Free Republic

Russian president Vladimir Putin was humiliated on Friday when a cyberattack forced him to delay a key speech to an economic forum dubbed 'Russia's Davos'. The Kremlin said the St Petersburg Economic Forum had suffered from a denial of service attack, forcing the Russian tyrant to delay a scheduled address by an hour. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a call with reporters that specialists were working to fix the problem caused by a DDOS attack that began on Thursday, and that Putin's keynote address had been moved back to 3pm (1300 BST). 'Problems arose with the distribution of badges...

Putin's gloating TV stooges laugh at death sentences handed down to two Britons captured fighting in Ukraine as they slam Liz Truss and accuse her of 'doing nothing' to help the men Vladimir Solovyov, 'Putin's mouthpiece', mocked death sentences handed to Aiden Aslin and Shaun Pinner after they were captured fighting in Ukraine Propagandist was told by guest that Liz Truss does not recognise the sentences 'So if something terrible happens and they are executed, they will not recognise their deaths,' Solovyov shot back, to the amusement of his guests Olga Skabeyeva also attacked foreign secretary over stance on the...

VLADIMIR Putin was spotted visibly shaking as he stood next to one of the recipients of the State Prize of the Russian Federation he awarded at the Kremlin on Sunday. Speculation about Vladimir Putin's health has been rife since before he was catapulted into the daily news bulletins because of his invasion of Ukraine in February. The Russian leader has sparked questions about his status as reports began to emerge about him suffering from cancer. Putin appeared quite shaky on his legs as he listened to Russian filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov accept a prize rewarding his work in the arts. Footage...

as bitter fighting for Severodonetsk rages on in battle that will decide fate of Donbas Lt-Col Vadim Gerasimov, 36, was posthumously awarded a Hero of Russia It was unclear when he was killed, but his funeral was set to take place Thursday Death of a second high-ranked office, Colonel Ruslan Shirin, was also reported The pair become the 51st and 52nd Russian Colonels to be killed in Ukraine since Vladimir Putin launched his brutal invasion on February 24 Meanwhile, footage emerged of Ukrainian forces launching strikes on Russia's One video showed an airstrike land feet away from a Russian personnel...

Vladimir Putin has been advised by doctors not to make any 'lengthy' public appearances after he fell ill amid discussions with his military chiefs, a Kremlin insider has claimed. The Russian President felt 'a sharp sickness, weakness and dizziness', while getting up from his desk following a recent video conference with advisers and military leaders, Telegram channel General SVR reported yesterday. 'The President needed urgent medical assistance,' claimed the channel which purports to have sources in the Kremlin and has made repeated claims over Putin's alleged medical problems, including cancer and Parkinson's disease. -snip- Myriad photos and videos have emerged...

Vladimir Putin has lost two more colonels in Ukraine - including one of Russia's youngest to reach such a high rank - as a video showed a Russian battalion being hit with artillery fire while attempting to rescue a casualty. Elsewhere, in another blow to the Kremlin's war efforts, a separate video released this week showed Ukrainian bombs destroying a Russian ammo depo in a huge ball of flames. Images released by Kyiv also appeared to show a destroyed Russian unit. These are the latest examples of Ukraine's forces putting up a fierce resistance against Putin's invading forces. Moscow expected...

Russian President Vladimir Putin lost two of his most senior commanders in a single day in a devastating bridge ambush in eastern Ukraine, a group of independent journalists working on both sides of the war have claimed. Russia confirmed the death of Major-General Roman Kutuzov on Sunday, but new reports on Monday said Lieutenant-General Roman Berdnikov was killed on the same day in an attack carried out by Kyiv's forces. It has been suggested that the unusual speed with which Kutuzov's death was confirmed by Moscow was an attempt to cover up the loss of Berdnikov, 47. Less than a...

Vladimir Putin was today hit by the death of Russia’s 11th general in his bloody war with Ukraine. Major-General Roman Kutuzov was the chief of staff of the 29th Combined Arms Army, according to reports. His vehicle was ambushed by Ukrainians and he died in a fight in Donbas, say sources. His death is the 11th general, but the first such high ranking army officer in more than a month. In addition, at least 49 colonels have been killed in the war with Ukraine. The latest was Lt-Col Zaur Dimayev, deputy commander of the 4th battalion of the Akhmat Kadyrov...

Russian troops were battling into a major Donbas city today as a confidential UK report revealed the Kremlin’s army could collapse amid massive losses. A secretive analysis of the invasion says Russian President Vladimir Putin believes losses of 30,350 troops so far are a “price worth paying” for a small victory in Ukraine. But the new report - seen by senior UK government officials and written by a top UK analyst on Russia warns Putin’s blood sacrifice may be a step too far for his troops. Today Moscow’s troops entered the city of Sievierodonetsk sparking fierce fighting in the ruins...

Russia's army could collapse amid huge losses of more than 30,000 troops in Ukraine, according to a confidential UK report that emerged on Monday. While Moscow's latest estimated troop losses make grim reading for President Vladimir Putin, the report claims he sees them as a 'price worth paying' for victory. However, the new report - a secretive analysis of Putin's brutal invasion seen by The Mirror - claims that the losses could be too great for his soldiers, amid other reports that Russian morale is low. Latest estimates from the Ukraine's Armed Forces suggest as many as 30,350 Russian soldiers...

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov today denied reports that Vladimir Putin has fallen ill. Unconfirmed reports persist that Putin, who is turning 70 this year, suffers from deteriorating health issues and may have been diagnosed with cancer and Parkinson's. In an interview with French TV, Lavrov said no one 'sane' could see any signs of illness in Putin, who reportedly has his food tested before eating it and bans his staff from standing too close to him. -snip- 'You can watch him on screens, read and listen to his speeches,' Lavrov said in comments released by the Russian...

Two more Russian colonels have been killed in Russia’s war in Ukraine - including the country’s 'best paratroop commander'. Lieutenant colonel Alexander Dosyagayev, 34, was a commander of an airborne assault battalion of the 104th paratrooper regiment. Troops from his 104th air assault regiment were reportedly in Bucha, the scene of alleged rape and torture atrocities committed by Vladimir Putin’s forces earlier in the war. His battalion based in Pskov had been recognised as the best in Russia in its extensive combat training and military discipline.

Russia's armed forces have begun deploying sixty-year-old tanks to the southeastern regions of Ukraine, raising questions over the extent of Putin's losses after three months of bitter fighting and countless strategic blunders. A long line of T-62 tanks, which began production as early as 1961, was photographed at a train station in Ukraine's southeastern city of Melitopol on Wednesday, just days after footage emerged of the aged armour being pulled out of storage across the border.

A veteran Russian legislator has issued an appeal to Vladimir Putin to stop military action, bring his troops home and end the war in Ukraine. Communist deputy Leonid Vasyukevich, 69, blasted the use of Moscow’s servicemen in Ukraine, as a Russian court dismissed more than 100 national guardsmen in the first case of soldiers refusing to fight in Ukraine as politicians demanded the army return home. Members of the National Guard of the Russian Federation, a separate military branch from the Russian army refused to carry out an assignment related to Moscow's 'special operation' in Ukraine. A military court in...

Still getting used to the feel of his gun and military fatigues, Anton suddenly found himself surrounded by Ukrainian forces as bullets flew by, with one striking his arm. “It was our first confrontation with the enemy; we hadn’t even fired a shot. They ambushed us, and we couldn’t fight back. We had to surrender,” said Anton, a 21-year-old Russian serviceman, in an interview with the Guardian. Anton was taken captive by Ukrainian forces near Mykolaiv on 2 March with five other soldiers from his unit, as Russian forces were staging an offensive on the strategically important shipbuilding city near...

The head of Russian state-backed TV network RT said 'things will end badly for all of humanity' if Russia doesn't win a military victory against Ukraine, hinting at a nuclear strike should the country lose the war. Russia's state-backed media has become infamous for its anti-Ukrainian rants since the war broke out in February 24. But the latest outburst was from RT's Margarita Simonyan, who studied in the US and told Russian viewers they should rejoice the fact that their children will never receive a western education. 'They all believe that we will lose and the west will win. They...

Russian losses in Ukraine over the first three months are likely to have already surpassed those of the Soviet-Afghan war which lasted nine years, the UK Ministry of Defence has said. The Soviet Union's losses are estimated to be around 15,000 killed in the Afghan war, with an additional 35,478 wounded and 311 missing. 'The Russian public has, in the past, proven sensitive to casualties suffered during wars of choice,' said the UK government ministry, which did not name the exact figure. 'As casualties suffered in Ukraine continue to rise they will become more apparent, and public dissatisfaction with the...

Vladimir Putin underwent 'successful' cancer surgery last week and is recovering, it has been claimed in just the latest rumour about the Russian leader's health. The 69-year-old underwent an unknown procedure late last Monday following advice from medics that treatment was 'essential', according to Telegram channel General SVR which claims to be getting information from inside the Kremlin. Putin's condition was said to have worsened briefly on Friday night before improving, the social media account said, while adding that doctors have advised he avoid taking part in meetings for several more days while he recovers. General SVR said last week...

Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, issued fresh nuclear threat to the West Russia will soon have 50 brand new nuclear missiles capable of reducing all enemies to a nuclear crater, the head of the country's space agency has warned. Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos and a staunch Putin ally, said dozens of new Sarmat-2 missiles - measuring 14 storeys tall and weighing 208 tons - will be deployed by autumn to menace Russia's enemies. 'It remains only to advise the aggressors to talk more politely with Russia,' he said. As a demonstration of Sarmat's power, he showed off footage...

I laughed out loud in Marks & Spencer when I found that they are now selling something called ‘Chicken Kyiv’. This is apparently just like their old ‘Chicken Kiev’, only with added propaganda. I am told that there is now also a ‘No Chicken Kyiv’ for vegans, without any actual chicken in it. Not since the wild frenzy after the death of Princess Diana have I ever met such a wave of ignorant sentiment. Nobody knows anything about Ukraine. Everyone has ferocious opinions about it. The other night I shocked a distinguished Oxford academic by informing her that the lovely,...