Free Republic

Iran has been left powerless to export ballistic missiles to Russia for up to two years following Israeli airstrikes on weapons factories across the country. Over 100 aircraft, including F-35 Lightnings, F-16 Falcons, F-15 Eagles, air-to-air refuellers and drones, took part in the Israeli attacks in the early hours of Saturday morning. In particular, Israel appears to have targeted Iranian “planetary mixers”, used to make solid fuel for ballistic missiles. -snip- The exchange of weapons goes both ways and Iran had been reliant on Russian air defences to see off Israeli attacks. Iran purchased the S-300 air defence system from...

Jim O'Neill came up with the term BRIC in 2001 in a research paper that underlined the massive growth potential of Brazil, Russia, India and China. The then-Goldman Sachs chief economist highlighted the need to reform global governance to include these up and coming countries in his paper. Today, the grouping accounts for 45% of the world's population and 35% of its economy. O'Neill, who admitted he would “have Mr. BRICS stamped on his forehead forever”, has however said the group group had achieved very little over the past 15 years. In an interview, he added that it was not...

The development is a complete U-turn from the BRICS initiative where the alliance is pushing de-dollarization narratives around the world. Sources say India is unhappy with the narrative pushed by its BRICS counterparts, China and Russia. According to sources, India believes that China is using BRICS as a stepping stone to strengthen its dominance around the world. India's Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar confirmed that the country is not interested in the dedollarization agenda.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday he has told former President Donald Trump that Kyiv will pursue nuclear weapons for defense if it doesn’t gain entry to NATO. “In a conversation with Donald Trump, I told him it comes to this,” Zelensky said in Ukrainian while speaking to the European Council in Brussels. “The outcome is either Ukraine will be a nuclear power — and that will be our protection — or we should have some kind of alliance. Other than NATO, today we don’t know of any effective alliances.” Zelensky, 46, emphasized that Ukraine is choosing to pursue membership...

Kiev has the capability to build a nuclear weapon "in a few weeks," a high-ranking Ukrainian official has told Bild, the German tabloid reported on Thursday after Vladimir Zelensky announced his atomic ambitions. Ukraine needs either membership in NATO or nuclear weapons, Zelensky said on Friday in Brussels, arguing in favor of his "victory plan" to end the conflict with Russia. This prompted Bild to reveal that a Ukrainian official involved in weapons procurement told them "a few months ago" that Kiev was willing to go nuclear. "We have the material, we have the knowledge. If the order is given,...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reportedly told NATO to let his country join the group or it will get nuclear weapons in a shock ultimatum that was allegedly backed by Donald Trump. The leader, 46, declared his bombshell proposal at the EU summit in Brussels - stating either NATO quickly accepts Ukraine into its alliance, or it will once again become a nuclear power, reports Bild. Zelensky had reportedly planned to present what is being dubbed his 'victory plan' to the heads of state and government of the European Union, but instead made the dramatic announcement to stunned reporters on...

The finance ministers of the most important BRICS countries refused to come to the meeting in Moscow. The Kremlin presented there its idea of ​​​​phasing out payments in US dollars. No one supported it. Friday's BRICS meeting in Moscow was focused on the Kremlin's announcement of a global payment system alternative to the dollar. However, it was held without the participation of finance ministers and central bank governors of China, India and South Africa, Reuters reports. The countries sent their deputies and junior officials to the meeting. China was represented in Moscow by Vice Finance Minister Liao Ming and Central...

One of Moscow's fighter jets has been shot down by Ukrainian forces, according to a military blogger with links to the Russian air force. Another pro-Moscow milblogger said that the Sukhoi Su-34 aircraft had been downed by a Western-supplied F-16. Neither report has been confirmed and Newsweek has contacted the Russian and Ukrainian defense ministries for comment over the unverified claims which have sparked much speculation on social media. The Telegram channel Fighterbomber posted on Saturday a message which looked like a tribute to a lost Su-34 fighter jet. Next to an image of the supersonic medium-range fighter bomber, which...

Although modern technology, including drones and electronic warfare, has shaped the Russia-Ukraine war, the outcome will likely depend on which side can sustain its artillery usage. Both countries rely heavily on Soviet doctrine that emphasizes artillery, with Russia firing around 10,000 rounds daily and Ukraine about 2,000. Initially, Ukraine relied on its Soviet-era stockpiles of 152mm artillery and ammunition, supplemented by NATO-provided 155mm systems and shells. Moving forward, Ukraine is in an increasingly stronger position, now having the capability to produce both 155mm howitzers and the corresponding artillery shells. Since the start of the war, Ukraine has invested in developing...

Vladimir Putin has awoken to one of the largest bombardments on Moscow and other parts of Russia after 30 months of bloodshed. Ukraine unleashed 144 drones, targeting three airports in the capital and lighting up residential buildings in the region of Moscow, during what the Kremlin called a ‘terrorist attack supported by the UK and US’. Debris from aircraft damaged at least two high-rise buildings in the Ramenskoye district in the early hours of Tuesday, setting several flats on fire. A 46-year-old woman was killed and three people were injured, governor Andrei Vorobyov said on Telegram. He added that 43...

Revival of India's defence deals with Ukraine will be one of the key areas of focus for PM Modi since the supply chain has been disrupted by the ongoing war with Russia. The ripple effects of this damage have been felt globally, making the potential discussions on defence during the visit all the more significant "In 2023, the Ukrainian defence industry produced weapons and equipment worth $3 billion, adding 1.5% to the country's GDP growth", wrote Wilson Center in its 'Defense Technology Investment in Ukraine Is Attractive but Awaits Greater Risk Insurance'. The report also highlights the challenges and opportunities...

The head of a Russian private militia has called on the army to overthrow Vladimir Putin in what is potentially shaping up to be the biggest threat of revolt the Kremlin has faced since the Wagner mutiny last year. Georgy Zakrevsky is the founder of the Paladin PMC, one of many shadowy military groups like the former Wagner militia, that are loosely linked to the Kremlin. The private military company (PMC) has around 300 members and has fought in wars around the world, including in Syria and Africa. Zakrevsky launched a blistering attack on the Russian president during a video...

Ukrainian forces downed a Russian Su-25 ground attack aircraft on Friday, according to the country's Khortytsia group of forces operating in the eastern Donetsk region. The aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft guns from the 110th Separate Mechanized Brigade as it attacked Ukrainian frontline positions near the town of Pokrovsk, the forces' statement posted on Telegram said. The Soviet-designed Sukhoi armored aircraft has been used extensively by both sides since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine's security services launched a raid on a key Russian base which they claimed was destroyed in the fighting. The SBU released a video which it said showed airborne and waterborne drones attacking the target, followed by large explosions. Ukrainian broadcaster Suspline said of the video: "Last night, SBU drones hit the Russian coast guard base on Lake Donuzlav in occupied Crimea, law enforcement sources told Sospilny. "As a result of the combined attack of sea and air drones, the following were damaged and disabled: the headquarters with a control post, a warehouse of ammunition and equipment, an electrical substation,...

Gen. Serhii Golubtsov, the commander of the Ukrainian air force, has said all along he needed four operational squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-16 fighters to have any chance of controlling the air over a single sector of the 700-mile front line of Russia’s wider war on Ukraine. It’s taken more than a year of intensive diplomacy between Ukrainian, Norwegian, Dutch, Danish and Belgian officials, but Golubtsov is finally getting his four squadrons. On Tuesday, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky announced Belgium would donate 30 surplus F-16s—boosting to 85 the total number of the nimble, supersonic fighters Ukraine should receive starting this...

On April 19, Taylor Swift unleashed her highly anticipated eleventh studio album, entitled The Tortured Poets Department. Within twelve hours, it was the first album in Spotify history to achieve 300M streams in a single day. From a postmodern worldview, it would be difficult to find someone who more perfectly represents the culmination of the feminist movement than this self-made billionaire. She has masterminded a successful sound, and her increasingly loyal fan base has the potential to sway an upcoming presidential election.Despite her accolades at the pinnacle of worldly success, Swift’s new album unveils a raw, angry woman grappling with...

Denys Yaroslavskyi is angry. ... “There was no first line of defence. We saw it. The Russians just walked in. They just walked in, without any mined fields” he says. He shows me video from a drone feed taken a few days ago of small columns of Russian troops simply walking across the border, unopposed. He says officials had claimed that defences were being built at huge cost, but in his view, those defences simply weren’t there. “Either it was an act of negligence, or corruption. It wasn’t a failure. It was a betrayal”. Everyone knew that this incursion was...

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who has been under the microscope this week for an anecdote about killing her dog, defended her actions Wednesday, saying she shot the “dangerous” pup in order to protect her children. “It was a dog that was extremely dangerous,” Noem said Wednesday on Fox News’s “Hannity.” “It had come to us from a family who had found her way too aggressive.” “We were her second chance. And she was — the day she was put down was a day that she massacred livestock that were part of our neighbors,” she continued. “She attacked me....

American officials now estimate that Russian President Vladimir Putin likely did not order the assassination of Alexei Navalny, one of his most significant political rivals. Navalny died approximately two months ago in prison, with his body with held from his family for some time after his death. According to the Wall Street Journal,a number of American agencies reviewed the report and certified it. It was based on both classified intelligence and publicly available facts....

Watch the harrowing moment a fireman weeps at the sight of his father's body. RUSSIA targeted firefighters in a sick "double tap" drone strike on an apartment building in Ukraine - killing a father in front of his son. Heartbreaking footage revealed the hideous aftermath of Putin's cruelty that left at least five dead, including three rescuers responding to the first hit. Vladyslav Logienko, 52, was one of the first on the scene early on Thursday morning after an Iranian-made Shahed drone smashed into a block of flats in Kharkiv. In less than an hour, he had been killed with...