Free Republic

The Russian air force had deployed three times as many fighters and attack planes as the Ukrainian air force had in its entire inventory. Ukraine’s air defenses were disorganized and, in the case of certain key long-range radars, sitting out in the open where the Russians easily could target them. The Russians had a firepower advantage. The Ukrainians had the same advantages every defender possesses over an invader: motivation, simpler logistics, familiar terrain. Either side might’ve prevailed—the Russians by dominating the air, the Ukrainians by preventing the Russians from dominating the air. We know how it turned out. The Russian...

In a Sunday editorial in the state-owned Global Times, Beijing warned that allowing the country into the alliance—as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has requested—would lead to an inevitable escalation in the conflict, prompting Russian President Vladimir Putin's threats to use nuclear arms against the West. While unlikely—U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan stated in a White House press briefing last week that NATO should delay talks on allowing the country into the alliance—the newspaper warned "all European countries will tremble under the shadow of a possible nuclear war" should it take place, and called for the Western alliance to withdraw...

U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan says Ukrainian efforts to join NATO should be taken up "at a different time," throwing cold water on the country's desire to join the international alliance and potentially easing Russian tensions as President Vladimir Putin has begun accelerating rhetoric of potential nuclear war. Ukraine formally applied to join NATO as a military partner on Friday, coinciding with Putin's announcement that Russia would be formally annexing four occupied regions within Ukraine's borders. If accepted, NATO-aligned forces would formally be drawn into the war, pitting forces in the West against the Russian military and, potentially, escalating...

Sitting members of Congress are being ousted from their seats at record rates, with Republicans constituting the majority of losses this election cycle. With the 2022 primary season coming to a close, 15 members of Congress have lost their seats so far this year, representing the highest degree of turnover since the Obama administration, when the Tea Party revolution and an upswing in progressive activism led to 13 incumbents losing their primaries. Though the defeats of New York Democratic Representatives Mondaire Jones and Carolyn Maloney in late August were the races that pushed the number into record-setting territory, the brunt...

WHEN RUSSIAN FORCES began to roll towards the Ukrainian border on the evening of Defender of the Fatherland Day, 23 February, Moscow was anticipating the capture of Kyiv within three days. Many outside observers – including the authors of this report – feared the destruction of the conventional Ukrainian military, even if they expected the fighting to last longer than Moscow had hoped. Moscow’s plan was for repressive measures to have stabilised control of Ukraine by Victory Day on 9 May. Instead, the Russian military was repulsed, suffering heavy losses, and is now embarking upon a limited offensive to try...

CHEYENNE – On Tuesday, members of the Senate Committee on Corporations, Elections and Political Subdivisions awoke to thousands of emails urging them to advance legislation to transition Wyoming’s primary elections to a runoff system. It’s not unusual for Wyoming legislators to be inundated with correspondence on controversial bills. What made this surge of mail unusual, however, was the fact it came at the behest of the former president’s son. Donald Trump Jr. urged his Twitter followers to support Wyoming’s Senate File 145 – Election runoffs. His interest in the bill apparently stems from a desire to increase the chances of...