Free Republic

Russia rejected Western claims that a ceasefire would improve the situation in Ukraine, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stating that such an action would not lead to lasting peace, News.az reports citing TASS. "We are growing more and more concerned about what we are hearing from the West lately. The West - Brussels, London, Paris, Washington are starting to float the idea of a ceasefire as a means to give a respite to Ukraine and hence grant themselves a possibility to flood Ukraine with advanced long-range weapons again. Of course, this is not a path to peace," he said...

In a coordinated operation, Russian authorities conducted raids on three of Moscow’s largest and most popular nightclubs on Friday night, detaining hundreds of men and taking them to military conscription offices. The raids, which took place at the Simachev, Mutabor/ARMA, and Mono nightclubs, began around 2 a.m. and continued for several hours, sending shockwaves through the city’s nightlife scene. According to witnesses, dozens of police vehicles, including paddy wagons, lined up outside the nightclubs as enforcement personnel, accompanied by police K9 units, systematically entered the establishments. Clubgoers described the scene as chaotic, with people being escorted out in groups. The...