Free Republic

Igor Girkin, aka Igor Strelkov was the former Minister of Defense of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic. From his Wiki:Igor Vsevolodovich Girkin (Russian: И́горь Все́володович Ги́ркин, IPA: [ˈiɡərʲ ˈfsʲevələdəvʲɪtɕ ˈɡʲirkʲɪn],; 17 December 1970),[2] also known by the alias Igor Ivanovich Strelkov (Russian: И́горь Ива́нович Стрелко́в, IPA: [ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvʲɪtɕ strʲɪlˈkof]), is a Russian army veteran and former Federal Security Service (FSB) officer who played a key role in the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, and later the War in Donbas as an organizer of militant groups of the Donetsk People's Republic's.[3][4][5] Girkin led a group of militants into Ukraine...

Over the last week, the Russian position north of Kharkiv has collapsed. There are two explanations, and both involve an endgame for Putin’s War.Most commentary on military operations over the last week has focused on what is assumed to be the center of gravity of the Russian campaign in Ukraine, Donbas, and the siege of Mariupol. However, in my opinion, the real activity to watch has been occurring on the Ukraine-Russia border. Kharkiv had been under daily artillery and rocket fire, destroying most of it.When I saw the city center of Kharkiv, destroyed by air bombs, I was shocked. Last...

Russian state media has begun openly criticising the state of Russia's military as its Donbass offensive stalls Vladimir Solovyov, prominent Putin puppet, bemoaned 'shameful' length of time for weapons to reach troopsMikhail Khodaryonok said men are being sent to fight with 'weapons of yesteryear' and that even a much-feared general mobilisation won't help because the country lacks reserves to form new military units Aleksandr Sladkov, another propagandist, said commanders are 'shamefully indecisive' and Russian troops cannot displace Ukrainian forces because they are fighting 'one-to-one' with no numerical advantage....

Russia is struggling to make significant military gains in Ukraine's Donbas region because it is fighting Kyiv's forces one-on-one, a pro-Moscow reporter has said. War correspondent and Putin propagandist Aleksandr Sladkov made a rare admission of Russia's military struggles in Ukraine, speaking in a video posted to social media late on Monday. He said that Vladimir Putin's so-called special military operation was 'shamefully indecisive', that Russian troops 'can't push out Ukrainian forces', and that Moscow's armies are 'making a feat out of something that should be routine'. Sladkov, a journalist for Russia's state-run Russia-1 TV channel, has in the past...

Ukrainian forces have regained control of the key city of Kharkiv, the regional governor has said. In a post on Telegram, Oleh Synyehubov said: "Control over Kharkiv is completely ours! "The armed forces, the police, and the defence forces are working, and the city is being completely cleansed of the enemy." Russian troops were able to enter the city, Ukraine's second largest, overnight. Footage circulated on social media showed street fighting between Ukrainian and Russian troops. The situation on the ground remains fluid and claims of control are hard to verify - but civilians on the ground have also told...