Free Republic

Mercenary chief of the Wagner Group, Yevgeniy Prigozhin, has threatened to keep his men from returning to Ukraine if Moscow continues under the leadership of "clowns," widening the rift that has been growing between his group and military command. "If the whole chain (of command) is 100% failed and will only be led by clowns who turn people into meat, then we will not participate in it," Prigozhin said during an interview to celebrate his 62nd birthday. "It has been a tough year," he added, confirming that his men will leave the city of Bakhmut on June 5 after handing...

Russia's deputy science minister, allegedly a private critic of the 'fascist' invasion of Ukraine, has died suddenly after falling seriously ill on a flight to Moscow on Saturday. Pyotr Kucherenko, 46, was returning from a business trip to Cuba when his plane was forced to make an emergency landing in southern Russia, the Science and Higher Education Ministry said yesterday.Doctors performed CPR but were unable to save the official. His family said the death was linked to an underlying heart condition, but the body is expected to undergo an autopsy on May 24. Independent journalist Roman Super wrote after the...

An open letter calling for a swift diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine was published on Tuesday in the New York Times. The letter’s 14 signatories consisted mostly of former U.S. military officers and other national security officials, including Jack Matlock, Washington’s former ambassador to the Soviet Union; Ann Wright, a retired U.S. Army colonel and former diplomat; Matthew Hoh, a former Marine Corps officer and State Department official; and Ret. Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, who served as Secretary of State Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff. Many are longtime critics of U.S. foreign policy and post-9/11 war policies.The letter calls...

Two of Russia's top commanders were killed amid bitter fighting in Ukraine Two of Russia's top commanders were killed today amid bitter fighting in the east of Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry said Commander Vyacheslav Makarov of the 4th Motorized Rifle Brigade and Deputy Commander Yevgeny Brovko from a separate unit were killed trying to repel Ukrainian attacks. The battle for Bakhmut has raged for a year as Ukrainian and Russian troops have even had to fight hand-to-hand with bayonets. It said Makarov had been leading troops from the front line while Brovko 'died heroically, suffering multiple shrapnel wounds'. The...