Free Republic

Russian military-affiliated sources have acknowledged the loss of a combat jet following a Ukrainian sea drone attack near the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. The pro-Russian Telegram channel Rybar reported the incident late Friday, writing, “Unfortunately, the enemy attack did not go unanswered. Yesterday evening, a Su-30 naval aviation fighter was hit 50 kilometers west of Novorossiysk by a drone boat carrying an R-73 surface-to-air missile.” While official channels in Moscow have not released a formal statement, additional details were provided by Russian propagandist Ilya Tumanov, who runs the well-known Fighterbomber aviation blog. According to Tumanov, the aircraft crew ejected...

VIDEO: WOW! "Ukraine DECLARES VICTORY as Russia’s Pokrovsk Plan CRUMBLES" The Military Show 1.62M subscribers 5-1-2025 5:00 P.M. Video Length 20:47 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxfH_AXunJM "Russia’s long-running plan to seize Pokrovsk has collapsed. On April 30, Ukraine declared victory in the city, with the Ukrainian Center for Security and Cooperation confirming that Russian forces failed to capture the settlement despite concentrated efforts. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi previously noted that some of Russia’s best military units were deployed to take Pokrovsk. Their failure marks a major defensive success for Ukraine at a time when the eastern front remains highly contested. This Pokrovsk win also blocks...

Russian state media have reported Thursday that U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio may attend Moscow's May 9 celebrations in Red Square to commemorate the end of World War Two. Zvezda, a TV channel of the Russian defense ministry, cited an unnamed diplomatic source that the U.S. might be represented by Rubio at the show piece event for the Kremlin which parades Russian military hardware. Newsweek has contacted the U.S. State Department and the Kremlin for a response.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said his nation’s troops are still experiencing some weapons shortages despite increases in production demands. Before a meeting of Russia’s Military-Industrial Commission on Wednesday, Mr. Putin confirmed that the country had met all of its defense production goals last year. However, those goals may not have been enough, with Mr. Putin adding that some Russian military members lack the necessary equipment. “I know very well, and many here who are participating in our meeting today know it as well as I do: There are still not enough of these weapons,” he said. “Not enough.”

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Gen. Keith Kellogg kicked off high-stakes talks in France Thursday with European and Ukrainian officials — marking the first time that both envoys were at the negotiation table to discuss an end to the war. The trio met with French President Emmanuel Macron as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andrii Yermak, senior administration officials told The Post. The State Department had announced Wednesday that Rubio and Witkoff would make the trip to France, but gave a vague description of the visit in a...

MAD Vladimir Putin's top stooge has raged that European troops in Ukraine would "return in coffins" as plans are drawn up for a peacekeeping force in the war-torn country. French President Emmanuel Macron, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US envoy Steve Witkoff began their meeting in Paris on crafting a ceasefire to finally end the bloody war. As Ukrainian officials discuss deploying troops in Volodymyr Zelensky's nation with their British, French and German counterparts, Putin's puppets have been raging over the talks. Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev made a clear warning to the West of sending...

Russian leader tells Sasha Troufanov, his mother and partner of 'need to express words of gratitude' to political heads of terror group who murdered his father during Oct. 7 attack. Russian President Vladimir Putin met Wednesday evening with freed hostage Sasha Troufanov at the Kremlin in Moscow, along with his mother, Elena Trufanova, and partner, Sapir Cohen, both of whom are also former captives. “The fact that you managed to go free is the result of the fact that Russia has stable, long-term relations with the Palestinian people, with its representatives, and with a wide variety of organizations,” Putin told...

The extension of anti-Russian sanctions by US President Donald Trump, which were introduced by his predecessor Joe Biden, is an automatic action and no other decisions could be expected, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, APA reports, citing TASS. "A different decision could hardly be expected, especially that these are rather automatic actions," Peskov said. Moscow and Washington are only at the start of normalizing bilateral relations and Russia therefore had no exaggerated expectations as regards US actions, the Kremlin Spokesman noted. The case in point is US Executive Order 14024 of April 15, 2021, repeatedly expanded and renewed by Joe...

Pro-Israel activist and evangelical leader Laurie Cardoza-Moore called on US President Donald Trump on Tuesday to place a tariff on conservative media personality Tucker Carlson's show after he tweeted in support of Iran. “Tucker Carlson is acting like a foreign agent, doing the bidding of Iran and Qatar instead of America. It’s time for the White House to impose a Tariff on Tucker Carlson for illegally importing anti-Semitic Iranian talking points and putting America last,” Cardoza-Moore said. Cardoza-Moore, who hosts Focus On Israel on NRB TV, claimed that Carlson has used the term ‘neocons’ as a dogwhistle meaning ‘blame the...

President Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff will lead the U.S. delegation for nuclear talks with Iran on Saturday in Oman, two sources familiar with the plan tell Axios. -snip- So far, there have only been negotiations about the negotiations — which don't yet seem to be resolved. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whom Iranian press reports say will be Iran's chief negotiator, insisted the talks would be "indirect" — with Omani mediators passing messages between the sides. Trump insisted the talks would be "direct." Two U.S. officials told Axios that is indeed the plan. Whatever the format, the stakes are clear....

The Russian economy has slowed sharply in recent months, according to the latest economic data, and may be at further risk if a fall in oil prices and global market turmoil persist. Russia's growth, fuelled by spending on the three-year-old war in Ukraine, exceeded 4% in the past two years, but a labour shortage across many other sectors has contributed to a wage-price spiral that has pushed inflation above 10%. In response, the central bank has raised its key interest rate to 21%, the highest level since the early 2000s, prompting howls from business leaders who say it is stifling...

The situation in the global oil market is extremely unstable, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov during a briefing today, APA's Moscow correspondent reports. According to him, this instability is related to the decision of the United States to impose tariffs on most countries in the world. Peskov mentioned that the Russian government is closely monitoring the situation. "This is an indicator that is very important for filling our budget. We are currently closely monitoring the situation, which is characterized by extreme instability, tension, and emotional strain. This is due to the decision of the United States to impose tariffs on...

Russia's flagship Urals crude grade has tumbled alongside all major oil benchmarks in the global market rout and is close to the $50 per barrel threshold for the first time in nearly two years. The Urals price was at around $52 per barrel at the Baltic Sea port of Primorsk on Friday, according to data from Argus Media cited by Bloomberg. The price of Urals further dropped on Monday as oil prices continued to fall, with WTI Crude, the U.S. benchmark, down to $60 per barrel, and Brent Crude prices at $64. - snip- As the price of the flagship...

Saudi Arabia has made the biggest drop in oil prices in two years — it has reduced the price of its main oil grade, Arab Light, to $2.30 per barrel for Asian customers. According to Bloomberg, this decision came just a few days after OPEC+ decided to increase oil production by 400,000 barrels per day more sharply than expected. In addition, “Trump’s tariffs” have also dealt a serious blow to world oil prices — oil prices have fallen by $10 in one day: from $75 to $65 per barrel. This is the lowest level in three years. For Russia, whose...

Russian air strikes hit the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Sunday, killing one person and injuring three others, while the death toll from Friday’s devastating attack on Kryvyi Rih rose to 19, including nine children. The Kyiv victim was found near the epicentre of the strike in the Darnytskyi district, where fires broke out in multiple non-residential areas, causing severe damage to buildings and cars. In a statement on social media, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggested the intensifying Russian attacks showed there is still insufficient international pressure on Moscow. He said Russia has launched more than 1,460 guided aerial bombs, nearly...

Russia launched an overnight air strike on Kyiv, with the city's air defence forces trying to repel the attack, the military administration and the mayor of the Ukrainian capital said on Sunday. "Explosions in the capital. Air defences are working. Stay in shelters!" Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a post on the Telegram messaging app.

A Russian militia leader claimed the population was dying out and all the Kremlin could do was "to bring in migrants". A prominent Russian pro-war Telegram Channel has launched a scathing attack on Vladimir Putin's immigration policy. The Rybar Telegram Channel was founded by Mikhail Zvinchuk and has more than 1.3 million subscribers. -snip- The clip alleged terrorist recruiters were active at a Moscow junk market where weapons and Russian passports could be bought. The channel also identified the locations of “ethnic brothels” and illegal mosques. The video ends with the on-screen message: “So, who benefits from this breeding ground...

Russian state media reported that the 17-year-old was named curator of Chechnya's internal affairs ministry on Monday, meaning he'll oversee police and local security forces. The ministry also handles counterterrorism and riot control. A state broadcast showed the teen receiving the appointment at a ceremonial meeting as uniformed officers applauded. Soon after, he was filmed performing his duties by naming a new head of Chechnya's operational search division and handing out medals to police officers. The 17-year-old was already appointed overseer of Chechnya's Russian Special Forces University last April. The university says it teaches civilians and soldiers skills such as...

United States President Donald Trump has expressed his frustration with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin as he believes the latter is "slow-rolling comprehensive ceasefire talks," Fox News reported on Tuesday, citing sources. According to the sources, due to such behavior, the Trump administration is mulling "aggressive" sanctions enforcement that would affect Russia's "shadow fleet," among other things. The sources explained that the sanctions enforcement is currently "low," more specifically "level 3 out of 10." The sources went on to say that some 70% of Russia's illegal oil sales are done with the use of the "shadow fleet."

The United States is ready to go "all in" on sanctions against Russia, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared, signaling the administration's readiness to impose even harsher measures to pressure Moscow into peace negotiations. -snip- Bessent was critical of former US President Joe Biden's sanctions approach, describing them as "egregiously weak," particularly when it came to Russian energy. He argued that the weakness in these sanctions allowed Russia's military operations to continue, largely because of concerns about rising energy prices in the US. "A major factor that has enabled the Russian war machine's continued financing was the Biden administration's egregiously...