerns ... The publication said that, for example, the weight of the new MS-21 passenger aircraft has increased by 5.75 tons, compared to the previous version, which used foreign components and Western engines. This means its flight range and altitude have been significantly reduced. One of Kommersant's sources said that, if Russia is unable to reduce the weight of the aircraft, it will be impossible for authorities to make the plane achieve the desired performance characteristics. "It's impossible to increase engine thrust by 20 percent," the...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When a vehicle is captured and then...

Ukraine’s military has destroyed a Russian A-50 surveillance aircraft, Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk said on Friday. “The A-50 with the call sign ‘Bayan’ has flown its last!” Oleshchuk wrote on the Telegram messaging app. Developing

Latvian President Edgars Rinkēvičs, Prime Minister Evika Siliņa, Seimas Speaker Daiga Mieriņa and Foreign Minister Krišjānis Kariņš have called on residents to express solidarity with the people of Ukraine and join in a minute of silence on Saturday, 24 February, at 09:00. "Russia knows that it will not be able to break Ukraine in a fair fight on the battlefield. Russia therefore resorts to all forms of crime: it attacks civilians, bombs cities, abducts Ukrainian children. It is putting pressure on Ukraine’s international partners in the hope that we will all tire out as the war persists," the Latvian State...

From the very beginning, the Moscow Metro was designed as an instrument of propaganda as well as transportation. Its grandiose stations were not only a projection of the power of the regime but also designed as a promise of sorts, a glimpse for the Soviet people of the heaven on earth that communism would (one day) deliver. It was perhaps thus appropriate that some of its marble was said (probably accurately) to have come from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, which had been blown up on Stalin’s orders just a year or two before work on the metro began...

At the World Government Summit, Tucker Carlson told a gathering of world leaders that Moscow “was so much nicer than any city” in the United States. “It’s radicalizing for an American to go to Moscow,” Tucker went on. “I didn’t know that. I’ve learned it this week, to Singapore, to Tokyo, to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, because these cities, no matter how we’re told they’re run and on what principles they’re run, are wonderful places to live -snip- If you’re wealthy, I imagine, Moscow is pretty great. This is true of most European cities. When you’re an American tourist, you...

COMMENTARY WAR SUMMATION: I am Ukrainian. My country has been invaded by Russia. In this video I will tell you what happened on the seven-hundred-eighteenth day of the war. Day 718: Feb 11 Today, there is a lot of news from the Avdiivka direction. According to the latest updates, Ukrainians are preparing a comprehensive operation to unblock Ukrainian forces and push Russians back to their initial positions. Ukrainian Avdiivka Military Administration Head stated that Russian forces are cutting off the Ukrainian main ground line of communication leading into Avdiivka in order to encircle the settlement. Most prominent Russian sources claim...

Russian libraries have one simple rule. And it is not "to be quiet" while others are present. The Ministry of Defense of Russia was hacked again. Did Shoigu visit "suspicious websites"? Russian air defense systems in Crimea were fully immobilized. Was this a result of a hack? Putin reveals his next potential invasion in Tucker Carlson's interview. Russia will not stop. 0:00 In today's episode 0:57 Russian libraries have one simple rule 1:39 Ministry of Defense of Russia was hacked 4:33 Russian air defense fully immobilized 10:25 Putin reveals his next potential invasion

UKRAINE ENCIRCLES RUSSIAN ARMY! Breaking Ukraine War Footage And News With The Enforcer (Day 713) 🔴 STREAMING VIDEO 5.3K watching 2-6-2024 10:00 P.M. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klJ-ldtx1jg Ukraine has encircled a large portion of the Russian army in Avdiivka, and are currently wiping out the forces in the pocket and taking Russian POWs. Russia is trying to capture the road of life into Bakhmut, but this is complicated by the encirclement in the southern part of the city. Ukraine raised the flag over Krynky symbolizing the Ukrainian spirit, and unrelenting resolve to push onwards to Crimea. Victory Will be Ours! Slava Ukraini, Long...

Russian forces are pushing hard to take the Ukrainian stronghold of Avdiivka. But why? In this video, we do a deep analysis on Russia's staggering losses, including infantry, tanks, and heavy equipment. We talk about why Russia wants the city so badly, what Vladimir Putin's stake in it is, and how it all connects back to Russia's invasion of Crimea and the War in the Donbas.

VIDEO: WAR COMMENTARY SUMMATION 02 Feb: Ukrainians CONDUCT A SUCCESSFUL COUNTER ATTACK. Russian Gains REDUCED TO ZERO. War in Ukraine Explained Reporting from Ukraine 463K subscribers 2-2-2024 5:00 Minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kh5ecYbONTs I am Ukrainian. My country has been invaded by Russia. In this video I will tell you what happened on the seven-hundred-ninth day of the war. Day 709: Feb 02 Today, there are a lot of updates about the battle near Vuhledar. But first of all, more information became available about the combined strike on Crimea. Russian sources reported that Ukrainians tricked the Russian air defense system by first launching...

The disappearance of top Russian generals dating back to September has sparked questions about their whereabouts amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Russian and Ukrainian forces have presented different public findings since the purported death of Russian Admiral Viktor Sokolov, who Kyiv said was one of 34 Russian officers killed in late September by a missile strike executed against the headquarters of the Russian Navy's Black Sea fleet in annexed Crimea. Sokolov was viewed by Ukrainian forces as a high-value target. The lack of visibility by Russia's top general, Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, has additionally caused wonderment regarding...

A fire broke out in an oil refinery in southern Russia, 200 miles from the border with Ukraine, following a drone strike, local authorities have said. The blaze at the Lukoil site in Volgograd comes amid reports of Kyiv stepping up its targeting of energy facilities in Russia. Volgograd regional governor Andrey Bocharov said on Telegram that Russian air defenses and electronic warfare (EW) systems had "repelled a drone attack" in the region overnight on Friday. As a result, "one drone fell and set off a fire at the Volgograd oil refinery."

Pressure is mounting on Hungary to ratify Sweden's bid to join NATO after Budapest finally joined other European Union states in agreeing on new aid to Ukraine. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday he "went to the wall" for his country before agreeing to the EU deal worth 50 billion euros ($54 billion) at a summit in Brussels on Thursday after weeks of resistance.

To get Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to end his block on a 50 billion euro ($54.3 billion) aid package for Ukraine, other European Union leaders teamed up ahead of a crunch summit to deliver a stark message: You're on your own this time. The veteran Hungarian leader, who maintains close ties to Moscow despite its invasion of Ukraine, has been adept in the past at finding enough support among his peers to drive a hard bargain in EU negotiations. But in the days and hours before Thursday's special summit in Brussels, leaders - individually and in groups - told...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When a vehicle is captured and then...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When a vehicle is captured and then...

A U.S. Senate committee approved legislation on Wednesday that would help set the stage for the United States to confiscate Russian assets and hand them over to Ukraine for rebuilding after the destruction of the nearly two-year-long war. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 20 to 1 in favor of the unprecedented "Rebuilding Economic Prosperity and Opportunity (REPO) for Ukrainians Act." If it were to pass the full Senate and House of Representatives and be signed into law by President Joe Biden, as expected, the act would pave the way for Washington's first-ever seizure of central bank assets from a...