Free Republic

Bungling commanders sent them to help failing frontline infantry, leaked US documents reveal This is after Russian commanders sent Spetsnaz troops into direct combat Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has devastated Russia's clandestine special (Spetsnaz) forces, classified American documents that were leaked online reported. The leak first became widely known about a week ago. But the revelations have also demonstrated how deep American spy networks have infiltrated the Kremlin's own intelligence agencies and military command structure. And to compound the Kremlin's own embarrassment, the documents have also provided a damning assessment of Russia's own military capabilities. The deployment of Spetsnaz...

A trove of leaked documents has revealed the depth of America's spying apparatus around the world, detailing how the US continues to infiltrate allied nations amid heightening global tensions. The documents, which provided the clearest picture yet of the Kremlin's depleted military capacity, were telling as to the extent to which US espionage tactics have effectively penetrated Vladimir Putin's war machine. However, the intelligence breach, which included reports from late February to early March but have only been leaked online in recent days, also unearthed probes in a variety of nations, including South Korea, Iran and the UK, per the...

Russian forces in Ukraine have failed to meet a key deadline for progress in eastern Ukraine ahead of a long-touted counteroffensive from Kyiv, according to a new assessment. Moscow did not manage to "achieve the Kremlin's goals" of exerting control over the Donetsk and Luhansk regions by March 31, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said on Saturday. The two regions, which collectively make up the Donbas, saw fighting between Kyiv and Russian-backed separatists break out in 2014. They have seen many of the heaviest clashes since the start of the all-out war in February...

Russia has suffered around 200,000 casualties since its invasion of Ukraine The Ministry of Defence claims a 'minority' are due to non-combat causes A high number of deaths are linked to Russian soldier's alcohol consumption The UK Ministry of Defence said an 'extremely high' number of Russian troop deaths as a part of the Ukraine war are linked to alcohol abuse. Russian military forces are injuring themselves as a result of poor handling of weapons and heavy drinking, according to the ministry's morning intelligence update. Although Russia has suffered around 200,000 casualties since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of...

Many Russian troops are dying in Ukraine because of non-combat issues such as alcohol consumption and poor weapons handling drills, the UK defense ministry said in an intelligence update on Sunday. The ministry estimated that Russia has suffered up to 200,000 casualties since its invasion of Ukraine over a year ago and that a "significant minority" has not been due to the fighting. A Russian Telegram news channel reported in March that alcohol consumption is a particular issue amongst the deployed Russian troops and that "extremely high" incidents, crimes, and deaths have been linked to it. The ministry noted that...

Update from Ukraine | The Angry Ruzzian Patriots will help Ukraine to win the war https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6t3_G1Emf0 ****NEW SUMMARY Military MAPS & COMMENTS here: Invasion Day 402 – Summary April 1, 2023 Jerome News The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the last 48 hours, as of 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time). https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-402-summary/

Publications shared globally in several languages claim that a red flag was raised for the first time above a mosque in the Iranian city of Qom to call for revenge for killing of general Qasem Soleimani, killed by a US air strike. However, this red flag is often unfurled above this mosque and in the rest of the Shia Muslim world. The story was shared more than 20,000 times in English from this tweet: “First Time In The History, Red Flag Unfurled Over The Holy Dome Of Jamkaran Mosque, Qom Iran. Red Flag: A Symbol Of Severe Battle To Come....

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed legislation ensuring state schools teach the role and contributions of LGBT people in American history. Pritzker signed off on House Bill 346, which was recently passed by state House earlier this year, on Friday. The law requires all schools in the state include "the role and contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the history of this country and this State" in official textbooks.

MSNBC’s Steve Schmidt––who recently left the Republican party––decried the Supreme Court decision upholding President Trump‘s travel ban. Nicolle Wallace talked with her panel about the SCOTUS decision, looking back at how we got from the originally-proposed Muslim ban to here. She said, “I remember people in the intelligence community saying to me, ‘Who do you think we rely on the most in the countries that could represent the greatest geopolitical threats from us?'” Former FBI assistant director for counterintelligence Frank Figliuzzi said that today “we became a little bit less of that shining city on a hill” into a country...

snip Distressingly, one of the key parties blocking U.S. efforts to curb Iranian capabilities in all areas is one of America’s closest allies: Germany. Although Germany is a member of NATO and is perceived as a loyal U.S. ally, in practice, Germany is one of Iran’s most powerful protectors and promoters. For the past several weeks, administration officials have told reporters that Germany is selling Iran technology that Iran is using to help the Assad regime replenish its chemical weapons stocks. Last week, the Jerusalem Post reported that the Germany’s Krempel Group provided components found on the Iranian rockets used...

Tonight, Poliwood, a documentary essay about the intersection of politics and celebrity, premieres on Showtime. Tomorrow night, By The People: The Election of Barack Obama, a celebratory look at Obama’s campaign, premieres on HBO. Together, they provide a look at the "buoyant optimism" that swept Obama into the White House, while making you wonder about the effect of TV on the political process. Poliwood follows a group of well-known faces associated with the Creative Coalition, a bipartisan group of celebrities who are shown making an earnest effort to learn more about the issues and to grapple with how to use...

But it was another type of slime that hit the Nickelodeon screen during a segment of Nick News, hosted by Linda Ellerbee. Presented as a news program for kids, the recent episode “Rebels with a Cause”, featured, among others, two anti-war teens.

Hate speech is typically the first line of attack employed by bullies, but bullies become emboldened when eliminationalist rhetoric is tolerated, and that societal acceptance can lead to far worse things. I've previously covered hate speech - see Enough Hate Spech To Stun An Ox, and Hatecrime.org has an extensive collection of hate speech targeting homosexuals. Suprisingly - or not - at least one individual whose statements are featured in that archive ( and also in collections of antisemitic rhetoric ) is also leader of a prominent Christian right group that claims to fight against anti-Catholic bias and discrimination who...

The New Intolerance (attacks on free speech rights on college campuses) By Cinnamon Stillwell San Francisco Chronicle | November 30, 2006 America's college campuses, once thought to be bastions of free speech, have become increasingly intolerant toward the practice. Visiting speakers whose views do not conform to the prevailing left-leaning political mind-set on most campuses are at particular risk of having their free speech rights infringed upon. While academia has its own crimes to atone for, it's the students who have become the bullies as of late. A disturbing number seem to feel that theirs is an inviolate world to...

“Daisy” (:30) Forty years ago today.