Free Republic

Despite the fact that they have given Ukraine hundreds of billions of dollars in military and civilian aid – and much of this aid was stolen by corrupt officials – American and British officials have to be continually lectured by President Volodymyr Zelensky on a regular basis. Following yesterday’s (13) meeting between UK’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer and feeble US President Joe Biden, there was no agreement on a deal to give Ukraine authorization to shoot long-range missiles deep into Russian territory. Starmer and Biden held talks to discuss strategy on how to bring the war in Ukraine to an...

"The return of Crimea to Ukraine is a requirement of international law." Erdoğan said in his video address that Turkey has always been opposed to Russia's annexation of Crimea. He decried the persecution of Crimea's ethnic Tatars since 2014. Erdoğan added: "Our sincere wish is for the war to end with a fair and lasting peace based on Ukraine's territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence." In October 2020, the Turkish leader said during a joint press briefing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that his country would never recognize the annexation of Crimea. "We have and always will support Ukraine's sovereignty and...

Russian forces lost almost 1,400 fighters and 50 artillery systems in the past day as the Kremlin pushes forward to threaten a key Ukrainian city in the country's eastern Donetsk region and Kyiv holds its grip on swathes of Russia's southern Kursk region. Moscow sustained 1,380 casualties between Monday and Tuesday bringing the tally of total Russian casualties to 627,790. Updated figures on Tuesday put Russia's artillery losses at 50 over the past day—with a total of 17,880 systems lost during Russia's full-scale invasion of the country, which began in February 2022.

In July, Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the country's low birth rate was "catastrophic" for Russia's future. Russia's birth rate is at its lowest since 1999 with the number of live births falling under 100,000 in June, causing concern in Moscow over what has been described as a severe population downswing. From January to June of 2024, 599,600 children were both in Russia — 16,000 less than the same period in 2023, according to data published by Russia's governmental statistic agency Rosstat. Over the same period, Russia's population decline accelerated by 18%, with 49,000 more deaths recorded in 2024 than...

Su-35: Russia’s High-Tech Fighter Struggles in Ukraine Conflict The Su-35 “Flanker-E” was Russia’s attempt to keep pace with their American and Chinese great power rivals. On paper, it’s a powerhouse. In practice, the Su-35 has had a mixed record. This is not because the Russians are incapable of building competitive warplanes. They’ve got those. It is more likely because the Su-35 is a Russian warbird that incorporates many Western military components, making the production of these birds difficult as well as the fact the Russians have had to use the Su-35 in ways the plane was not designed to be...

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine has destroyed a key bridge in Russia's Kursk region and struck a second one nearby, less than two weeks into its stunning cross-border incursion, disrupting Russian supply routes and possibly signaling that its troops are planning to dig in. Russia’s pro-Kremlin military bloggers have acknowledged that the destruction of the first bridge, which spanned the Seim River near the town of Glushkovo, will impede deliveries of supplies to Russian forces repelling Ukraine’s incursion, although Moscow could still use pontoons and smaller bridges in the area. Ukraine’s air force chief, Lt. Mykola Oleshchuk, on Friday released...

Ukrainian forces are pushing further into the Kursk region of Russia, in a cross-border incursion that surprised even American officials, multiple US and Ukrainian officials tell CNN. Ukrainian forces are comprised of a mix of Ukrainian regular and special operations units, unlike previous Ukrainian operations inside Russia that often involved undercover units and local sympathizers. The intention, say US and Ukrainian officials, is multifaceted, in part to disrupt and demoralize Russian forces and in part to divert Russian forces away from other parts of the eastern front. Russia claimed on Thursday to have halted a Ukrainian incursion into its territory,...