Free Republic

A clip has emerged online showing Russian warlord Vladimir Putin kissing a copy of the Quran during his visit to Chechnya this week, as Ukraine continues its shock cross-border incursion. Putin also met with Chechnya leader and attack dog Ramzan Kadyrov, with whom he visited the newly constructed "Prophet Jesus" mosque in the capital, Grozny. There the Kremlin leader was presented with a gold-encrusted copy of the Holy Quran, before planting a kiss on it for the cameras.

Desperate locals are appealing for aid from the government, with one heartbreaking video showing a young boy from Orenburg whose home was flooded begging Vladimir Putin for help. Concerns are growing over the potential spread of deadly diseases following severe flooding in Russia and Kazakhstan, resulting in bodies being washed out from their graves. Widespread displacement was reported along the border region between Russia and Kazakhstan, with hundreds of thousands having to abandon their homes. Many residents are pleading for aid from Vladimir Putin amidst these desperate conditions and an apparently slow response from official sources. Desperate locals are appealing...

Ukraine claims its forces “seriously wounded” a high-profile Russian figure as part of a special forces mission into border city Belgorod. Vladimir Putin’s forces sustained heavy losses in the Russian city as Ukraine bombarded the city, Ukraine's military chief has claimed. Hundreds of Russians have been evacuated from Belgorod after a reported barrage of shelling from the Ukrainian army in recent days. Kyiv spymaster Kyrylo Budanov said: “Not disclosing details, I can say that one of the very seriously wounded [in Russia’s Belgorod region] was quite a significant personality. “They immediately requested a helicopter to evacuate him directly to Moscow,"...