Free Republic

Saudi Arabia is prepared to abandon its $100-a-barrel crude oil price target as it moves to increase output, signaling its acceptance of lower prices, according to the Financial Times. This decision comes despite earlier production cuts by OPEC+ members, which sought to keep prices high. Brent crude prices dipped below $70 earlier this month, the lowest since December 2021. Despite this, officials plan to boost production starting December 1, potentially extending a period of reduced prices. This marks a shift from Saudi Arabia's previous focus on price stabilization. Saudi Arabia's ramp-up in oil production, especially if paired with lowered prices,...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suffered an emabarassing setback as his feared Satan 2 nuclear arsenal failed four out of five missile tests, according to arms experts and satellite imagery from the launch site. High-resolution satellite images of the launch pad at Russia's Plesetsk test site, where the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile exploded, shows extensive damage. A crater approximately 60 meters wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, along with visible damage in the surrounding area that was not present in images taken earlier in the month. -snip- The missile's liquid-fuel engine likely exploded...

A fire erupted after Ukraine launched a barrage of drone strikes on a Russian military base in Lipetsk amid a major cross-border incursion, footage from social media showed. Residents of four settlements near the Lipetsk airbase were reportedly being evacuated after the explosions as local authorities declared a state of emergency. -snip- A statement released by the Ukrainian military said: "Tonight, the Defense Forces of Ukraine attacked the Lipetsk airfield (Lipetsk region, Russia). During the attack, warehouses with guided aerial bombs and a number of other objects in the airport area were hit. Several ignition sources were recorded, a strong...