Free Republic

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday greeted Muslims all over the world on Eid al-Adha, also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice and known in Russia as "Kurban Bayram." In a statement posted on the Kremlin website, Putin noted that this holiday marks the completion of a pilgrimage to ancient religious rituals, promotes unity among people, and gives believers joy by connecting with their ancestors' rich historical and spiritual legacy. "Following ancestral teachings and traditions, Muslims celebrate Kurban Bayram by performing kind and compassionate deeds, sincerely caring for those in need of help and sympathy," he said. The Russian...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that the mass deployment of the Oreshnik intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) could rival the destructive power of nuclear weapons, highlighting its precision and strategic potential. During a meeting with military officials, defense industry representatives, and missile system developers in Moscow on Friday, Putin said the Oreshnik is not only an ICBM and a means of mass destruction but also a high-precision weapon. "I would like to emphasize one more aspect here. The Oreshnik missile system is not just an effective hypersonic weapon. Due to its striking power, especially when used en masse and in...

Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to dialogue with US President-elect Donald Trump, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. Speaking at a Moscow press briefing, Peskov, however, said no specific arrangements had been made for a Putin-Trump conversation at this time. “As we all heard, Mr. Trump indicated during the campaign that he would reach out to President Putin himself. So, the openness to dialogue persists, as highlighted yesterday by the Russian president,” he explained. On Thursday, at the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, Putin congratulated Trump on his electoral victory, saying it would “not be shameful” for Russia...

Russia on Tuesday condemned Israel’s continuing attacks on Lebanon, stressing that indiscriminate attacks on civilians are unacceptable. "Indiscriminate Israeli strikes on residential areas under the pretext that Hezbollah weapons are being stored there led to massive civilian casualties and significant destruction of civilian infrastructure," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement. Citing the Lebanese Health Ministry, Zakharova said that at least 492 people, including around 150 women and children, were killed by Israel’s "armed aggression" on Monday. "The number of wounded exceeded 1,600 people. On the morning of Sept. 24, after another attack by Israeli military aircraft in...

Russian President, Vladimir Putin, on Wednesday hailed Turkiye’s significant efforts to resolve the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians since 7 October and left most civilians homeless and at risk of famine, Anadolu Agency reports. “What is happening now in Gaza … does not really look like a war, it is some kind of total destruction of the civilian population,” Putin told the heads of leading global news agencies, including Anadolu, at the Lakhta Centre as part of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF). -snip- The real issue, political matters, need...

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that Russia has started moving tactical nuclear weapons to his country. “We had to prepare storage areas and stuff. We have done this, so the movement of nuclear weapons has already begun," Lukashenko told Russia’s Pervy TV. Lukashenko, who was on a trip to Moscow, said some of the weapons might already be transferred. He refused to specify the number of weapons and locations of their storage in Belarus and said: "Don't worry about nuclear weapons, we are responsible for this."