Free Republic

Russia has done nothing to deserve its appalling treatment by Western powers and their totally controlled and subservient media - the only thing Russia did was to move into the Crimea, an area smaller than the island of Taiwan, which suited the people there as most are Russian speaking, and the reason they did that was to protect their naval base at Sevastopol after the Western inspired coup in the Ukraine. Apart from that they have done nothing and reports that they are planning to take back parts of Eastern Europe are pure fantasy. Russia has been subjected to an...

Economic giants, the flagships of the Ukrainian industry, one by one are falling apart. The result can be truly disastrous for the Ukrainian economy this year, the consequences of which will haunt us for a long time. Industrial statistics shows the start of the disaster. New data of the state statistics for November indicate a decline in industrial output of 6.9%. Logical consequences in the short term are increasing unemployment and a new wave of emigration. Against the background of strengthening of the hryvnia and a complete misunderstanding of the situation by the government on what to do with it,...

When Vladimir Putin visits Istanbul on January 8, the Russian president will be doing more than officially opening a new export pipeline -- he will be getting some more closure on his longstanding dream to end Moscow's dependence on archrival Ukraine in getting natural gas to Europe. Russia has been seeking to cut gas transit through Ukraine since the mid 2000s, and the $7.8 billion TurkStream pipeline project is a big part of that strategic goal. The pipeline, which transits the Black Sea and surfaces outside Istanbul, took five years to complete and is one of two major new natural-gas...