Free Republic

They've hung him upside down like a slab of meat. Stripped to his underwear. Arms bound tight with tape. Ankles lashed to a tree trunk in the open winter air. The second man, attached to a neighbouring tree, is at least taped upright. A man screams at them in Russian. He stuffs a fistful of snow into one of the men's mouths. Both cringe in terror, whimpering protestations and pleas. This is no medieval dungeon - it's the Russian army in Ukraine in the 21st century. The men's 'crime'? Refusing to walk, yet again, into what they call 'the meat...

Chechen warlord and close Putin ally Ramzan Kadyrov has signalled his intent to invade Poland next should Russia be victorious in Ukraine. ‘I have repeatedly stated that the fight against Satanism should continue throughout Europe and, first of all, on the territory of Poland,’ he said on Telegram. Kadyrov added: ‘What if, after the successful completion of the NMD (National Missile Defence), Russia begins to denazify and demilitarise the next country? ‘After all, after Ukraine, Poland is on the map! I will not hide that I personally have such an intention.’ Elsewhere this week, Kadyrov, 46, was awarded the title...

Russia’s widely-anticipated winter offensive has begun. Aiming to extend its control over eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, Russian troops are attacking north and south of Donetsk city. In the northern sector, around the city of Bakhmut, the Russians slowly are advancing—albeit at staggering cost. In the south, around Vuhledar, the Russians’ losses are just as steep—but they’ve made no clear gains that could justify the casualties. Vuhledar is turning into a meatgrinder for the Russian army, with enormous implications for the wider offensive. The latest Russian attack on Vuhledar—a town with a pre-war population of just 14,000 that lies a mile...

Yevgeny Prigozhin's feud with the Russian Defence Ministry over Soledar is escalating. Prigozhin shared a post on his Telegram feed that chastizes the Defence Ministry for claiming paratroopers helped Russia in in Soledar and said that Wagner Group fighters did it exclusively.