Free Republic

A second unconfirmed blaze was reported at a military base in the area where a military unit of the 120th arsenal of the Main Rocket is located The giant fire at the Druzhba oil depot in Bryansk was seen from the entire city The oil storage depot is likely to be vital for supplying Russia's troops in their surge to take control of the Donbas Bryansk region borders Ukraine and the city is some 240 miles from Moscow. Residents were being evacuated from homes in the vicinity of the burning oil depot Russia was hit today by a major fire...

The US deliberately avoided sanctioning Vladimir Putin's alleged mistress at the 11th hour over fears doing so would further inflame tensions with Russia. Alina Kabaeva, 39, is a former Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics, cover model for Russian Vogue and believed to be 70 year-old Putin's mistress by Washington insiders. She was in the sights of the US Treasury Department in the wake of her rumored lover's invasion of Ukraine in February - but dodged sanctions at the 11th hour after the National Security Council intervened, the Wall Street Journal reported. But officials in Washington believed that sanctioning Kabaeva would...

Vladimir Putin looked frail and unsteady at footage purporting to be from a midnight mass for Orthodox Easter, stoking rumours surrounding the Russian president's ailing health. He chewed his lip and appeared unsure of his footing as he stood in Moscow's Christ the Saviour Cathedral alongside the city's mayor Sergei Sobyanin. A nervous-looking Putin bit his lip while attending the church service, fidgeting and appearing distracted while watching the church service. He appeared to chew the insides of his mouth, shifting uncomfortably, adding to a swirl of commentary that the pressure of Russian setbacks over the war in Ukraine. A...