Free Republic

The heavy casualties suffered by Russian paratroopers in Ukraine has one Russian expert calling for a rethink of Russia's airborne units. Many of the recent criticisms about the performance of Russia's elite parachute force, known as the VDV, have been voiced about lightly armed airborne units since World War II. The problems range from poorly designed vehicles to parachute drops conducted without first suppressing enemy air defenses. -snip- Russia's huge airborne force, composed of 45,000 paratroopers in four divisions, is actually a separate military branch that serves as shock troops and a rapid-intervention force. Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February...

Solovyov made the comment during a program he hosts on Russia-1, a Russian state-owned television channel..."And in the 21st century the dream of the great thinker, Academician Sakharov, will come true," Solovyov said, likely referring to Andrei Sakharov, a Russian scientist who played a role in creating the first Soviet hydrogen bomb. "Yes, and on the territory of the United States there will be a strait in the name of Comrade Stalin," Solovyov added.

Avideo circulating on social media shows a group of women whose husbands died fighting for Vladimir Putin's forces in Ukraine expressing gratitude for receiving fur coats. This screen grab shows a group of women who reportedly received fur coats after their husbands died fighting for the Kremlin in the war in Ukraine. This screen grab shows a group of women who reportedly received fur coats after their husbands died fighting for the Kremlin in the war in Ukraine. © Via Telegram The clip was shared by the CHTD Telegram news channel which said the women were in Makiivka, in the...