Free Republic

Ukraine launched a "large-scale" drone attack deep into Russian territory that security officials claim destroyed 40 military bombers as it gears up for another round of talks in Istanbul to explore prospects of a ceasefire. A Ukrainian security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that the attack took over a year and a half to execute and was personally supervised by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The operation saw drones transported in containers carried by trucks deep into Russian territory, he said. The drones hit airfields including the Belaya air base in Russia's Irkutsk region, more...

A meeting between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul aimed at paving the way for a potential ceasefire is expected to take place at 10:00 GMT, or 1 p.m. local time, at the Ciragan Palace, a Turkish Foreign Ministry source said on Sunday. Ukraine's delegation to a second round of peace talks will include its defense minister, deputy foreign minister, as well as several military and intelligence officials, according to an executive order by President Volodymyr Zelensky published on Sunday.

@MonitorX99800 Russian President Vladimir Putin calls for an emergency security council meeting. Big russian response, possible nuclear strikes expected in coming hours.

Ukrainian forces have wiped out dozens of Russian military aircraft, including nuclear bombers, in a massive drone attack on President Vladimir Putin’s air bases deep inside the country, Kyiv sources are claiming. The mission carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) using first-person-view (FPV) drones hit 41 Russian heavy bombers at four separate airfields thousands of miles from Ukraine, a security source told the Kyiv Independent on Sunday. The drones were reportedly smuggled into the country hidden in trucks. TU-95 “Bear” nuclear bombers, TU-22 “Backfire” fast-attack strike bombers and A-50 “Mainstay” command-and-control jets were among the aircraft that were destroyed...

Avatar Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY! He is needlessly killing a lot of people, and I’m not just talking about soldiers. Missiles and drones are being shot into Cities in Ukraine, for no reason whatsoever. I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia! Likewise, President Zelenskyy is doing his Country no favors...

Donald Trump issued an ominous warning to Vladimir Putin after accusing him of deliberately drawing out the fragile peace process in Ukraine. The US president was asked whether he thought it was "disrespectful" of his Russian counterpart to accuse him of being overly emotional. A reporter questioned: "Do you believe the Russians are being disrespectful when they say that your criticisms of Putin are simply an emotional response? And do you still believe that Putin actually wants to end the war? Mr Trump responded: "I can't tell you that, but I'll let you know in about two weeks. Within two...

The USA just gave Russia an excuse to seize all of Ukraine Abraham Stein Apr 25 The United States has just given Russia a valid reason to take complete control of all Ukraine. Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Diplomat Anthony Blinken paid a visit to the Ukrainian president Zelensky in Kyiv, it was their first visit with Joe Biden as American President. The visit made it clear that the United States is directly involved in the conflict with the Russians, and the comments from Secretary of Defense Austin makes it abundantly clear that only a full Russian takeover...

On Wednesday, appearing on the LindellTV with Emerald Robinson, former Trump National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, advocated for ending U.S. military aid to Ukraine to protect them from the Russian invasion. "Let me give you my judgment on where we are right now," said Flynn. "I think that anybody that anyone that continues to put fuel on a blazing fire, meaning more weapons, more ammunition, more of the sort of warfare-type stuff that's thrown into this fire is going to keep this fire blazing for a long, long time. And I think that doesn't benefit anybody."

Given Russia's reliance on Ukraine for military components, UK defence sources say Russia's war effort is in serious trouble. Last night a source said: 'Serious amounts of components for Russian weapons systems were made there [Ukraine]. That won't be happening any more. 'Russia cannot manufacture this equipment itself or import it, so it won't be getting any of these materials any time soon. The hardware expended in Ukraine came from historic stockpiles, developed when there was greater cooperation between Russia and Ukraine. 'The integration of their industrial complexes meant a severing of relations would jeopardise Russia's ability to sustain military...

Despite NATO allies denouncing Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, an independent pollster in Moscow has found Russians rallying around the flag and giving Putin 83% approval on his actions, The New York Times reported Thursday. The 83% approval is actually rising from his 69% in January before the invasion, according to the latest Levada Center poll. The approval on Putin is up, along with many other government institutions and the governing party, according to the report.