Free Republic

Early in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, it wasn’t just Moscow that believed its offensive could succeed quickly. In February, even U.S. officials warned Kyiv could fall in days. Russians had numbers on their side, or more precisely a number: the 3:1 rule, the ratio by which attackers must outnumber defenders in order to prevail. It is one of several “force ratios” popular in military strategy. Russia, it seemed, could amass that advantage.

The Azov Regiment on May 10 published photos of badly wounded Ukrainian soldiers who are still holding out at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol, even in the face of daily attacks by Russian forces. “The while civilized world must see the conditions in which our wounded and maimed defenders of Mariupol are, and act,” a message accompanying the photos reads. The wounded are being treated in poor sanitary conditions, lacking sterile bandages, medical supplies, and even food, the Azov soldiers said. They urged the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross to act on their core values...

Despite weeks of ceaseless attacks from the air, the ground and recently inside, Ukrainian forces say they still control most of the sprawling Azovstal steel plant. And they plan to fight until there are no defenders left. But with food, water and ammunition supplies dwindling, holding out is getting more difficult every day, Bohdan Krotevych, a major in the National Guard of Ukraine and chief of staff of the Azov Regiment, told The War Zone in an exclusive interview from inside the steel plant conducted over social media messaging apps. “We are still struggling,” Krotevych, chief of staff to...

Hi everyone I’m new here at FreeRepublic, but I need help from people I trust. I trust the people here, who understand that no government bureaucrat should decide who gets health care… my father has a serious health condition and as hes getting older I worry… and I don’t want to worry that OBOMBO’s death panel will decide whther he should live or die. ONLY GOD MAKES THAT CHOICE, but I understand that you all know this. America is the greatest country in the world because we are a free democracy where we choose and we have the life we...