Free Republic

US President Donald Trump said American intelligence agencies have found no evidence that Ukraine targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s residence in a recent drone attack, contradicting claims made by the Kremlin. Trump stated that while an incident may have occurred nearby, US officials do not believe Putin’s residence was the intended target. The remarks come amid sensitive negotiations to end the Ukraine war, with European officials accusing Moscow of exaggerating the incident to derail peace talks. The controversy emerged shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Trump in Florida to discuss a proposed US-led peace framework.

Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has a back-up plan to flee the country should his security forces fail to suppress protests or desert, according to an intelligence report shared with The Times. Khamenei, 86, plans to escape Tehran with a close circle of up to 20 aides and family, should he see that the army and security called on to quell the unrest are deserting, defecting or failing to follow orders. “The ‘plan B’ is for Khamenei and his very close circle of associates and family, including his son and nominated heir apparent, Mojtaba,” an intelligence source told The Times. Beni...

Cargo planes don’t lie. Belarusian Il-76 aircraft continue to land in Tehran, quietly unloading Russian and Chinese weapons, crowd-control systems, surveillance tools, and security equipment for the Islamic Republic’s internal forces. These flights are not routine. They are not symbolic. They are deliberate, repeated, and coordinated. And they are not defensive.

President Donald Trump said on Friday, January 2, that the United States is "locked and loaded" to respond if Iran kills protesters, prompting Tehran to warn that intervention would destabilize the region. Protesters and security forces clashed in several Iranian cities on Thursday, with at least six reported killed, the first deaths since the unrest escalated.

Russian President Vladimir Putin lied when he claimed earlier this week that Ukraine tried to kill him in a massive drone attack targeting one of his residences, according to US intelligence.

Hundreds of thousands of Moscow residents are understood to be without power after Ukrainian drones attacked the city.