Free Republic

Multiple pro-Moscow officials in Ukraine on Tuesday announced their intent to stage referendums on joining Russia, including the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin, as well as the Russia-installed official over the southern Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo. “I think that people have long been waiting for a referendum here and it will probably be a political move that will help ensure the safety of civilians,” Pushillin said Tuesday. ...

In a bombshell revelation, Special Prosecutor John Durham revealed Tuesday in court filings that the FBI paid a Russian businessman as a confidential human source in the investigation of Donald Trump's 2016 campaign even though it had prior concerns that businessman was tied to Moscow's intelligence services. Durham persuaded the federal judge in the upcoming trial of Igor Danchenko to unseal a motion revealing that Danchenko, the primary source of the now-discredited Steele dossier, was paid by the FBI as a confidential human source for more than three years until the fall of 2020 when he was terminated for lying...

"[O]ne of the biggest revelations in the motion is that Danchenko himself was a confidential paid human informant!" Special Counsel John Durham's request to unseal a motion in limine pertaining to the trial of Igor Danchenko, who has been identifed as the "primary source" behind ex-British spy Christopher Steele's dossier, has been granted. A motion in limine is a "pretrial motion asking that certain evidence be found inadmissible, and that it not be referred to or offered at trial," according to Cornell's Legal Information Institute. The Special Counsel's motion to include the evidence against Danchenko reveals that the FBI was...

New interceptions of phone calls of Russian soldiers in Ukraine demonstrate – many of them are in despair and want to save their lives after the start of Ukrainian large-scale counter-offensive on the eastern and southern front lines. At the same time, they are afraid that surrendering is dangerous for them – Russian state propagandists make sure that of that. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph8z8kTDnbg

My words: Best video I've seen explaining current events happening on the ground in Ukraine and where both sides are at this point along with who is fighting for Ukraine now. Straight facts and honest.

The Ukrainian government on Tuesday asked Washington to provide Kyiv with a “lend-lease” program to import natural gas from the US to ensure Ukraine has enough gas for heating this winter, Prime Minister Denis Shmyhal indicated. The idea is for the US to provide gas to Ukraine and collect payment at a later time, similar to the World War II-era lend-lease program that was revived this year to facilitate military aid to Ukraine. Via Reuters “Preparation for the most difficult winter in our history continues, and in this preparation we are looking for all possible tools to be ready for...

Ukrainian forces in Severodonetsk have been ordered to withdraw, according to the top regional official.The city is the focus of Russia's invasion as it tries to take control of large parts of eastern Ukraine."Remaining in positions that have been relentlessly shelled for months just doesn't make sense," Luhansk regional head Serhiy Haidai said.Russian forces have nearly encircled Severodonetsk in recent days, and are now targeting its twin city Lysychansk."They have received orders to retreat to new positions... and from there continue their operations," Mr Haidai told Ukrainian television on Friday morning.

Germany took emergency measures on June 19, 2022 to secure its energy supply in the face of recent drops in Russian gas deliveries, including a “bitter” use of the most polluting energy, coal. BERLIN—Germany will restart coal-fired power plants and offer incentives for companies to curb natural gas consumption, marking a new step in the economic war between Europe and Russia. Berlin unveiled the measures Sunday after Russia cut gas supplies to Europe last week as it punched back against European sanctions and military support for Ukraine. The steps, part of a broader strategy initiated after the invasion of Ukraine,...

According to information from the German Press Agency, there are informal agreements among the NATO states to refrain from delivering certain weapon systems to Ukraine. As the dpa was confirmed in alliance circles in Brussels on Wednesday, the risk of a direct military confrontation between NATO states and Russia should be kept as low as possible. There are fears, for example, that Russia could officially see the delivery of Western battle tanks and combat aircraft as entering the war and then take military retaliatory measures. Weapon systems of this type have not yet been delivered to Ukraine. According to information...

Civil vessels may safely use the Azov Sea port of Mariupol in Ukraine as the danger from mines has been eliminated, the Russian defence ministry said on Thursday. It said a maritime humanitarian corridor was opened on Wednesday in the Azov Sea. ...

Chechens & Russian Army Battle Azov & Ukraine on Mariupol frontline

Emails obtained from Hunter Biden’s laptop show that his dad, Joe, helped secure funding for Metabiota, the Pentagon contractor involved in disease research at high-security biolaboratories in Ukraine. Joe, Hunter and Hunter’s brother James, the email trove shows, were all entangled in various overseas business ventures not only in Ukraine but also in Qatar, China and Russia. “Hunter Biden … was actually talking about his ties to one of these labs in Ukraine that was, in fact, developing pathogens that could cause pandemics,” explained Joshua Philipp during a recent Crossroads Q&A session he held. The DailyMail Online (U.K.) reported that...

Former President Donald Trump would not be "capable" of holding peace talks in Moscow between Ukraine and Russia to stop the ongoing war, said John Bolton on Saturday. Bolton, who served as Trump's national security adviser from 2018 to 2019, said that such statesmanship would be out of Trump's character. "He's not capable of it," Bolton told The Palm Beach Post. "This would require thinking through a policy and considering the pluses and minuses, the risks and costs involved. That's just not what he does." Last Saturday, Trump said his personality kept the US out of war and added that...