Free Republic

.....De Croo said that Belgian agencies are working closely with the Czech authorities after a pro-Russian influence operation was uncovered there. He said that probe showed that members of the European Parliament were approached and offered money to promote Russian propaganda.

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...

DRAMATIC footage shows the moment another Russian warship is blown to pieces in a massive explosion. Footage shows Putin's £35million Sergey Kotov corvette being struck by a kamikaze sea drone near Feodosia, in occupied Crimea. Ukrainian intelligence confirmed the strike and said the ship was entirely destroyed. One of Vladimir Putin’s most modern warships, the 308ft long patrol vessel Sergey Kotov came into service during the war in 2022. The vessel normally has a crew of 80 - and the fate of those on board remains unclear. The strike is a major blow to Putin's crumbling Black Sea fleet as...

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...

At the International Platform for the Release of Civilians Illegally Detained by the Russian Federation, Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said that 204 people have been served with suspicion notices in Ukrainian criminal proceedings regarding the illegal deprivation of liberty of civilians, 158 people are being tried in courts, and 33 people have been convicted. Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin took part in the launch of the International Platform for the Release of Civilians Illegally Detained by the Russian Federation. This is an important step in the implementation of the Fourth Point of the President's Peace Formula. It aims to unite efforts...

The Ukrainian air force claimed it has shot down 10 Russian warplanes in 10 days: nine of the Russian air force’s best Sukhoi Su-34 and Sukhoi Su-35 fighter-bombers and also a rare Beriev A-50 radar plane. -snip- The Ukrainian defense ministry announced this month’s ninth and tenth shoot-downs—both involving Su-34s—on Tuesday. “Oops, we did it again!” the ministry quipped. “And now it's 10 destroyed Russian planes in 10 days!” How the Ukrainians are shooting down so many jets is unclear. It’s possible the Ukrainian air force has assigned some of its American-made Patriot missile launchers to mobile air-defense groups that...

But upcoming Biden administration and German decisions concerning the deployment of precision deep-strike weapons — namely ATACMS and the Taurus cruise missile — are likely weighing heavily on Putin’s mind, along with the coming introduction of F-16 fighter jets. Ditto bilateral security guarantees, some signed just days ago, with the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Denmark, Italy and Canada — and Sweden’s and Britain’s announcements last week of additional military assistance. Europe is not giving up on Ukraine. Propaganda wins aside, it was a losing week for Putin... As many as 65 soldiers from Russia’s 39th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade...

Andrey Morozov, a prominent pro-war Russian blogger, has reportedly died by suicide following outrage over a post in which he claimed that the Russian army lost 16,000 soldiers during the capture of the eastern Ukrainian city of Avdiivka. Morozov, who went by the pseudonym Murz on Telegram, was an ultra-nationalist commentator who fought alongside Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and participated in Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. On Sunday, Morozov wrote to his 120,000 followers on Telegram that Russia lost 16,000 personnel and 300 pieces of armour during its months-long capture of Avdiivka. The post drew heavy criticism...

STREAMING VIDEO - live 1-23-2024 🔴 RUSSIAN ARMY TAKES RECORD LOSSES! Breaking Ukraine War Footage And News With The Enforcer (Day 699) The Enforcer 157K subscribers 1-23-2024 10:00 p.m https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zTd1ibsa1cU The Russian army has taken the highest losses in one day over the course of the war as offensive battles in Avdiivka and Kherson prove catastrpohic. The Russian army is currently seeming to prepare to move towards more defensive battles, but the high losses carry on. Russian is setting up massive air defense sites in St. Petersburg after the attack on Ust-Luga

Republicans in the House are planning to use a potential showdown next year over raising the federal debt limit to make changes in Social Security and Medicare, Bloomberg’s Jack Fitzpatrick reports.

- Trump took swipes on social media at potential 2024 rivals Govs. DeSantis and Youngkin. - It's been speculated that the Florida and Virginia governors could seek the GOP nomination in 2024. - Though he has not said he's running for re-election, Trump once again teased he may make another White House run.

+636 DEAD +28,541 NEW CASES ***601,949** TOTAL DEAD

As the Russia investigation heated up and threatened to shadow Donald Trump's presidency, he became increasingly concerned. But the portrait painted by special counsel Robert Mueller is not of a president who believed he or anyone on his campaign colluded with Russians to interfere in the 2016 election. Instead, the Trump of the Mueller report is gripped by fear that Americans would question the very legitimacy of his presidency. Would Trump, the man who put his name on skyscrapers and his imprint on television, be perceived as a cheater and a fraud? To Trump, his victory over Hillary Clinton was...

Thinking back to those wonderful days last October when it looked like we might lose the POTUS, the SCOTUS and the SOTUS I think it appropriate now that we find, and fight about, any differences we have about the way forward. If, in the end, it looks like we can only get 75 or 80 or 90 or 99% of what we want then let's kill everyone, burn the place down and salt the earth where it was. Let's fight each other! And if no one will fight us then lets fight ourselves!!

Throughout history, religion has sanctioned and fueled the persecution of homosexuality. That dynamic may be drawing to an end. Polls, clerics, and denominations are shifting. Theology is adapting. Resistance to same-sex marriage is dwindling, and there’s no end in sight. For 15 years, the Ethics and Public Policy Center has hosted the Faith Angle Forum, a regular conference on religion and public life. Several weeks ago, the group met again to discuss current issues. Transcripts of the conference have just been posted on EPPC’s website. They underscore the extent of the anti-gay collapse. The first session, led by papal biographer...

Within a few days, a federal district judge in my home-state of Virginia will likely rule on the constitutionality of the commonwealth’s Marshall-Newman Amendment, which only permits marriage between one man and one woman. Frankly, as a conservative Republican and as a Christian, I hope that the amendment is struck down. Republicans value marriage so highly because it encourages people to live according to conservative values. For instance, by enabling two people to share resources, marriage makes couples more financially secure, thereby reducing their dependence on government. In addition, marriage binds people into permanent, monogamous relationships, enabling couples to more...

In his press conference on December 20th, President Obama urged the House of Representatives to support the Senate’s immigration bill, which passed 68-32 in late June. Among the concerns cited by Americans who oppose reform are that immigrants will take their jobs, drive down wages, increase criminal activity, burden the welfare system, and reshape the cultural dynamic of the country. These concerns are mostly ill-founded. The legitimate concerns have real solutions, and a more open immigration policy will be a net benefit for all Americans... Highlights from Article: - A 2013 study by the American Action Forum states that "immigration...

Seems that all the eligibility threads that are started as of late are being pulled. Seems that simple freedom of speech and thought are being regulated by the powers that be here on FR. Just a lurker since joining, but this one is just too obvious. Probably become just a lurker after this post. Oh well. Yes, I guess we all have a price. BTW FReepers - keep those donations rolling in. I mean that, as this site is one of the last vestiges of hope for your country. Sua Sponte

It has been a challenge to compare the Occupy Wall Street entrenchment to the Tea Party movement due to sporadic, biased, and negative coverage of Occupy Wall Street by the mainstream/liberal media. The mainstream/liberal media have demonstrated with their history of affectionate and tender coverage of Tea Party rallies that they are sycophantic water carriers for the Tea Party, the GOP, and conservatives.

Dear Mr. Robinson: I've given the matter quite a bit of thought and have decided it is time to ZOT you. I was tempted when I noticed posters were allowed to insult anyone who disagreed with them; even more tempted when I saw new posters banned for asking questions, or expressing an opinion outside the mainstream - (though I must confess anyone adopting the screen name "Christ was killed by conservatives" was not going to last very long ! I'm sure he was referring to the Sanhedrin, but still...) When I saw your post today about getting "millions of people"...