Free Republic

Local officials in Russia say an explosion at an optical plant in the city of Sergiyev Posad, about 70 kilometers outside Moscow, killed one person and injured at least 43 people on August 9. Five of the injured are in intensive care with serious burns or head injuries, according to the city administration's Telegram account. Some of the 43 people admitted to a regional hospital have shrapnel injuries, it said. Officials at the city’s central hospital said that a woman had succumbed to wounds sustained in the blast. Independent Telegram channel Baza shared images of a tall cloud of smoke...

The Armed Forces of Ukraine were able to break through the first line of Russian defense on the left bank of the Dnipro, and take control of the settlement of Kozachi Laheri, dialog.ua reports. The Russian military is sounding the alarm, reporting a serious advance of the Ukrainian army units, which were able to force the Dnipro and take control of the settlement of Kozachi Laheri on the left bank, breaking through the first line of Russian defense in this area. Russian military Yegor Guzenko (call sign “Thirteenth”) reports this on his Telegram channel, noting the rapid deterioration of the...