Free Republic

The West has grudgingly recognised its inability to persuade India not to buy Russian oil. However, anti-Russian lobbies continue to apply pressure on New Delhi, seeing that their goal of imposing a strategic defeat on Russia has proved illusory. Both the US and the EU seek to offload onto our backs some of their continuing failures in dealing with Russia. They have imposed a series of draconian sanctions on Russia for intervening militarily in Ukraine, but these have not caused the economic collapse of the country as they thought it would. Not just that, Trump himself, encouraged by his bludgeoning...

I know there is a lot of interest in the Jeffrey Epstein story and the new revelations from Tulsi Gabbard about Barack Obama and his team’s efforts to fan the flames of Russiagate. I have been all over the Russiagate matter since 2017. Here is the link to a piece I published on December 18, 2018 with the nifty title, The Trump Coup Is a Threat to Our Republic. I am glad the information is finally coming out, but I knew this seven years ago. What took them so long? While Tulsi’s revelations are legit, I think she is releasing...

Ukraine joining NATO would be viewed by Russia as an existential threat, likely triggering a severe and multifaceted military escalation that could lead to a broader European war. The Kremlin has consistently framed NATO’s eastward expansion as the primary justification for its aggression, meaning Kyiv’s accession would be a direct challenge to Russia’s perceived sphere of influence.

The dominant Western narrative that Europe can arm Ukraine to victory against Russia is a “dangerous fantasy.” Europe’s defense industrial base is too hollowed out, its weapons production timelines too long, and its political will too fragile to offset Russia’s formidable military and industrial might.

According to the portal, the new US administration does not consider Europe to be a partner, but as a "political battleground"BRUSSELS, July 8. /TASS/. The US is taking steps to carry out a "regime change" in the EU, trying to rig elections to put far-right forces in power to "turn Europe and allies like Canada and Mexico into US vassals," said Caroline de Gruyter in a column she contributed to the Brussels portal EUobserver. EUobserver previously always expressed the interests of the globalist European elite, which prevails among the supranational officials of the EU and NATO, as well as their...

(Reuters) -The cut-off of Russian gas supplies to Moldova's breakaway Transdniestria region has forced the closure of all industrial companies except food producers, an official said on Thursday....The local energy company cut heating and hot water to households on Wednesday, and urged families to keep warm by gathering in a single room... Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has described the end of Russian gas transit as "one of Moscow's biggest defeats" and urged the United States to supply more gas to Europe.... Maria Zakharova said the loss of Russian gas was hurting Europe economically, and the U.S. was the beneficiary. "Responsibility...

Thefts of packs of butter have highlighted the impact of skyrocketing inflation on Russia’s war economy. -snip- Security footage in Ekaterinburg, the capital of Russia’s defence industry, recently captured two masked men breaking into a dairy shop. As one raided the cash register, the other made off with 20kg of butter.

In the wake of the U.S. presidential election, which saw a return to power of Donald Trump, European leaders at the Political Community summit in Budapest this week reiterated their stance that the EU must stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. Ireland’s prime minister, Simon Harris, said this in a resolute statement:The US had its election, and it made its decision but that doesn’t change European values, and European values around the importance of the UN Charter, the importance of territorial integrity remain. However, if championing the importance of territorial integrity was a paramount European value, should...

Alex Christoforou, Alexander Mercouris and guest Jeffery Sachs discuss Tucker Carlson's interview with Russian President Vladimir Putin.From the video: Jeffery Sachs: (Putin discusses) "a remarkable truth. The end of the Soviet Union did not at all end the US pressure and attacks on Russia. "And, I think this is the real lesson of this -- it wasn't actually anti-communism, it was anti-Russia. And, it goes back two centuries, I would say, to British Russophobia..a century before communism. "And the reason is Russia is big and powerful. And, in the British and US grand strategy, that, per se, is a threat,...

According to a 2019 Rand report titled “Overextending and Unbalancing Russia”, the US goal is to undermine Russia just as it did the Soviet Union in the Cold War. Rather than “trying to stay ahead” or trying to improve the US domestically or in international relations, the emphasis is on efforts and actions to undermine the designated adversary Russia. Rand is a quasi-US governmental think tank that receives three-quarters of its funding from the US military.Ukraine is important to Russia. The two countries share much common heritage and a long common border. One of the most important leaders of the...

Russian armed forces arrested disgraced Canadian General Trevor Cadieu in Mariupol. Russian sources often refer to Trevor Cadieu as Trevor Kadier or Trevor Cadier. At the beginning of this month, Russians said they captured Cadieu at the Azovstal iron and steel factory during the Siege of Mariupol. He is currently in Moscow awaiting trial. Cadieu was apparently not on a mission for his government but was in charge of a bio laboratory, Biolab No.1, with 18 staff working under his command. Biolab No.1 is reportedly managed by US company Metabiota. The company Hunter Biden, son of US President Joe Biden,...

The USA just gave Russia an excuse to seize all of Ukraine Abraham Stein Apr 25 The United States has just given Russia a valid reason to take complete control of all Ukraine. Today, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Diplomat Anthony Blinken paid a visit to the Ukrainian president Zelensky in Kyiv, it was their first visit with Joe Biden as American President. The visit made it clear that the United States is directly involved in the conflict with the Russians, and the comments from Secretary of Defense Austin makes it abundantly clear that only a full Russian takeover...

Good God, I hope everyone in Congress recognizes what this bill, which apparently has now passed and Biden will sign it (seeing as he asked for it directly), means.Let's recap. Per our Constitution the military is under civilian control. That is, the actions of the military, including weapons used by same or suitable for same, are under the control of Congress and The Executive.Congress must authorize anything that leads to expense, and such must come from The House. Again, this is basic Constitution stuff.Now Congress has explicitly authorized, and Biden will sign, this bill that specifically permits the transfer to...

Former Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vindman said Saturday that former President Donald Trump "bears enormous burden of responsibility" for the Russia-Ukraine war. Vindman, who testified in the House during the first impeachment proceedings against Trump in 2019, appeared on MSNBC when he was asked about how the situation in Ukraine ties to the actions of the Trump administration. "What is happening on the other side of the world in Ukraine, a country from which you hail, is directly tied to the attacks on democracy that you witnessed in the White House while you were the director for European affairs at...

Some readers have asked why Russia regards Finland’s membership in NATO as a provocation. For the same reason that Ukraine’s membership is a provocation: US missile bases on Russia’s border. Editor’s Commentary: I have always appreciated Paul Craig Roberts’ perspectives. My conversations with him have shown me he understands geopolitics better than just about anyone I know. I do not agree with everything he posted in the article below from Free West Media, but I’m printing it anyway because it does shed light on the reality that we are closer to war with Russia than any time since the Cold...

[H/T Cathi]ransomnote: Arnaud Bertrand's summary & footnotes on the 2 1/2 hour+ video are below the image.ESPIONNAGE, FRANC-MACONNERIE, UKRAINE, ALSTOM : UN ANCIEN PATRON DE LA DGSE NOUS REPOND ! [PCAT #08] - YouTubeSUMMARY WITH FOOTNOTES:Fascinating interview by @gregtabibianof Alain Juillet, former head of France’s intelligence services DGSE (French CIA equivalent) under Chirac: https://youtube.com/watch?v=AQhGxsprH8AI’ll translate and summarize what he says about Ukraine, and notably on the origins of the war.He says everyone saw the Ukraine war coming, that “only those who know nothing about this matter can say it was a surprise”.To him, the main reason is because the West...

On March 31, the Russian President signed the decree stipulating acceptance of payments for gas in rubles.If gas buyers from unfriendly states refuse to pay for gas in rubles, Russia will view it as breach of contract, President Vladimir Putin said at the meeting on the situation in the aviation sector."If such [ruble] payments are not made, we will consider this to be the buyers’ failure to perform commitments with all ensuing implications," Putin said.