Free Republic

North Korean leader expresses hope that Moscow will defeat ‘neo-Nazism and achieve a great victory’ in Ukraine. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has paid homage to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a New Year’s message extolling deepening ties between Pyongyang and Moscow, state media has reported. In a letter to mark the New Year, Kim extended his greetings to his “dearest friend and comrade” Putin, the Russian people and Russian military personnel, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday. Kim wished Putin “greater success in his responsible and heavy state leadership activities and the Russian people prosperity, wellbeing...

Watch the historic moment the sea drone takes down an aerial target. DRAMATIC footage shows the moment Ukraine claimed the historic downing of a Russian M-8 military helicopter off the coast of occupied Crimea by a missile-firing sea drone. Kyiv's military intelligence announced the strike in the Black Sea with a Magura V5 and included a clip of the historic moment. In the black-and-white footage taken from the sea drone, bursts of water can be seen around the drone launching into the air as Vladimir Putin's chopper attacked. Viewers can quickly spot the Russian aircraft in the top right-hand corner...

Russian President Vladimir Putin seemingly took a page out of President Biden’s book and is offering to write off debts for new recruits enlisting in the country’s military for one year. In November, Putin signed a law allowing anyone who joined the Russian military after Dec. 1, 2024, to have debs of up to 10 million rubles, or about $96,000, written off. -snip- The move appears to be similar to one from Biden’s own playbook, though the latter does not connect loan handouts to military recruitment. Earlier this month, the Biden administration announced $4.28 billion in student loan handouts as...

The Russian-occupied port of Sevastopol, Crimea has come under renewed attack by Ukraine's drone forces after a monthslong lull. Three loud and heavy explosions were reported in Kozacha Bay late Monday night, and citizen journalists said that a large fire was burning in the area. Both aerial and maritime drone attacks were reported. Sevastopol's Russian-backed governor, Mikhail Razvozhaev, told state media that two Ukrainian aerial drones had been shot down over the Black Sea. He did not confirm local reports of large blasts. Kozacha Bay is located five miles southwest of the main harbor, which is more heavily protected by...

THE bizarre fiefdom of Chechnya has long been controlled by warlord and top Vladimir Putin crony Ramzan Kadyrov and his trigger-happy cosplay soldiers. Disturbed chief Kadyrov, 48, has ruled over the twisted Russian republic since 2007 with his reign now coming under fire again since the deadly Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash took place on his doorstep. The Christmas Day disaster left 38 dead after the packed passenger plane lost control and smashed into a fireball as it hit the ground. Reports have been swirling in the days since saying it was shot down by a Russian anti-aircraft missile believed to...

Russia reportedly attempted to make the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash in to the sea by refusing permission to let it land after a missile attack before jamming its navigation system. A Russian surface-to-air missile struck the flight on Christmas Day, causing the airliner to crash in Kazakhstan - a tragedy which claimed the lives of 38 people. Sources told Euronews that the missile was fired at Flight 8432 amid drone air activity above Grozny, the Chechen capital, citing a preliminary investigation. They said the pilot was blocked from landing at any Russian airports despite making emergency pleas, and was instead...

Russia has released a chilling propaganda video in which Moscow's defence systems blow up Santa Claus and his reindeer, as the Kremlin remains silent on accusations it killed 38 people after it shot down an Azerbaijani passenger plane. The propaganda video, released on pro-Russian Telegram channels, shows a 'Western' Santa flying over a snowy Moscow while carrying a can of Coca Cola while wishing Russian citizens a merry Christmas. He can be seen carrying missiles in his sleigh that resemble a NATO Trident or Minuteman III ICBM and others. But within seconds, he is blown up with a festive missile...

As harrowing details emerge of the last moments of Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8432, which crashed on Wednesday in Aktau, the flight crew who did their best to save the passengers until the last moment are being hailed as heroes. -snip- Government sources have told Euronews that the damaged aircraft was not allowed to land at any Russian airports despite the pilots’ requests for an emergency landing, and it was ordered to fly across the Caspian Sea towards Aktau in Kazakhstan. According to data, the plane’s GPS navigation systems were jammed throughout the flight path above the sea. -snip- Remarkable airmanship...

Russian President Vladimir Putin uses antisemitic rhetoric during his lengthy end-of-year press conference, accusing people including “ethnic Jews” of tearing apart the Russian Orthodox Church. “These people that are attacking the church, they are not atheists,” Putin says, addressing a question posed at the press conference. “They are absolutely faithless people, Godless people. Well, ethnically, many of them are Jews, but you haven’t seen them visit any synagogue.” -snip- The Russian Orthodox Church is widely criticized by international watchdogs for its close relationship with the Russian government. The Council of Europe recently labeled the church a propaganda tool of the...

Vladimir Putin bizarrely suggested that Russian eating habits were to blame for rising food prices. His comments came in response to questions about the economy during a marathon press conference broadcast live on state TV. -snip- In an attempt to answer his own question about how to address food inflation, he noted that consumption of some goods had risen beyond supplies. As an example he pointed to meat consumption, saying Russians were eating "significantly" more than the global average. -snip- Putin also appeared to target Russian farmers, blaming a lack of milk production for rising butter costs. -snip- Russia's central...