Free Republic

Kirill Dmitriev — Vladmir Putin’s special envoy and head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund — is suddenly ubiquitous. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been largely quiet since his maximalist negotiating approach with Team Trump failed. Moscow, presumably largely guided by Lavrov, after winning a concession on Tomahawk missiles, opted to continue Putin’s hardline demands for ending the war in Ukraine ahead of the proposed Trump-Putin summit in Budapest. NATO would have to admit that it was the root cause of the war. Kyiv would have to cede all of the Donbas, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine would...

First comes the warning, that disembodied voice over the tannoy: "Your attention please. Air siren in the city. Please move to the shelter on the minus second floor." Then comes the mosquito-like whine of the incoming Russian drones, massing in their hundreds just above the clouds. It's followed immediately by the rattle of anti-aircraft fire, the distant thud of explosions, then finally the ominous klaxon call of ambulance and fire sirens. This is the grim reality of night time in Kyiv and other cities across Ukraine. These are attack drones that explode on impact. Drones are now an integral part...

South Korea’s ousted conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol faces more criminal charges on Monday as prosecutors allege that he flew drones over North Korea in a deliberate bid to stoke tensions and justify his plans to declare martial law. Yoon set off the most serious political crisis in South Korea’s recent history when he imposed martial law on Dec. 3, 2024 and sent troops to surround the National Assembly. He was later impeached and removed from office, and is in jail standing trial on charges including masterminding a rebellion. His successor and liberal rival, President Lee Jae Myung, approved legislation...

A division within the FBI is asking defense contractors to report incursions by “unmanned systems” — including unidentified anomalous phenomena — that could pose a threat to U.S. national security. NewsNation special investigative correspondent Ross Coulthart has obtained a flyer produced by the FBI’s Office of the Private Sector announcing a new initiative to report unmanned systems such as drones and underwater vehicles that could pose a threat to defense facilities and “critical infrastructure” sites. The document notes an increase in “incursions over recent months” and says the unmanned systems “may be intended to disrupt operations or gauge U.S. response...

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — At a secret location in rural Ukraine, columns of attack drones are assembled at night and in near silence to strike deep inside Russia.Their targets are strategic: oil refineries, fuel depots, and military logistics hubs. Since the summer, Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign has ramped up dramatically, pounding energy infrastructure across Russia and stretching Moscow’s air defenses thin.Built from parts made in a scattered network of workshops, these drones now fly much further than at any point in the war.Officers in body armor move with quick precision; headlamps glow red to stay hidden. Engines sputter like old...

Key PointsUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Shahed drones now pose a greater challenge than ballistic missiles, requiring the use of interceptors, F-16s, and helicopters.The Armed Forces are deploying helicopters and modified civilian aircraft to intercept drones and preserve limited missile defense stockpiles.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Iranian-designed Shahed drones now pose a more persistent and unpredictable threat than ballistic missiles, forcing the Armed Forces to use a wide range of countermeasures under increasingly difficult operational conditions.“Shaheds have now become more dangerous in some cases than ballistic missiles,” Zelenskyy said during a press briefing, according to Suspilne. “We can shoot down...

The containerized demonstrator has already been successfully tested several times. The weapon could also be equipped with greater capabilities and be used to destroy supersonic guided missiles. Rheinmetall/Wikimedia Commons ==================================================================== Ademonstrator laser weapon, which can fry enemy drones, has been delivered to Germany. The weapon is expected to be deployed for operational use starting in 2029. Developed by Rheinmetall and MBDA, the laser weapon could serve as a powerful and cost-effective addition to conventional guided missiles. The weapon’s effectiveness and precision have been proven under real operational conditions in over 100 firing tests. High-energy laser weapon system for maritime use...

Police were taking down narcotics smuggling at the airport. The cartels fought back hard. There's outright open warfare in the streets of Rio. The drug cartels are using drones to fight.

The "bucket drop", invented by a missionary trying to airdrop gifts to natives in Ecuador, would let warplanes release a swarm of drones and lasso them back. The warplane of the future is a drone mothership, able to dispatch swarms of small air-launched UAVs for close-up reconnaissance, to act as jammers or decoys, or even to carry out airstrikes. Those drones may be cheap enough to be expendable, but what if you want to recover them? The Air Force has the answer, using a technique developed by a 1950's jungle pilot and missionary. Researchers are now experimenting with ways to...

General Atomics is exploring laser armament options for drones across its portfolio, including its new Gambit family of autonomous combat aircraft. General Atomics via Carter Johnston =============================================================== General Atomics recently showed what it says is a rendering of an MQ-20 Avenger drone armed with a laser directed energy weapon. The laser beam is depicted projecting through a fully rotating nose cone turret fitted in place of its normal nose section. The company says this is a purely conceptual design, but it reflects a broader exploration of potential laser armament for uncrewed aircraft across its portfolio, including members of the highly...

"Vladimir Putin has ordered massive, near daily missile and drone attacks which are devastating Ukraine's capacity to fight on. Brian Berletic of The New Atlas and Alexander Mercouris of The Duran join the show to break down the military and diplomatic shockwaves being sent through the West as Ukraine crumbles, as well as a new war being declared by Donald Trump that is leaving the world in shock." Not sure what the claim of a new war is about....

A private company at a high-powered Army conference demonstrated a unique aircraft at the event — and allegedly took responsibility for setting off last year’s drone and “UFO” pandemonium in New Jersey, a source told The Post. At the Army’s UAS and Launched Effects Summit at Fort Rucker in August, a private contractor conducted a live demonstration of a manned aerial craft that wowed the crowd with its unconventional appearance and unorthodox flight-movements, an attendee told The Post. “You remember that big UFO scare in New Jersey last year? Well, that was us,” an employee of the unnamed contractor claimed...

They are part of Russia's broader targeting of infrastructure that now is being carried out with greater precision thanks to advances in long-range drone technology that include onboard video feed. In the attack in Shostka, less than 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the Russian border, two explosives-laden drones struck two commuter trains in quick succession. Russia has stepped up railway attacks over the past three months, seeking to sow unrest in Ukrainian regions it borders by depriving people there of rail connections, Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, the CEO of the Ukrainian state railway, told The Associated Press. “What happens is not just...

Unidentified drones, equipped with lights, were observed over several Danish airports on the night of September 24, 2025. Flights were disrupted at Aalborg, Billund, and Copenhagen airports for various periods of time. From the BBC, 25 September 2025: Denmark says drones flown over its airports appear to be the work of a “professional actor” but there was no evidence of Russian involvement, after such activity disrupted its airspace for the second time in a week.Aalborg airport was forced to shut down for several hours on Wednesday evening after green lights were spotted overhead, while Billund airport also briefly closed. Three...

In a statement on October 4, officials at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada said that an aircraft 'was involved in an incident,' crashing in the desert just miles from the restricted zone around Area 51 on September 23. While the Air Force said that the craft was assigned to the base as part of the 432nd Wing, some on social media pointed out that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a temporary flight restriction around the area for an entire week. The location of the flight restriction placed the crash roughly 12 miles east of the security boundary around...

Zelenskyy said that at least five people were killed and 10 injured across Ukraine. Impacts were reported in Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Zaporizhzhia, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa and Kirovohrad regions, the president wrote in a Telegram post. Russia launched some 500 strike drones and 50 missiles, Zelenskyy said. "Today the Russians again struck our infrastructure, everything that ensures a normal life for people," he wrote. "More protection is needed, faster implementation of all defense agreements, especially regarding air defense, to make this aerial terror meaningless," he added. "A unilateral ceasefire in the sky is possible, and it could open the way...

An unusually long and large flight restriction has been placed on the Chicago area for several days, a move officials say was sparked by a "credible threat" of attacks on law enforcement. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed a temporary flight restriction was put in place “at the request of the Department of Homeland Security." The restrictions include aircraft from the surface to 400 feet, citing "security reasons." The restricted zone extends in a 15-nautical-mile radius stretching from downtown Chicago to north of Evanston, west of Elmhurst and south of Dolton. "Pilots who do not adhere to the following [procedures] may...

An international flotilla aiming to breach Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza reported increased drone activity early Wednesday as it approached the region. “We have now entered the high-risk zone, the area where previous flotillas have been attacked and/or intercepted,” the Global Sumud Flotilla announced via Telegram. The flotilla, named Global Sumud, departed Barcelona last month with the stated goal of delivering aid to Gaza and challenging Israel’s security cordon. Global Sumud resumed its voyage Sunday after undergoing repairs in Greek waters. Organizers announced that Greek vessels had joined the mission, bringing the total number of civilian boats to 47. Organizers...

Denmark on Saturday reported more mysterious drone sightings — this time over military installations, including its largest military base — after incursions at airports grounded flights this week. The NATO country is still mulling how to respond. In addition to the sightings in Denmark, Norway also had a reported run-in with drones. Norwegian police are reportedly investigating possible drone sightings near an air force base in central Norway, Reuters reported, adding that the base houses the country's F-35 fighter jets. Danish authorities said the drone incident was a "hybrid attack" that came from a "professional actor," according to the BBC....

Laser-guided 70mm Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II (APKWS II) rockets have become the U.S. Air Force’s principal air-to-air weapon against drone threats in the Middle East. Air Force F-16 Vipers in the region first began using the rockets operationally in the anti-role last year, which TWZ was first to report, and that capability has now been extended to the F-15E Strike Eagle and A-10 Warthog.“It’s our primary weapon against a drone,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Derek France, head of Air Forces Central (AFCENT), the service’s top command in the Middle East, told TWZ‘s Howard Altman on the sidelines of...