Free Republic

Officials in three of the five Russian regions bordering Ukraine have been accused of embezzling funds for border defenses. -snip- The border fortification embezzlement cases seem in part to be aimed at quelling anger among Russians in the border regions over Moscow’s failure to protect them from Ukrainian attacks, especially after Ukrainian forces occupied part of the Kursk region. The charges imply that the border with Ukraine would have been better protected had local officials not stolen the money for the defenses, claims that also deflect blame from the Kremlin. The legal actions attracted attention this month when Russia’s transportation...

Putin's summer offensive is stalling as Ukraine puts up a heroic defense leaving Russia resorting to teens to fill the ranks. Despite Putin’s promises, Russian 18-year-olds are being press ganged into the army straight out of school and sent into the meatgrinder on Ukraine’s battlefields. The Russian despot has made repeated promises to his people that no 18-year-olds will be called up to serve but evidence is emerging that at least 245 teens have been killed in Ukraine in the last couple of years. New government rules mean those fresh out of school can bypass military service and instead sign...

An RAF signals intelligence aircraft has been deployed over the Black Sea to monitor the movements of the Russian military across the region. The operation, conducted under the watchful eye of NATO and Russian air defence units, comes as the war in Ukraine shows no signs of abating in the near future. The plane being used is an RC-135W Rivet Joint, a modified Boeing aircraft, considered to be one of the most technologically sophisticated in the world. Equipped with an array of sensors, its sensors ‘soak up’ electronic emissions from communications, radar and other systems to build a picture of...