Free Republic

Russian paratrooper reveals how he had NO idea he was invading Ukraine until the shelling started and tells how his comrades were slaughtered while using rusty machine guns and 'the tactics of our grandfathers' Pavel Filatiev, 33, highlights Russian army's shortcomings in explosive new book Paratrooper Pavel was part of invading force, but quit on medical grounds He now opposes war and said: 'We had no moral right to attack another country' Soldiers under Putin are 'dissatisfied' and under-supplied amid 'terrible war' Mr Filatiev, 33, dressed in his army uniform, was part of Russia's invading forces on February 24. But...

Another of Putin's prized £3million T-90 supertanks is blown sky high in Ukraine when attack 'by Kyiv forces' hits ammo inside and causes a spectacular explosion Latest footage emerges of elite Russian tank exploding as internal ammo struck More than 20 of the £3million vehicles are thought wrecked so far in Ukraine First built in the early-90s, new versions have become a premium weapon of war But even cheap Ukrainian rockets have reportedly seen the T-90 blown to pieces Yet another advanced Russian T-90 tank has been destroyed in Ukraine, dramatic footage shows. The £3million weapon of war was thought...

This is the audacious moment a Russian tank is obliterated just outside Mariupol, with its turret shooting up hundreds of feet into the air. Amazing video shot by Chinese state TV channel Phoenix shows the sudden blast in eastern Ukraine, which saw the Russian tank wiped out instantaneously.

This is the incredible moment a Ukrainian drone decimates a Russian patrol boat in the Black Sea. Video recorded by the Bayraktar drone high above Snake Island this morning shows the unmanned vehicle wreck the Raptor attack craft below. It is one of two Russian patrol vessels destroyed this morning, the Ukrainian navy said. Chief of General Staff Valeriy Zaluzhniy wrote on Facebook: 'Two Russian Raptor-class boats were destroyed at dawn today near Zmiinyi (Snake) Island.' -snip- Mr Zaluzhniy added: 'Bayraktars are working. Together to victory!' Moscow did not respond to the reports.

Vladimir Putin may be forced to give up control of the war in Ukraine for days as he is set for cancer surgery, a 'Kremlin insider' has claimed. The Russian dictator will reportedly nominate hardline Security Council head and ex-FSB chief Nikolai Patrushev to take control of the invasion while he is under the knife. Shadowy Patrushev, 70, is seen as a key architect of the war strategy so far - and the man who convinced Putin that Kyiv is awash with neo-Nazis. General SVR reported that Putin has abdominal cancer and Parkinson's 18 months ago. Hardliner Nikolai Patrushev will...

At least 50 killed after suicide bomber targets last Friday prayers of the month Eyewitnesses describe 'dead bodies everywhere' after 'deafening blast' in Kabul Hundreds were inside the mosque at the time of the attack, survivors claim Today's Zikr remembrance prayers seen as heretical by hardliner Sunni Muslims Whitehall adviser says death toll could be 200 as Taliban insist only ten dead A suicide bomb blast killed at least 50 worshippers during Friday prayers at a mosque in Afghanistan today. Hundreds were gathered inside the Khalifa Sahib Mosque in western Kabul when the huge explosion took place. It's thought hundreds...

Ukrainian military officials have pictured and revealed names of Russian soldiers dubbed the 'Despicable Ten' who they accuse of carrying out war crimes in Bucha. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence released the names and faces of the men, stating: 'Ten Russian butchers from the 64th brigade have been identified and named suspects responsible for committing the Bucha massacre. 'This unit [has] been awarded for its atrocities, and returned to the battlefield. Justice for war criminals is inevitable.' Horrific images of dozens of bodies in civilian clothes lying in the streets, some with their hands tied behind their backs, in Bucha...

The Russian military is furious that Putin has downsized the invasion of Ukraine and called for a new escalation of the conflict. As the Kremlin's war effort stumbles against a dogged Ukrainian resistance, leading figures in the Red Army have reportedly begged Putin to take the country for good. Military and pro-war Telegram channels are now flooded with calls to commit greater resources to Ukraine and 'fight NATO', according to Russian news agency Agenta. Special forces veteran Alexander Arutyunov pleaded with Putin to upscale the invasion in a viral post, asking: 'Vladimir Vladimirovich, are we fighting a war or masturbating?'...

Putin's failing war in Ukraine has seen Russia lose years' worth of kit, experts say That includes 939 tanks, 185 planes, 155 helicopters and 421 artillery: Kyiv army 'Supplies are getting low' and 'it will take years for Russia to rebuild': US analyst Soviet-era reserves including tanks remain - but it's unclear if they still work Embarrassing sinking of Black Sea flagship the Moskva prompted fury in Russia Russia will be unable to fight another war for years because of catastrophic kit losses in Ukraine, defence experts said. 'It will take years for Russia to rebuild its inventories', according to...

In a clip shared on Twitter and in pro-Ukraine Telegram channels, a group of ten student soldiers in oversized helmets wielding AK-47s from the 1940s complain they've been 'thrown into the s**t'. One complains: 'Know the truth! The Russian Ministry of Defence has no idea about us, or what we’re doing here. Another adds: 'Our rifles are from the 1940s! They don’t f***ing fire! They’re sending f***ing ordinary students into war', according to The Times. The boys, who are reportedly members of the 15th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade, filmed themselves in the back of a lorry near Sumy, close to...