Free Republic

<p>VLADIMIR Putin is facing a catastrophic collapse in army morale, after reports emerged of Russian soldiers turning their guns on their Chechen comrades.</p><p>Furthermore, Russian officers are alleged to have gone on strike and are refusing to carry out orders in protest at their conditions and the war. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov is a close ally of the Russian despot and has been a strong supporter of Putin's war in Ukraine. He has sent his militias, known as the "Kadyrovtsy", to help bolster Russian forces in their invasion.</p>

Vladimir Putin set to vanish for cancer surgery, mystery Russian Telegram account says Vladimir Putin has secretly nominated Nikolai Patrushev, a former KGB counterintelligence officer who once headed the FSB, to take “control” of Russia while he is incapacitated. Vladimir Putin may soon vanish for a period as he is due to undergo surgery linked to cancer, according to a new claim. He has allegedly secretly nominated his hardline security council security secretary Nikolai Patrushev - a former KGB counterintelligence officer - to take “control” of Russia while he is incapacitated. Shadowy Patrushev, 70, is seen as a key architect...

VLADIMIR PUTIN's war effort was dealt one of its biggest blows to date yesterday when a surprise Ukrainian ambush attack killed dozens of Russian reinforcement troops and reportedly forced one of the Kremlin's top military commanders to flee the country. The devastating attack is a huge blow to the Kremlin after President Putin had personally sent General Gerasimov to rescue the stalled war ahead of the May 9 Victory Day parade. General Gerasimov, who is the chief of staff of the Russian army, had been sent to the region to take personal control of the all-out assault on the Donbas...