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...

A growing list of failings and defeats in Ukraine have spawned angry outbursts from Russia's elite, who still support the "military operation" but have gone as far as to suggest army chiefs should face the firing squad. Before September saw a series of battlefield reversals, public criticism of the army was rare. The offensive had been presented as a sacred, patriotic mission and speaking ill of the armed forces could lead to a long stay in prison. Today, nobody among the elite is calling into question the merits of Moscow's viewpoint or the operation against a neighbouring nation. But the...

Four Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine are expected on Friday to begin voting in referendums on joining Russia, in a move that raises the stakes of Moscow’s invasion seven months after fighting began. The referendums, which are illegal under international law, could pave the way for Russian annexation of the areas, allowing Moscow to frame the ongoing Ukrainian counteroffensive as an attack on Russia itself. Such a move could provide Moscow with a pretext to escalate its faltering war, which has seen Kyiv regain thousands of square miles of territory this month. In an address Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin raised...

Two U.S. senators say that they were denied visas as part of an official delegation to Russia for talks with their counterparts in the country's parliament. Amid tensions over arms control, human rights, and Russian aggression in Ukraine, Venezuela, and Syria, it's a sign of the frayed ties between Washington and Moscow, despite President Donald Trump's consistent calls for better relations with President Vladimir Putin's government -- including its readmission to the G-7. Republican Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Democrat Chris Murphy of Connecticut were scheduled to leave on their trip next week, according to aides, with stops in Ukraine,...