Free Republic 2nd Qtr 2025 Fundraising Target: $81,000 Receipts & Pledges to-date: $53,620
66%  
Woo hoo!! And we're now over 66%!! Thank you all very much!! God bless.

Keyword: goodwillgesture

Brevity: Headers | « Text »
  • Paranoid Putin demolishes beloved $1B summer mansion due to fears of drone strike: photos

    10/09/2024 10:18:15 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 31 replies
    NY Post ^ | 10/8/2024 | Olivia Land
    Russian President Vladimir Putin supposedly demolished his beloved summer residence in southern Russia due to his fear of being killed in a Ukrainian drone strike. The Bocharov Ruchey residence in Sochi appeared to have been torn down in February or March, leaving a dirt pit and construction materials behind, according to satellite images obtained by the Russian opposition outlet Proekt. Putin, 72, allegedly felt a “threat to his physical safety” at the Black Sea resort after Sochi was hit by multiple drone attacks, Proekt said. In September 2023, in particular, plumes of smoke and flames were seen at the site...
  • Dramatic moment ‘Russian £11.5m stealth drone is shot out of the sky by Putin’s OWN fighter jet in friendly fire blast’

    10/05/2024 10:06:41 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 47 replies
    Sun UK ^ | 9/5/2024 | Vera Demertzis Will Stewart
    THIS is the dramatic moment a Russian stealth drone is shot out of the sky by Vladimir Putin’s Su-57 warplane. The £11.5 million S-70 Okhotnik stealth drone can be seen exploding in the air in the extraordinary footage. Video of the incident shows two Kremlin military aircrafts speeding across the sky over eastern Ukraine when the trailing plane fires a missile which hits the one in front. Russian pro-war Z channels initially claimed that a Ukrainian war plane had been hit by a Russian aircraft. However, the burnt wreckage on the ground near Ukrainian-controlled Kostiantynivka had distinct Russian insignia on...
  • Putin's Much-Feared Satan 2 Nuclear Missile Failed 4 Out of 5 Tests

    09/23/2024 7:16:23 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 19 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 9/23/2024 | Billal Rahman
    Russian President Vladimir Putin has suffered an emabarassing setback as his feared Satan 2 nuclear arsenal failed four out of five missile tests, according to arms experts and satellite imagery from the launch site. High-resolution satellite images of the launch pad at Russia's Plesetsk test site, where the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile exploded, shows extensive damage. A crater approximately 60 meters wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, along with visible damage in the surrounding area that was not present in images taken earlier in the month. -snip- The missile's liquid-fuel engine likely exploded...
  • Russian missile failed during test, researchers and imagery indicate

    09/23/2024 6:50:02 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 42 replies
    Al Arabiya ^ | 9/23/2024 | Reuters
    A Russian RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile likely failed during a test earlier this month, according to arms experts and satellite imagery from the launch site. Maxar satellite images from Sept. 21 show a crater about 60 meters (200 feet) wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia and damage around the area that was not visible in imagery from earlier in the month. It was not clear from the imagery if the liquid-fueled Sarmat failed during a launch or if there was an accident during defueling. “By all indications, it was a failed test. It’s...
  • Putin red faced after his feared Satan-2 missile explodes in test launch

    09/23/2024 6:21:44 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 15 replies
    Metro UK ^ | 9/23/2024 | Sarah Hooper
    Russia’s plans for their ‘doomsday’ hypersonic missiles have been delayed for years after the Satan-2 missile exploded during a test launch. ‌The huge detonation destroyed Russia’s only site suitable for testing the doomsday hypersonic rocket, the centrepiece of Vladimir Putin’s bragging of nuclear superiority compared to the West. ‌The explosion at Plesetsk is now known to have partially wrecked an observation building close to the launch site, with fears some of Russia’s lead rocket scientists could be dead. ‌Experts say the test programme for the rocket – also known as RS-28 Sarmat – may now be delayed for years, or...
  • Putin’s nuke bomber CRASHES after takeoff in Russia in another crippling blow as vid shows $40m jet plunge in fireball

    08/15/2024 9:42:33 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 41 replies
    Sun UK ^ | 8/15/2024 | Ellie Doughty Will Stewart
    THIS is the moment Vladimir Putin's $40 million nuclear-capable Tu-22 bomber jet crashed in Siberia today in a humiliating blow to the despot. The valuable Russian aircraft came down in a fiery blaze after takeoff, marking another embarrassment for Vlad as Ukraine continues its successful invasion of Russia. Witnesses said the Tu-22M3 nuclear bomber - planes used by Putin as a key part of his nuclear arsenal - broke apart in the sky before crashing amid fierce explosions. Dramatic footage showed the moment an enormous fireball filled the sky as the aircraft came down. The crew of four ejected safely...
  • Ukraine’s draft woes leave the West facing pressure to make up for the troop shortfall

    06/14/2024 2:08:14 PM PDT · by Mariner · 36 replies
    The Conversation via Yahoo ^ | June 14th, 2024 | Nicolai N. Petro, University of Rhode Island
    Ukraine’s current military recruitment campaign is not going according to plan.Announced on April 16, 2024, the drive was aimed at enlisting hundreds of thousands of young Ukrainian men to help push back against a Russian invasion that has gained momentum in recent months.But the effort has been met with public skepticism, draft dodging and opposition to unpopular, heavy-handed attempts to root out those not heeding the call to sign up. It has left Ukraine struggling to fill the positions officials say are needed to beat back the invading army. Rather than solving Ukraine’s problems, the draft effort is multiplying them....
  • Russia will not hand over Alexei Navalny’s body for 14 days until ‘chemical examinations are complete’, his team reveals after widow claimed he had been poisoned by Novichok

    02/19/2024 12:00:58 PM PST · by marcusmaximus · 26 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | 2/19/2024 | Summer Goodkind
    Russian investigators will not hand over the body of dead Russian opposition leader Alexi Navalny for 14 days, his team have revealed, after his widow claimed he had been poisoned by Novichok. Yulia Navalnaya has accused the Russian authorities of hiding Navalny's body in order to wait for traces of the nerve agent to disappear. And today, Ivan Zhdanov, the director of Navalny's Anti-Corruption Foundation, said that Navalny's body would not be given to his mother for 14 days while a chemical examination takes place.
  • Russian plane carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs crashes in fireball near residential area: report

    01/24/2024 12:48:09 PM PST · by TonyinLA · 29 replies
    New York Post ^ | 1/24/24 | Ronny Reyes
    A Russian military transport plane carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war crashed near the border between the two nations Wednesday, with Moscow accusing Kyiv of shooting down the aircraft, Kremlin officials say. The Russian Ilyushin Il-76 plane was carrying 74 people, including six crew members and three guards who were set to deliver the POWs in exchange for Russian captives, according to state news agency RIA’s quotes from the defense ministry. Andrei Kartapolov, a Russian lawmaker, claimed during a parliamentary session Wednesday that the plane had been shot down by three missiles.
  • 74 Ukrainian POWs killed in Russia plane crash

    01/24/2024 3:36:20 AM PST · by janetjanet998 · 76 replies
    74 people killed in Russia plane crash, no survivor Ministry says 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on plane that crashed
  • Russian Parliament Speaker Accuses Ukraine of Shooting Down Plane Carrying 65 POWs

    01/24/2024 3:21:51 AM PST · by davikkm · 8 replies
    In a tragic incident, a Russian military transport plane crashed near the Ukraine border. Conflicting reports mention 65 captured Ukrainian military onboard and, separately, cargo related to air defense systems.
  • Ukraine downs two Russian military command and reconnaissance planes in huge blow for Putin

    01/15/2024 5:16:12 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 61 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | 1/15/2024 | PERKIN AMALARAJ and WILL STEWART
    Ukraine said on Monday that it downed two Russian military command aircraft over the Sea of Asov, saying it had carried out a 'successful' mission against Moscow's forces. Officials said the country's air force took out an A-50 radar-detection plane worth £260 million, as well as an IL-22 aerial command plane, as they flew over the Sea of Azov on Sunday. The Sea of Azov lies between Russia and Ukraine, but Moscow controls its entire coast after seizing large swathes of southeastern Ukraine during its invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014. 'Minus an enemy long-range radar detection aircraft, A-50,...
  • Putin faces fresh revolt as fed-up Russians burn down 25-acre warehouse in fury at war

    01/13/2024 6:17:02 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 73 replies
    Express UK ^ | 1/13/2024 | Tim McNulty
    A giant warehouse near St Petersburg has gone up in smoke after the Russian workers there set the entire facility ablaze. The action was reportedly taken after Russian police raided the Wildberries warehouse to find people to conscript to fight the war in Ukraine. According to Russian media sources the incident is currently under investigation by the state prosecutor's office. According to APA's Russian bureau, there is currently no available information regarding the number of casualties or injuries caused by the fire. The fire took hold of the 50 thousand square metre site and required hundreds of firefighters to bring...
  • Mystery as 'significant' Russian figure 'seriously wounded' in Ukrainian special op

    01/08/2024 1:56:45 PM PST · by marcusmaximus · 16 replies
    Express UK ^ | 1/6/2024 | Chris Samuel
    Ukraine claims its forces “seriously wounded” a high-profile Russian figure as part of a special forces mission into border city Belgorod. Vladimir Putin’s forces sustained heavy losses in the Russian city as Ukraine bombarded the city, Ukraine's military chief has claimed. Hundreds of Russians have been evacuated from Belgorod after a reported barrage of shelling from the Ukrainian army in recent days. Kyiv spymaster Kyrylo Budanov said: “Not disclosing details, I can say that one of the very seriously wounded [in Russia’s Belgorod region] was quite a significant personality. “They immediately requested a helicopter to evacuate him directly to Moscow,"...
  • Russia issues no comment over rumours Putin's top war commander General Valery Gerasimov has been killed in Ukrainian missile strike on Crimea

    01/05/2024 7:14:01 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 28 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | Will Stewart
    Russia has yet to comment on a swirl of unconfirmed rumours that Vladimir Putin's top war commander General Valery Gerasimov was killed in a strike on a military command post in Crimea on Thursday. An explosion and a trail of smoke were visible in a clip of a suspected Storm Shadow strike at the military site in Yukharin Balka. Another target in the village of Uyutnoye, near Yevpatoria was also reportedly hit. A flow of ambulances was reported by Ukrainian sources at both locations, and Putin-appointed Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said: 'It was the most massive [attack] in recent times.'...
  • Russia's Immediate Backtrack on Kherson 'Regrouping' Raises Questions

    11/14/2023 12:07:39 PM PST · by marcusmaximus · 24 replies
    Newsweek ^ | 11/13/2023 | Isabel van Brugen
    Russia immediately backtracked on a statement released on Monday that said some of its troops had withdrawn from a key position in Ukraine's southern Kherson region, raising questions about the scale of Moscow's operations in the area. The Russian Ministry of Defense dismissed its own statements about the "regrouping" of the Dnieper Group of Forces published by state-run news agencies Tass and RIA Novosti as a "provocation", without elaboratinThe term "regrouping" has previously been used by the Kremlin in Russian President Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine to describe a battlefield retreat by its forces. Ukraine has been gradually expanding...
  • Russian news agencies withdraw news alerts of troops regrouping east of Dnipro River

    11/13/2023 4:13:36 AM PST · by marcusmaximus · 24 replies
    Alarabiya News ^ | 11/13/2023 | Reuters
    Two Russian state news agencies published alerts on Monday saying Moscow was moving troops to “more favorable positions” east of the Dnipro River in Ukraine, only to withdraw the information minutes later. The highly unusual incident suggested disarray in Russia's military establishment and state media over how to report the battlefield situation in southern Ukraine. -snip- In a series of three alerts on Monday, the RIA state news agency said that the command of Russia's Dnepr group of forces had decided to relocate troops to “more favorable positions” east of the Dnipro. It said that, after the regrouping, the Dnepr...
  • AIR STRIKE: Fireball explosions erupt as Ukraine strikes ANOTHER Russian airfield in blitz on Putin’s fleet

    08/29/2023 5:49:51 PM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 35 replies
    Sun UK ^ | 8/29/2023 | Iona Cleave
    <p>XPLOSIONS erupted at a Russian airfield after a suspected Ukrainian drone attack on a fleet of Vladimir Putin's warplanes overnight.</p><p>Thick plumes of smoke and fire was seen rising from Pskov airfield in western Russia in the aftermath of the aggressive aerial assault strike.</p>
  • Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft CRASHES into the Moon after spinning into an uncontrolled orbit: Failure for Kremlin's first lunar mission in 50 years

    08/20/2023 4:44:52 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 156 replies
    Daily Mail ^ | 8/20/2023 | Reuters, Miriam Kueper
    Russia's first moon mission in 47 years failed after its Luna-25 space craft spun out of control and smashed into moon. Russia's state space corporation, Roskosmos, said it had lost contact with the craft shortly after a problem occurred as the craft was shunted into pre-landing orbit on Saturday. 'The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon,' Roskosmos said in a statement. Moscow had earlier reported an 'abnormal situation' with the craft. 'During the operation, an abnormal situation occurred on board the automatic station, which...
  • Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft suffers technical glitch, space agency says

    08/19/2023 10:00:54 AM PDT · by marcusmaximus · 56 replies
    Reuters ^ | 8/19/2023 | Reuters
    An "abnormal situation" occurred at Russia's Luna-25 spacecraft on Saturday as it was preparing to transfer to its pre-landing orbit, Russia's national space agency Roskosmos said. The Russian spacecraft is scheduled to land on the south pole of the moon on Monday, part of a big power race to explore a part of the moon which scientists think may hold frozen water and precious elements. "During the operation, an abnormal situation occurred on board the automatic station, which did not allow the manoeuvre to be performed with the specified parameters," Roskosmos said in a short statement.