Free Republic

At President Trump's direction, the Department of Defense is sending additional defensive weapons to Ukraine to ensure the Ukrainians can defend themselves while we work to secure a lasting peace and ensure the killing stops. Our framework for POTUS to evaluate military shipments across the globe remains in effect and is integral to our America First defense priorities.

The Kremlin has doubled its funding in 2025 for Yunarmiya ("Youth Army"), the state-sponsored youth organization that combines ideological indoctrination with military training for children and teenagers. According to documents reviewed by the independent Mozhem Obyasnit news outlet, Yunarmia is receiving 1 billion rubles (approximately $11 million) in funding this year, the largest amount since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This year, Yunarmiya is set to receive 800 million rubles ($9.7 million) in state subsidies through the Youth and Children national project, which was launched in 2024 by presidential decree to create “advanced schools” across Russia’s regions. The funds will...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he needs more details about peace proposals following President Donald Trump’s call with Russia’s Vladimir Putin, warning that "For us, the red line is the recognition of the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories as Russian." Zelenskyy announced he plans to speak with Trump Wednesday after the president told Fox News’ "The Ingraham Angle" that he spent nearly two hours on the phone Tuesday with Putin. "We will discuss the details of the next steps with him," Zelenskyy said. "For us, the red line is the recognition of the Ukrainian temporarily occupied territories as Russian. We will...

President Trump is prepared to double down on US sanctions for Russia to bring about an end to its war on Ukraine, retired Gen. Keith Kellogg, his special envoy to the conflict, exclusively told The Post this week — but he knows both Kyiv and Moscow will have to make concessions to end the “industrial-sized” killing in Europe’s largest country. Sanctions enforcement on Russia are “only about a three” on a scale of one to 10 on how painful the economic pressure can be, Kellogg said. The US sanctions themselves — such as those targeting Russia’s lucrative energy sector —...

Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly took a page out of President Biden’s book and is offering to write off debts for new recruits enlisting in the country’s military for one year. In November, Putin signed a law allowing anyone who joined the Russian military after Dec. 1, 2024, to have debs of up to 10 million rubles, or about $96,000, written off. -snip- The move appears to be similar to one from Biden’s own playbook, though the latter does not connect loan handouts to military recruitment. Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced $4.28 billion in student loan handouts as...

Russia could end the war in Ukraine with a nuclear strike that turns the country into a "radiation zone", an ally of Vladimir Putin has chillingly warned. Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev warned that the world is "on the brink of nuclear war". Discussing the prospect of a Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine, he added: "There will be a radiation zone nobody will ever go into in our lifetime. And the war will be over." -snip- He added: "We want a long-term peace — some sort of general agreement about the global order. Trump wants to go down in history, he'll...

This list only includes destroyed vehicles and equipment of which photo or videographic evidence is available. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here. Loitering munitions, drones used as unmanned bait, civilian vehicles and derelict equipment are not included in this list. All possible effort has gone into avoiding duplicate entries and discerning the status of equipment between captured or abandoned. Many of the entries listed as 'abandoned' will likely end up captured or destroyed. Similarly, some of the captured equipment might be destroyed if it can't be recovered. When a vehicle is captured and then...

The Ukrainian Armed Forces conducted a drone attack early Monday morning, October 7, striking an oil depot in Feodosia, Crimea. "Ukrainian missile units, working with other defense forces, carried out the operation as part of ongoing efforts to weaken Russia’s military and economic infrastructure," Ukraine's General Staff said in a statement , News.Az reports. The target, identified as the Marine Oil Terminal, is Crimea's largest petroleum transshipment hub, with a storage capacity of 250,000 cubic meters. This is not the first time Ukrainian drones have attacked the terminal. Crimea is home to two major oil depots, the second located in...

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s army has retreated from a neighborhood in the outskirts of Chasiv Yar, a strategically important town in the eastern Donetsk region that has been reduced to rubble under a monthslong Russian assault, a military spokesperson said Thursday. Chasiv Yar is a short distance west of Bakhmut, which was captured by Russia last year after a bitter 10-month battle. For months, Russian forces have focused on capturing Chasiv Yar, a town which occupies an elevated location. Its fall would put nearby cities in jeopardy, compromise critical Ukrainian supply routes and bring Russia closer to its stated...

The Ukrainian air force’s Dolgintsevo air base is one of the most vulnerable bases in Ukraine. Situated near Kryvyi Rih just 45 miles from the front line in southern Ukraine, the base is within range of Russia’s best Lancet drones. Since the extended-range version of the Lancet—the so-called “Product 53”—debuted in August, the drones have attacked Dolgintsevo every few weeks, aiming for any warplanes parked in the open at the base’s tarmacs. In nine months, Lancets have struck at least four jets at Dolgintsevo: two Mikoyan MiG-29s and two Sukhoi Su-25s. The first two strikes, last fall, took the Ukrainian...

The meat grinder/organ harvesting link...

The steady path toward World War III continues. U.S. and NATO support for Ukraine in the war with Russia has been one long failure, but that hasn’t stopped them from escalating the war with new weapons and tactics. Russia has met the escalation with its own escalation every step of the way. At what point do rational leaders in the West (if there are any left) pause, consider that the war is lost in Ukraine, deescalate and seek a treaty to end the war? There’s no sign of that yet. In fact, all of the signs point to further escalation,...

Frontline | The War in Ukraine and Global Security: 'The Kremlin knows this is not sustainable' as Putin's losses mount in Ukraine | Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges Times Radio 836K subscribers 5-14-2024 3:00 p.m. 30:32 Minutes "I don't think that they can maintain their industry and an army of this size that they need, given the casualties they're suffering." Russian manpower shortages because of the war in Ukraine are not sustainable, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges tells Frontline on #timesradio 15,449 views 2 hours ago