Free Republic

Summons delivered to eligible men at midnight. Schoolteachers pressed into handing out draft notices. Men given an hour to pack their things and appear at draft centres. Women sobbing as they sent their husbands and sons off to fight in Russia’s war in Ukraine. The first full day of Russia’s first mobilisation since the second world war produced emotional showdowns at draft centres and even signs of protest, while it appears Russia could be considering far more than the 300,000 new conscripts claimed by the defence minister, Sergei Shoigu. One woman in a small village in the Zakamensky region of...

Police wearing blacked-out helmets are dragging anti-mobilisation protestors off the streets of Russia tonight, as thousands come out to demonstrate against being sent to the front lines in Ukraine. More than 1,000 people have been arrested tonight in 37 cities across Russia, including Moscow and St Petersburg, as they voiced their anger at President Vladimir Putin's order to mobilise 300,000 reservists. There have been angry clashes between activists and security forces, with protestors being forcefully taken to the ground and removed from the streets as the government cracks down on vocal dissent. Demonstrators tonight chanted anti-war slogans, with some calling...

The imprisoned Russian opposition leader Aleksei Navalny has slammed Vladimir Putin and an opposition group has called for nationwide protests after the Russian leader ordered a military mobilization amid the country's recent military losses in Ukraine during a Ukrainian military counteroffensive. Putin, in a televised address to the nation aired earlier on September 21, also warned the West that he isn't bluffing over using all the means at his disposal to protect Russia's territory. Navalny said Putin was sending more Russians to their death for a failing war in a video message recorded from prison and released on social media...

Poland has been preparing to give up Russian gas fuel for a long time, so Gazprom's decision to turn off the tap did not surprise her. Rather, the inevitable has accelerated. Poland's energy security should not be jeopardized, but the gas turmoil may again have an impact on Poles' bills in a few months. The former president of PGNiG draws attention to one important element of the entire gas puzzle. On Wednesday at 8.00, Gazprom will officially suspend gas supplies to Poland under the Yamal contract . The day before, journalists reported that gas fuel transmission from the east fell...

Russian gas supplies under the Yamal contract to Poland have been halted, according to PGNiG SA, a Polish company responsible for the trading of gas from Gazprom under a long-term contract that expires this year. PGNiG received a letter from Gazprom announcing the complete suspension of supplies under the Yamal contract starting April 27, 2022 after the Polish company refused to pay for gas in rubles. PGNiG and GAZ-SYSTEM inform that currently all deliveries to customers are carried out in accordance with their needs. The companies monitor the situation and are prepared for various scenarios. Currently, the transmission infrastructure managed...

Two pictures of Republican Rep. Madison Cawthorn (N.C.) shared with Politico show the embattled congressman at what appears to be a party in women’s lingerie. The political news outlet reported that it obtained the photos from a person who was previously close to Cawthorn, and his campaign. Another person who was formerly close with Cawthorn confirmed the pictures. Cawthorn is controversial figure in the Republican Party. He previously accused congressional colleagues of inviting him to orgies. Cawthorn told “Warrior Poet Society” podcast host John Lovell that lawmakers have invited him to orgies and done cocaine in front of him. He...

An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has been found dead alongside members of his family in his multi-million dollar apartment in Moscow.... Avayev was previously employed at Gazprombank, which is a key part of Putin's gas-for-roubles scheme to hit back at Western sanctions.....

ussia launched an intercontinental missile in an apparent bid to scare those who "threaten" Moscow this afternoon (April 20). Russia is currently invading Ukraine and launched the ballistic missile, known as "Satan II" as a "warning", according to the Russian Ministry of Defence. The news comes from the Russian media who say that the launch of the Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile was carried out at the Plesetsk cosmodrome. It is reported that President Vladimir Putin said that the missile would provide "food for thought for those who try to threaten Russia", reported The Mirror. The missile is said to be...

CHERNOBYL is back under the control of Ukrainian troops after Russian forces formally gave up the nuclear plant. The site of the 1986 nuclear tragedy in northern Ukraine was captured in the opening days of the war, sparking fears of a major radioactive disaster as a result of heavy fighting around the plant. Ukraine's state nuclear company Energoatom said on Thursday that all of the "outsiders" who had been occupying the plant have left. It released a letter signed by the Russian National Guard in which custody of Chernobyl was handed back to Ukraine. Earlier, it said that some Russian...