Free Republic

For years now, Russia has been desperately attempting to convince the world — and, indeed, itself — that it is a great power. But photo opportunities at summits, nuclear saber-rattling, boasts about BRICS and military adventurism abroad are less signs of true power than the tactics of a weak actor attempting to mask weakness — to divert attention from a crumbling empire. Behind the façade of a belligerent great power lurks a hollowing-out state, edging toward the exit of the great powers’ clubhouse. Once indisputable — in fact, during the Cold War, one of only two superpowers — Russia today...

A Ukrainian FPV drone costing just £500 destroyed a Russian Mi-28N attack helicopter worth £14 million near Kotlyarivka in Donetsk Oblast on Monday, according to Ukraine’s 59th Separate Mechanised Brigade. The strike, carried out by the brigade’s Unmanned Systems Forces (SBS), targeted the helicopter during a reconnaissance mission, with no Ukrainian casualties reported. The Mi-28N, equipped for night operations, was hit mid-flight by the small first-person-view drone carrying explosives. Footage released by the brigade shows the drone approaching over open fields, striking the helicopter’s tail rotor, and sending it spiralling to the ground in flames. The 30-second clip, recorded from...

After a series of successful strikes on the russian oil infrastructure, the enemy is actively installing special protective nets over fuel tanks, trying to avoid being hit by Ukrainian drones. Representatives of the ATESH partisan movement reported this on their official page on Telegram. "Our agents continue to conduct reconnaissance of these critically important facilities. We record the exact coordinates, types of protective structures and assess the level of protection of each target. The data obtained allow us to plan further precise strikes," the movement noted.

Ukrainian drones on Saturday struck an oil pumping station in the Russian Volga riverside region of Chuvashia, causing the station to halt work, regional governor Oleg Nikolaev said in a statement posted on Telegram. Nikolaev said that the attack took place near the village of Konar, around 1200km (745 miles) from Ukrainian territory. He said there had been no casualties and only “minor damage” inflicted. Ukraine has stepped up drone attacks on Russian energy infrastructure in recent weeks targeting refineries and export terminals to reduce Moscow’s export revenues, stir domestic discontent and push the Kremlin to peace talks. The attacks...

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian forces have trapped and are destroying Russian units that advanced near Pokrovsk, after weeks of heavy fighting that shifted the front line northward. He shared this at a briefing with journalists on September 26, according to a UNITED24 Media correspondent. Syrskyi said Moscow’s original spring and summer objectives—creating buffer zones in Kharkiv and Sumy regions, seizing the Pokrovsk agglomeration, reaching the Donetsk border, and advancing in Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson—“were not realized thanks to the skillful actions of our warriors, smart decisions by commanders, timely reforms, and effective strikes on the enemy rear.” He...

Ukrainian intelligence has once again intercepted communications of the Russian military, in which a commander orders fire on his own troops, according to a post by the Defense Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense on Telegram. Soldiers of the Defense Intelligence intercepted another conversation of the Russian military in the Donetsk region. The Russian commander orders the execution of subordinates who try to retreat from their positions.

Gasoline shortages in some regions of Russia have prompted the Kremlin to announce an extension of its ban on fuel exports. Ukrainian drone strikes on refinery facilities are believed to be a factor. The shortages surfaced in the Russian Far East and other areas last month, and have spread to the western Belgorod and Nizhny Novgorod regions. The governor of the Belgorod region said on social media on Wednesday that the government had received a number of questions about fuel supplies. The governor added that efforts are underway to keep the situation under control but there are problems. In areas...

THE husband of Putin's "Iron Doll" propagandist has become the fourth leading Russian figure to die in the space of just two days. Tigran Keosayan, who was himself a well known media figure, passed away after spending eight months in a coma. The Putin-cheerleader had long been suffering from a heart problems before his death. His wife Margarita Simonyan, editor-in-chief of the state-controlled broadcaster RT, announced the news of his passing today. She wrote on social media: "Tonight, Tigran went to the Creator. Thank you to everyone who prayed. "Please do not call me or the family now. Thank you...

The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs has recommended that its citizens immediately leave Belarus and refrain from traveling to the country, the Polish embassy in Minsk reported. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs recommends refraining from any travel to the Republic of Belarus and calls on Polish citizens currently in the Republic of Belarus to immediately leave its territory, using available commercial and private means“, the embassy's press service said.

US President Donald Trump voiced his displeasure with Putin’s actions and pointed out the decline of Russia’s economy, according to his remarks to journalists at the White House, APA reports quoting RBC Ukraine. Trump criticized what Russia is doing and the actions of its president, Vladimir Putin. "They have put it all out on the line. Their economy is going to hell. They're bombing the hell out of everything," he said. The US president also noted that Russian forces are capturing very little territory, if they are capturing any at all. "In fact, they're losing some territory. So, I think...

United States President Donald Trump expressed on Thursday his disappointment with Russian President Vladimir Putin, regarding the lack of progress toward resolving the war in Ukraine. "With all of the heavy bombardment over the last two weeks, they have gained almost no land. I'm not going to ever call anybody a paper tiger but Russia has spent millions and millions of dollars in bombs, missiles, ammunition and lives," Trump told journalists amid a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Oval Office.

After three and a half years, President Vladimir Putin is having to lean more and more on ordinary Russians to pay for his war in Ukraine. The Russian Finance Ministry on Wednesday said it intends to raise value added tax by two percentage points to 22 percent, part of a three-year plan that aims to plug a rapidly expanding hole in public finances. VAT accounted for more than 15 percent of total government revenue last year. After raising personal income taxes sharply at the start of the year, Putin had pledged there would be no more big changes to the...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview published on Thursday that he would be ready to step down after the war with Russia is over. “If we finish the war with the Russians, yes, I am ready not to go [for elections] because it’s not my goal, elections,” Zelensky told the Axios website in a video interview. “I wanted very much, in a very difficult period of time, to be with my country, help my country. My goal is to finish the war.” Zelensky said he would ask Ukraine’s parliament to organise elections if a ceasefire was reached. A...

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio will visit Ukraine, APA reports. The announcement was made by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on his Facebook page. During their meeting, Rubio confirmed his agreement to travel to Ukraine. It should be noted that since assuming office, Secretary Rubio has not yet visited Ukraine.

The Armed Forces of Ukraine have destroyed two Russian An-26 transport aircraft in Crimea and an SU-34 fighter jet in the Zaporizhzhia direction, APA reports, citing UNIAN. In addition, a Russian radar station and a coastal radar were also hit.

Sergei Aksyonov, the head of Russia-controlled Crimea, said on Thursday that disruptions in fuel supplies were related to the closure of some oil refineries as a gasoline crisis widened across Russia. Several Russian regions were seeing shortages of certain fuel grades as Ukrainian drone attacks have reduced refinery runs, while high borrowing costs mean private filling stations can't afford to stockpile fuel, traders and retailers said. "Due to the fact that some of the plants are physically not working, we have experienced problems and interruptions with fuel," Aksyonov said on a video posted on his Telegram channel, without saying the...

Russia is ready to continue to comply with the main quantitative restrictions of the New START treaty for one year after February 5, 2026 – announced Vladimir Putin. The Kremlin itself suspended its participation in the treaty in 2023, but promised not to violate limits imposed on the number of nuclear warheads and their so-called carriers, i.e. ballistic missiles, heavy bombers and submarines. ...During the war, the Kremlin canceled it. First, in 2022, it suspended mandatory inspections of its arsenals as stipulated in New START. A year later, it suspended participation altogether, despite promising to adhere to its numerical limitations...

Russia plans to raise value-added tax (VAT) to help finance its war on Ukraine, the Finance Ministry said on Wednesday. Under the draft 2026 budget proposal, the VAT rate would increase to 22% from the current 20%. The government said it would continue to meet all social policy commitments, but listed defence, security and support for soldiers and their families as "strategic priorities." Military and security spending already accounts for about 40% of total government expenditure in the 2025 budget, according to government estimates. Large state orders for the defence industry and hefty payments to soldiers and their families have...

A new proposal by Senator Jim Banks aims to restructure the H-1B visa system, drastically raising wage requirements and limiting alternatives companies use to hire foreign workers. -snip- The American Tech Workforce Act includes three main reforms. First, it increases the minimum required salary for H-1B visa holders from $60,000 to $150,000, which may disincentivize companies to look abroad for talent. The bill would also eliminate the OPT program, which allows foreign graduates to work in the U.S. for up to three years post-graduation. Thirdly, the bill replaces the current lottery system with a model awarding visas to the highest-bidding...

The Trump administration is planning to add a $100,000 to the fee for H-1B visa applications, taking aim at a program that is used to attract highly skilled workers to the U.S. The additional fee, which was confirmed to CBS News by a White House official, would impact employers including tech giants such as Amazon, IBM, Microsoft and Google, which have relied on the program to hire foreign workers. President Trump could sign a proclamation adding the new fee as soon as Friday, and which would restrict H-1B workers from entering the U.S. unless accompanied by the $100,000 payment, according...