Free Republic

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has continued for as long as Nazi Germany’s war against the Soviet Union, with Moscow failing to achieve any decisive gains over more than three years. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy drew the comparison in his evening address on January 11. “We are not dragging out time, unlike Russia. They have dragged things out enough, to be honest. Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has now lasted as long as Nazi Germany’s war against the Soviet Union,” Zelenskyy said. He noted that, as of January 11, the war has entered its 1,418th day and said Russia had...

It is now up to Russia to show it is interested in peace, after Kyiv and its allies agreed on a peace plan and security guarantees that would take effect following a ceasefire, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said. Speaking to reporters, she said the peace plan was the 20-point proposal that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed with U.S. President Donald Trump at the end of last year. She added that, alongside the plan, there were substantial, robust, and well-defined security guarantees for Kyiv from the United States and Europe. "Now, Russia has to show...

First, the country was a Nazi ally; then it became a NATO stooge. The latest allegation: It’s a reckless Russia-basher that deserves a ruthless response from the Kremlin. Who said Finland was boring? Amid all the focus on Russia’s war against Ukraine, it is easy to overlook another prime target of Moscow’s imperialist ire. Russia has long used a skewed interpretation of history as a weapon to attack and delegitimize its neighbors—and, if the Kremlin’s latest rhetorical escalation is any guide, it now has Finland in its gunsights. The Finns are understandably nervous, given recent precedent: In 2021, Russian leader...

European governments now understand the seriousness of Trump's threats and are "desperately looking for a plan to stop him"BRUSSELS, January 8. /TASS/. Amid US President Donald Trump's increasingly harsh rhetoric about establishing control over Greenland, the European Union is preparing for a direct confrontation with the US leader, according to Politico Europe. "We must be ready for a direct confrontation with Trump," an EU diplomat briefed on ongoing discussions told the newspaper. "He is in an aggressive mode, and we need to be geared up," he added. The newspaper notes that while European governments previously did not realize the seriousness...

As video of U.S. military operations inside Venezuela began to surface on social media, President Donald Trump has announced that overnight the U.S. military carried out a “large scale strike” against Venezuela and captured President Nicolas Maduro.

Over the past 10 months, Russian losses in the war with Ukraine have been growing faster than any time since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022, BBC analysis suggests. As peace efforts intensified in 2025 under pressure from US President Donald Trump's administration, 40% more obituaries of soldiers were published in Russian sources compared with the previous year. Overall, the BBC has confirmed the names of almost 160,000 people killed fighting on Russia's side in Ukraine. BBC News Russian has been counting Russian war losses together with independent outlet Mediazona and a group of volunteers since February 2022....

President Donald Trump is throwing cold water on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's new 20-point peace plan ahead of their Sunday meeting at Mar-a-Lago. "He doesn't have anything until I approve it," Trump told Politico. "We'll see what he's got." Trump believes he will have a productive meeting with Zelenskyy and also hopes to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin soon. "I think it's going to go good with him," Trump said to Politico. "I think it's going to go good with Putin." The president said he will meet with Putin "as much I want." On Friday, Russia accused Zelenskyy and...

Russian forces appear close to being pushed out of the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupyansk, with only a small number of isolated troops remaining and even pro-Kremlin voices acknowledging the setback, according to a report.

Stanislav Orlov, the founder of the Russian reconnaissance and sabotage brigade “Espanola”, has been killed in Russia, Militarnyi reported on December 19, citing Russian war correspondents and statements from the unit itself. According to information published by pro-Russian military bloggers, Orlov, known by the callsign “Spaniard,” died from gunshot wounds sustained during his detention. He was reportedly accused of illegally misappropriating 1.5 billion rubles (approximately $18.5 million). The pro-Kremlin outlet Mash claimed that Orlov had been in a coma for several days prior to his death, though the exact cause of the coma was not disclosed. Orlov arrived in the...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has met with his Polish counterpart Karol Nawrocki for the first time since Nawrocki took office in August. While Nawrocki has taken a less friendly approach towards Kyiv than his predecessor, Andrzej Duda, today he declared that his meeting with Zelensky was “a sign that we are together” and was “bad news for Moscow”, their common enemy. The Polish president said that he was “optimistic” about “building good neighbourly relations”, while Zelensky likewise said that he “feels very positive” following the talks, which he believes can “open a new stage in relations”. After arriving in Warsaw...

Ukraine and 34 other countries approved compensation body for damages from Russia's invasion. The plan would help finance the Ukraine government and its battlefield needs for the next two years. For Europe, it is a "matter of survival to show it deserves a place at the negotiating table", says FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert. It also comes at a time where public opinion regarding financial help to Ukraine starts to cool in certain European countries.

In one of the last remaining cities under Ukrainian control in the country's eastern Donetsk region, once a powerhouse of industry, life gets more difficult — and dangerous — as Russian forces inch closer. Over the last month, local officials in Kramatorsk have reported dozens of Russian attacks on the city using strike drones, ballistic missiles, rockets and aerial bombs. Homes, gas stations and markets have all been hit, as has a nearby power plant, causing blackouts. "There was a recent strike on the house next to mine," said Olena Frolova, 20, who works in a shop that sells Donetsk-branded...

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said it has struck a Russian submarine in the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk using underwater drones, calling the operation a major breakthrough in naval warfare. Ukrainian authorities released video footage showing a near-surface explosion alongside a vessel, which Kyiv claims was a modern Russian submarine valued at up to $400 million. According to the SBU, the attack was carried out using “Sea Baby” underwater drones, a Ukrainian-developed system designed for stealth operations against naval targets. The agency said the blast left the submarine critically damaged and unable to operate. “This is the first time a...

For those who understand the basics of attrition warfare, the outcome of the fight in Ukraine was obvious a long time ago. Russia's superior logistical position along with its grinding offensive tactics have worn down Ukraine's defenses and left the country with a desperate manpower shortage. The recent capture of the vital hub of Pokrovsk has now opened the door to an accelerating Russian advance. The Russian offensive is gaining significant ground from Pokrovsk to the north, all the way to Kupiansk. The strategic city of Siversk is now largely under control of Russia according to geo-location mapping. Myrnohrad, also...

Luxury mansions, duffel bags stacked full of cash, and a golden toilet. These are just some of the excesses that members of Volodymyr Zelensky's inner circle enjoyed as Russian missiles rained down on civilians, according to Ukraine's top anticorruption agencies. The scandal had old-school elements: its co-conspirators are accused of employing code names for each other such as 'Professor', 'Sugarman', 'Karlson', and 'Rocket' as they lined their pockets amid Moscow's years-long invasion. The corruption crisis sweeping Zelensky's government could not have occurred at a more pivotal moment in the country's history, as it thrashes out a peace proposal that will...

The front line on the battlefield in Ukraine has grown in length to nearly 1,250 kilometers (800 miles), stretching Kyiv’s defenses, while Russian forces employ a new tactic of sending swarms of small assault groups to infiltrate Ukrainian lines, Ukraine’s top military commander says. The line of contact has grown by roughly 200 kilometers (120 miles) over the past year, and Ukrainian forces are averaging between 160 and 190 combat engagements every day with Russia’s bigger army, Gen. Oleksandr Syrskyi said in a review of the battlefield situation. At the same time, Russian tactics have switched since the start of...

U.S. President Donald Trump said he had separately warned both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping that he would bomb their respective capitals if either of them invaded their neighbors, newly released audio broadcast by CNN shows. The U.S. president was recorded speaking at a private fundraiser in 2024 about his conversations with Putin and Xi. "With Putin I said, 'If you go into Ukraine, I'm gonna bomb the s*** out of Moscow,'" Trump is heard saying, recounting his version of their conversation. He also said with Xi he also threatened to "bomb the s*** out of...

Russia pounded Ukraine with hundreds of drones and missiles on Friday in the largest aerial attack of the three-year war — just hours after President Trump admitted he was “disappointed” with his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. A total of 539 drones and 11 missiles were fired at Kyiv over a seven-hour onslaught — injuring at least 23 people and damaging scores of buildings across the capital, Ukraine’s Air Force said.

President Trump spoke by phone Thursday with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine but made no headway on halting the fighting. “I didn’t make any progress with him today at all,” Trump said of Putin, speaking to reporters as he left Washington to deliver a speech in Iowa. According to a Kremlin briefing on the call, Trump urged Putin to quickly end the war in Ukraine but Putin refused. It was the two leaders’ first conversation since U.S. officials said this week they had paused a series of weapons shipments for Ukraine. Trump indicated the U.S. hadn’t...

United States President Donald Trump admitted on Wednesday that he "can't tell" if his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin truly wants to end his country's ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. Speaking at the White House amid the Swearing-In for the US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Trump said that "I'll let you know in two weeks" after more negotiations have taken place. He also complimented US Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff for "doing a phenomenal job" mediating the talks between Russia and Ukraine and for "dealing with him [Putin] very strongly." Asked about his...