Free Republic

For over a year now, pro-Russian voices have circulated the conspiracy theory that Ukraine was close to signing a peace deal in the spring of 2022, only to be thwarted by the West. Although this narrative has repeatedly been debunked as disinformation, it stubbornly persists in some circles.The central premise of the theory is that, only a few weeks into the war, Ukraine was ready to sign a deal with Russia amid peace talks in Istanbul until Western powers, led by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, ordered Kyiv to scrap the deal. It is thus argued that blame for...

Commentators often draw parallels between Taiwan and Ukraine, as both countries are western-aligned democracies facing asymmetrical threats from hostile (and nuclear-armed) superpowers. Just as Russia believes that it is entitled to Ukrainian land, so, too, does China believe that it has the right to annex Taiwan. Russia expected to easily subjugate Ukraine, but failed to do so... this outcome is far better than most had expected at the beginning of the invasion — which has inspired the Taiwanese. “We learned that it’s not impossible to defend our country when facing one of the largest military forces in the world,” said...

Referendum participants reported being forced to “vote” at gunpoint by armed “election officials” who could see exactly which boxes were being ticked off on ballots. Human Rights Watch reported that local Ukrainians were fearful that voting against annexation would lead to reprisals, such as having one’s house demolished. This isn’t the first time Russia has used voter intimidation to fabricate a “correct” referendum result... Polish journalist Pieniazek corroborated international allegations of widespread voter intimidation and fraud, recounting them in detail in his book, Greetings from Novorossiya. The EU and NATO condemned Russia’s annexation, as have other major powers such as...