Free Republic

Russia has sent a stark and chilling warning to Donald Trump, as the US Congress prepares to vote on a new batch of sanctions against Moscow. -snip- Vladimir Solovyov - a Kremlin apparatchik - warned Trump that Russia could become America's "most terrifying enemy" in a rant on his TV talkshow. "Maybe Trump simply can't grasp that Russia doesn't care about the national interests of other countries if they contradict those of our own state?" he fumed. Warming to his subject, the Putin stooge continued: "The time when someone like Yeltsin, who randomly emerged from the dust of history, managed...

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived on Friday in the coastal city of Wonsan, North Korea, according to RIA Novosti. The visit comes ahead of the second round of the strategic dialogue between Moscow and Pyongyang, with Lavrov scheduled to meet his North Korean counterpart, Choe Son Hui, to discuss bilateral ties. Earlier this week, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova announced the meeting would take place, adding that the first round of the dialogue took place in Moscow in January 2024.

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg will travel to Kyiv on July 14 for a week-long visit, he confirmed during the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome. The visit comes at a critical time, as confusion surrounds the Trump administration's stance on future military aid to Ukraine. Kellogg’s trip follows reports that President Donald Trump may authorize his first new weapons package for Ukraine since taking office, potentially using NATO funding. Until now, the administration has allowed only shipments approved under former President Joe Biden, News.Az reports, citing foreign media. The situation remains tense after the Pentagon unexpectedly paused deliveries...

Vladimir Putin's only aircraft carrier - the hulking Admiral Kuznetsov - is poised to be scrapped after seven failed years of repairs, say reports. Work on the jinxed ship, the largest in the Russian navy, has now been suspended despite the efforts to get it back in the water. News outlet Izvestia cites sources saying the vessel is likely destined for the scrapheap. Putin's 'Ship of Shame' is languishing in dock in grim Arctic port Murmansk, and has played no role in the war against Ukraine. Its crew were quietly sent to fight in the war instead. The 58,000-ton rust...

THE Kremlin has been accused of covering up the death of a sacked Russian minister after signs of torture were allegedly found on his body just 24 hours before his apparent suicide. Roman Starovoit, who was Vladimir Putin's transport minister for less than a year, was dismissed from his post on July 7 - just hours before he was found dead. Telegram channels with links to the Russian security forces reported Starovoit's cause of death as suicide - claiming the minister was found dead with gunshot wounds. However, an independent Russian media outlet now reports that he had been beaten...

THE girlfriend of Vladimir Putin's transport official who was found dead ahead of a fraud inquiry could be banned from his funeral. Roman Starovoit, 53, was sacked by Vlad on Monday after he couldn't stop Ukraine causing mayhem to Russia's aviation industry - and was found dead hours later. He was found beside his Tesla with a bullet wound to his head as the mystery behind his "suicide" deepens. Now it has emerged that his long-term girlfriend, 25-year-old Polina Korneeva, might be barred from attending his funeral. Polina was brought to the scene by law enforcement to identify the corpse...

Vladimir Putin has taken a thinly-veiled swipe at the USA as the nation gears up to celebrate its Independence Day on July 4. The Russian President couldn't resist pointing out that he considers Russia to have played a key role in helping the much younger country achieve statehood during a call with his American counterpart on Thursday. Putin said: "Russia played an important role in the formation of American statehood, including through the War of Independence 250 years ago, and then during the Civil War, which ended 160 years ago." Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov added: "Of course, he congratulated Trump...

Vladimir Putin has claimed in a phone call with Donald Trump that Russia played a role in the formation of the United States. Speaking a day before America celebrates Independence Day, the Russian leader reportedly congratulated Mr Trump about its national holiday, held on July 4. According to a report by Tass, a state-owned news agency, Yury Ushakov, the Russian presidential aide, said during the call “it was noted from our side that Russia played an important role in the formation of American statehood including during the War of Independence 250 years ago, and then during the Civil War, which...

Russian President Vladimir Putin swiftly exited an interview to speak with U.S. President Donald Trump. A video that emerged online shows Putin amid a panel interview with a packed crowd, informing them that he needs to leave to speak with Trump or risks upsetting him. "Please don't be angry, I understand that we could talk more, but it's so awkward to make [Trump] wait, he could get offended. Thank you very much, good luck," Putin told the crowd.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his United States counterpart Donald Trump held a phone call lasting over an hour on Thursday, during which the two leaders addressed the ongoing war in Ukraine as well as the situation in the Middle East. According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, Putin reaffirmed Russia's stance, insisting Moscow would not abandon its aims of addressing what he called the "root causes" of the conflict. Trump, for his part, again emphasized the need for a rapid cessation of hostilities. Despite speculations, Ushakov said the issue of halting US arms supplies to Ukraine was not brought up....

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that he will speak on the phone with United States President Donald Trump later in the day. He made the remark while visiting a Russian business fair and did not elaborate on the topics he will discuss with Trump. More to come...

A series of explosions are heard inside the plant, with workers rushing and screaming as they try to get to safety. Ukrainian drones attacked a military-industrial complex in the Russian city of Izhevsk on Tuesday, in one of the deepest strikes inside the country since Putin's full-scale invasion. UAVS struck the Kupol Electromechanical Plant, causing a major fire to break out at the site. Video images circulating on social media channels show the dramatic moment of impact as the deadly drones zeroed in on their target. In one clip, an explosion can be heard, and then a giant ball of...

Until today, there have been no confirmed reports of Storm Shadows being deployed since November last year. VLADIMIR Putin's officers have been killed in droves in the first British-made Storm Shadow strike in months, reports claim. Bombshell footage showed the damage in Donetsk amid claims of “massive casualties among Russian officers” and the “crippling” of a mad Vlad fighting force. If confirmed, it would be the first use of the British-supplied missiles in months. Red-faced Russian authorities admitted only that a woman had died and three people were wounded, including a teenager. A building collapsed in the combined missile and...

Two Cameroonian men fighting for Russia were captured by Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk region. The men, identifying themselves as Metugena Una-na Jean Pafe and Anatole Frank, initially claimed to Ukraine's 20th Separate UAV Regiment that they had come to Russia for work, with one claiming "to make shampoo" and the other claiming "to fix teeth." However, they later admitted that they had signed contracts to join Russia's fight in Ukraine in exchange for 1.1 million rubles ($13,000), which is way less than Russian citizens are earning but still substatial for people from developing countries such as Cameroon and reports...

THE Russian invasion of Ukraine has been advancing at an incredibly slow pace - with Kyiv's "dronegrinder" warfare miring Putin's summer offensive. The rate at which Moscow is capturing land has been dubbed "slower than a snail" - all while the human cost of Russian casualties is sky high. After 448 days of fighting inside Chasiv Yar in Donetsk Oblast, the Russians reportedly only managed to take control of 50 per cent of the city. Which means the troops, on average, are only able to take 0.00629 square miles of land per day - which is a painfully low conversion...

Russia’s summer offensive in Ukraine is faltering just weeks after it began, despite a record number of attacks across multiple fronts. Data analysis by The Telegraph shows Moscow is on track to break its own record, which was set last month, for offensive operations in June. Yet the sheer volume of assaults has not translated into meaningful breakthroughs on the battlefield. The offensive – launched in May but planned over the winter – stretches from the northern border regions of Sumy and Kharkiv to the front lines in Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk, into which Russian forces are attempting to break for...

Housing and utility bills in some parts of Russia are expected to soar by up to 25% as the country's economic meltdown worsens. Russian media reports that tariffs on housing, gas, water and electricity will go up by an average of 11.9% on July 1, but some regions will see an increase between 23% and 25%. Mortgage rates have also soared to 25% in recent months. One Russian newspaper, translated into English by the BBC's Russia Editor Steve Rosenberg and shared on social media, says the increase will be "painful for many families". The same publication reports the experience of...

Vladimir Putin has lost four warplanes worth £37 million each despite stepping up their defences after Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb. A pair of Su-34 fighters were destroyed and two more damaged after an attack on on Marinovka military airfield in Volgograd. Ukraine used long range drones to fly more than 200 miles to inflict the latest £148 million blow to Putin’s aerial firepower. It came less than a month after Russia supposedly tightened its military air base security after 40-plus strategic bombers and spy planes were hit in Ukraine’s Operation Spiderweb. Russia responded by hitting Ukrainian civilians with a strike on...

Vladimir Putin has announced plans to scale back military spending after Kremlin officials warned that Russia is “on the brink of recession”. The Russian leader said he would reduce defence spending “next year and the year after, over the next three-year period” at an economic summit of five post-Soviet states in Minsk on Friday. Responding to Nato’s plans to raise defence spending to 5 per cent of GDP, Putin said the alliance’s members would spend on “purchases from the USA and on supporting their military-industrial complex”. “So who is preparing for some kind of aggressive actions? Us or them?” he...

Russian President Vladimir Putin shared on Friday that Moscow is ready to start a new round of talks with Ukraine. More to come...