Free Republic

Missiles struck Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, early on Thursday morning, setting off air raid sirens and forcing residents into bomb shelters. Explosions were heard across the city just after the alert was issued. “Kyiv is being attacked by enemy missiles,” the capital’s military command posted on Telegram, urging people to take shelter immediately. Local authorities confirmed that at least two districts in the city had sustained damage. -snip- Meanwhile, in the east of the country, the city of Kharkiv was also hit. Mayor Igor Terekhov said that seven missiles had struck the city overnight. Andriy Yermak, chief of staff to Ukraine...

What have I done to be placed on the sanctions list of the Russian Foreign Ministry, alongside several distinguished historians of eastern Europe? My normal hunting ground (not the right word for a maritime historian) is the Mediterranean and the oceans beyond. But maybe Russia’s mandarins know that I am now writing about the Black Sea. Since the reign of Peter the Great in the 18th century, Russia has seen the Black Sea as a vital gateway to the wider world. The Ottoman sultans blocked Russian attempts to reach warmer waters via Istanbul. Russian ships bound for intended conquests had...

While $1 billion of the military aide would go to Ukraine, the rest will be divided among Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. It comes after Ukraine's top military chief warned Wednesday that there could be a 'limited' nuclear war between Russia and the West.

At a time of escalated tensions with the West over Ukraine, Russia says it is negotiating with eight governments around the world for access to military facilities, to enable it to extend its long-range naval and strategic bomber capabilities. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday the military was engaged in talks with Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Algeria, Cyprus, the Seychelles, Vietnam and Singapore. “We need bases for refueling near the equator, and in other places,” ITAR-Tass quoted him as saying. Russia is not looking to establish bases in those locations, but to reach agreement to use facilities there when required. The...