Free Republic

Vladimir Putin's only aircraft carrier - the hulking Admiral Kuznetsov - is poised to be scrapped after seven failed years of repairs, say reports. Work on the jinxed ship, the largest in the Russian navy, has now been suspended despite the efforts to get it back in the water. News outlet Izvestia cites sources saying the vessel is likely destined for the scrapheap. Putin's 'Ship of Shame' is languishing in dock in grim Arctic port Murmansk, and has played no role in the war against Ukraine. Its crew were quietly sent to fight in the war instead. The 58,000-ton rust...

The Times of Israel is reporting that a new computer virus 'more powerful' than the Stuxnet worm that devastated the Iranian nuclear weapons program in 2010 has been unleashed on Iran's "infrastructure and strategic systems." While the extent of the damage is unknown, the new virus has been described as “more violent, more advanced and more sophisticated" than Stuxnet. That virus, jointly developed by US and Israel, is believed to have set back the Iranian nuclear weapons programs by several months to several years depending on the source. The report came hours after Israel said its Mossad intelligence agency had...

The Pentagon on Tuesday disputed reports Iranian warships had docked at a Syrian port over the weekend. Iran's state-run Press TV said Saturday that an Iranian navy destroyer and a supply ship had docked in the port of Tartus to "provide training to ally Syria's naval forces." Tartus is located 220 km from the Syrian capital, Damascus. Reuters reported that the two ships — one destroyer and the other, a supply vessel — were headed back towards the Red Sea via the Suez Canal early on Tuesday. According to analysts, Iran carefully timed the visit of its warships to follow...