Free Republic

Russia said today that the European Union's decision to open membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova was a politicised decision that could destabilise the bloc. 'Negotiations to join the EU can last for years or decades. The EU has always had strict criteria for accession and it is obvious that at the moment neither Ukraine nor Moldova meets these criteria,' Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. 'It is clear that this is an absolutely politicised decision, the EU's desire to demonstrate support for these countries. But such new members could destabilise the EU.'

Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed "problems" for Finland after he says the Nordic country was "dragged into NATO" amid the war in Ukraine. "Look, Finland was taken and dragged into NATO," Putin said in a new on-camera interview. "What did we have, some kind of dispute with Finland? All disputes, including those of a territorial nature in the middle of the 20th century, were all resolved a long time ago. We had the best, most heartfelt relations. Economically, everything was developing. Yes, in the timber industry, there were some problems linked to the necessity to develop timber processing within...

Russia's central bank has today raised its key interest rate by 100 basis points to 16%, hiking borrowing costs for the fifth meeting in a row under stubborn inflation pressure from widespread labour shortages, high lending and the weak rouble. The central bank has now raised rates by 850 basis points since July, including an unscheduled emergency hike in August as the rouble tumbled past 100 to the dollar and the Kremlin called for tighter monetary policy. The bank said pro-inflationary risks over the medium-term horizon remained substantial and warned that stabilising inflation near its 4% target would require high...

NATO’s newest member, Finland, has announced it will sign a bilateral defence cooperation agreement next week with the United States. The deal will allow Washington to station troops and store weapons inside the Nordic country, which shares a sprawling border with Russia.

Rumours of Vladimir Putin's 'ill health' have been swirling for years, with recent sources claiming the Russian President has died and his corpse is being stored in a freezer 'used for deep-frozen food'. Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding his first major news conference today, since launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February last year. At the annual event (which didn't happen last year), he has claimed that peace with Ukraine will only occur "when we achieve our objectives". -snip- Speculation has mounted online for years about the Russian President's 'ill health', with claims he is allegedly suffering from...

The departure of foreign auto makers from Russia has ultimately caused domestic car prices to rise, President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday, a rare acknowledgement of the harm caused by Western measures imposed over Moscow's actions in Ukraine. Most European, Japanese and South Korean carmakers suspended production and gradually left the Russian market following Russia's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, taking technology, know-how and access to parts with them. Putin said car prices had risen by about 40%, without specifying a period, blaming this on low production and domestic carmakers' increased costs as they import components. "When European brands left...

Russia's Central Bank on Friday raised its key interest rate to 16%, the fifth hike since summer as it fights to keep accelerating inflation down and a move widely anticipated by analysts. "Current inflationary pressures remain high," the Central Bank said in a statement explaining the rate hike, adding that "annual inflation for 2023 is expected to be close to the upper bound of the 7.0–7.5 percent forecast range." This is a developing story.

Vladimir Putin's annual end-of-year press conference was thrown into disarray after messages embarassing the Russian President appeared on screen. The 71-year-old was told to "quit" in multiple messages which apearred on giant screens behind him, while he was also accused of not living the same "reality" as the rest of the country. And in another bizarre turn during the event, an AI video of Putin even asked the President whether he used body-doubles to go about his duties. In total about two million questions were submitted for answering, according to state media. The annual press conference gives Russian journalist and...

ONE of Vladimir Putin's war planes dropped a bomb on a Russian city tonight - blowing a massive 65ft crater in the street. Residents said they heard a whistling noise before a blast erupted beside a block of flats in Belgorod, only 25 miles from the border with Ukraine. In a statement, the Russian Ministry of Defence said: "As a Sukhoi Su-34 air force plane was flying over the city of Belgorod there was an accidental discharge of aviation ammunition."

Russian President Putin has recently been discussing with his inner circle the options for canceling the presidential election in 2024 and dissolving the State Duma at the end of this year switching to a two-party (one-party) system and electing a president in parliament. A new constitutional reform is just around the corner.