Free Republic

THIS is the moment a convoy of Ukrainian tanks rumble into Russia as Vladimir Putin's troops put up the white flag on their own turf. -snip- In Novoivanovka, the Ukrainians took prisoners, say reports. Previous footage showed dozens of soldiers submitting to Ukrainian forces as Russian positions in Nikolayevo-Darino and Oleshnya were raided amid intense cross-border offensive. Geolocated footage published by Ukraine Map shows dozens of men claimed to be Russians. Russian prisoners of war are seen in Ukrainian hands in a further humiliation for Putin. The surrendered soldiers and FSB border guards are shown on video after capture in...

After the Israeli army carried out an attack in southern Beirut, representatives from Hamas, Yemeni Houthis, Iran, and the Russian Federation promptly responded. Moscow: In a stern statement, the Russian government condemned the Israeli action, calling it a “dangerous escalation” that threatens regional stability. The Russian Foreign Ministry urged Israel to cease its military operations immediately and called for international mediation to prevent further conflict. “We strongly oppose any actions that exacerbate tensions and lead to the loss of civilian lives,” the statement read. Russia also reaffirmed its support for a two-state solution and called for renewed efforts towards peace...

Russia has sent a stark warning to Israel over its war in Gaza as Moscow's Foreign Minister says the IDF cannot destroy Hamas. Sergei Lavrov said it is "unrealistic" to believe that Israel can dismantle the Palestinian group because of its "support in the Muslim world." -snip- The Kremlin has hosted Hamas in Moscow twice since the war broke out after the brutal October 7 attack.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday congratulated Nicolas Maduro on winning the disputed Venezuelan election, and the Kremlin said it was deepening cooperation in all areas - including sensitive ones - with Caracas. -snip- "Russian-Venezuelan relations have the character of a strategic partnership," Putin said in a message to Maduro, the Kremlin said. "I am confident that your activities at the head of state will continue to contribute to their progressive development in all directions." -snip- Putin ended his message to Maduro: "Remember that you are always a welcome guest on Russian soil."

A staunch ally of Vladimir Putin lamented the destruction of the Black Sea Fleet, dealing the Russian president a double blow as his Navy was forced to hold a muted annual parade on Sunday. In a rare admission of Russia's military failures, Yevgeny Fyodorov from the ruling United Russia party complained that Ukraine has disabled such a large proportion of Putin's prized Black Sea Fleet that it is essentially "gone." -snip- "The Russian fleet as an operational mechanism in the Black Sea does not exist! Not physically, but in terms of its actual combat presence. This is a fact," the...

Russia may be proud of its military history and seamen – but Vladimir Putin looks like he would have preferred to be anywhere else during the nation’s state naval display on Sunday. The Russian president hardly cracked a smile at this morning’s Grand Naval Parade in St Petersburg, a showcasing of around 200 ships and boats all part of the various fleets stationed in Russia’s second city. During the event, he was seen looking bored and unbothered as he sailed across the city’s water and into the dock while fireworks exploded around him. -snip- Meanwhile, Ukraine has over the weekend...

Russia's central bank hiked its key interest rate by 200 basis points to 18% on Friday as it grapples with high inflation and an overheated economy, bringing the cost of borrowing to its highest in more than two years. -snip- The key rate is now at its highest since April 2022. The Bank of Russia raised rates to 20% in an emergency move soon after the Kremlin sent Russian troops into Ukraine in February 2022. "Inflation has accelerated and is developing significantly above the Bank of Russia’s April forecast. Growth in domestic demand is still outstripping the capabilities to expand...

This is the moment Vladimir Putin's forces were left humiliated when one of his biggest recent assaults of his war on Ukraine ended in substantial losses. The Russian leader had ordered his troops to capture more territory in the Donetsk region, eastern Ukraine, but the push near Kurakhove resulted in mass death and destruction. The failed assault led to the reported deaths of 40 invaders, and left 37 more injured. Russia is carrying out intense attacks in multiple sections of the eastern front, but in a Ukraine victory, troops managed to fend off 29 attacks in Kurakhove alone, the General...

The dramatic pictures showed blood-covered mothers cradling their terrified children as they tried to escape the hospital after the strike. Horrifying pictures have captured the aftermath of a devastating Russian missile strike on a children's hospital in Kyiv that caused widespread damage and killed at least two people. Vladimir Putin's army launched a massive assault on Ukraine, targeting five Ukrainian cities with more than 40 missiles - at least 33 people have been killed and more than 150 injured across the country. The onslaught hit apartment buildings and public infrastructure, including the newly reconstructed ward at Kyiv's Okhmatdyt Hospital. Windows...

At least 24 people were killed on Monday after Russia launched a massive missile attack against cities across Ukraine, including on a children’s hospital. In the capital, Kyiv, at least ten people were killed in a rare daytime attack. The Okhmatdyt children’s hospital, Ukraine’s biggest children’s medical facility, was hit in the attack, according to reports. There was no immediate word on casualties there. At least 10 people were killed in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih, with three killed in the eastern town of Pokrovsk and one in Dnipro. The attacks included Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, one of the...

A crack Russian unit of fighters was almost totally destroyed during intense fighting near Kharkiv, rendering it inoperable, according to reports from the frontline. The devastating massacre took place last weekend during fighting for Vovchansk, a city located 73 km (45 miles) northeast of Kharkiv. The city has become the focus of heavy fighting after Russian troops launched a surprise attack in the Kharkiv region in early May. As of last week, the Russians claimed to control around and half of the city - but the situation on the ground remains very fluid. After making initial gains, the Russians have...

Russia's new offensive into Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region has done what months of lobbying from President Volodymyr Zelensky could not: secured Kyiv's ability to fire advanced Western weapons at Moscow's forces within their borders. The Russian drive into the Kharkiv border region—where fighting is ongoing some 15 miles north of Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city and an important political, economic, and cultural center—has prompted Kyiv's NATO backers into a flurry of diplomatic and military activity, with the result that Ukrainian cross-border strikes are now ravaging Russian forces operating in the Belgorod region.

Vadim Shamarin, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, has been arrested, local media reported, marking the latest detention of a Russian high-ranking military official in recent weeks. The development was reported by Russian newspapers Kommersant and Izvestia, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter. Kommersant reported that he was detained on Wednesday "in connection with the case of alleged fraud."

Conservative pundit Tucker Carlson’s media company says a Russian state television agency that is airing portions of his show is doing so without legal permission. -snip- Russian state newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta initially reported on Russia 24, a state-run media organization, broadcasting Carlson’s program. “Any use of our content by that channel is without legal permission,” a representative for Carlson told The Hill Tuesday evening. Carlson, in a separate text message to Mediate, blasted the initial Newsweek report, writing “this is completely absurd. Reporters are so dishonest and stupid. I’ve never even heard of this channel.”

Tucker Carlson’s representative denied reports Tuesday that Carlson launched a show on Russian-owned state television Monday night, telling Forbes the reports were “pure nonsense,” indicating Carlson was not involved with the show that is listed on the website for a Russian state television channel. Arthur Schwartz, a representative for Carlson, told Forbes in an email “it’s pure nonsense” in response to questions about Carlson’s show being aired in Russia with Russian voice overs and whether it was licensed by Carlson. Neil Patel, CEO of the Tucker Carlson Network, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the...

Conservative TV host Tucker Carlson has launched his own show on a Russian state television channel. The former Fox News anchor is presenting the program Tucker on the rolling news channel Russia 24, with the first episode now available online, Russian state newspaper Rossiskya Gazyeta reported. The paper said that the show is part of a joint project with Carlson TV, in which he will interview figures and politicians who have "alternative views to the mainstream." -snip- This is a breaking story. More to follow.

Vladimir Putin tried to engage Xi Jinping with eye-contact during their meeting today, but it is clear that the Chinese president is the senior partner in the relationship between the world leaders, according to a body language expert. -snip- But amid the deepening partnership between the two nations, body language expert and author of 26 books on the subject Judi James said the meeting was perhaps more one-sided than Putin would want the world to believe. The Russian employed subtle ways to show the bond between the two despots, Ms James said. But Xi, she noted, 'didn't get the memo.'...

Russian President Vladimir Putin demoted Nikolai Patrushev, a Cold War warrior who crafted the Kremlin's national security strategy, to a job overseeing the shipbuilding industry while raising two younger lieutenants to senior Kremlin jobs. -snip- Patrushev, a former KGB officer from St Petersburg where Putin was born, was moved from the heart of the modern-day politburo, where he had worked for 16 years as secretary of the Security Council, to oversee shipbuilding as a Kremlin aide. -snip- Patrushev Senior was heavily demoted," a senior Russian source told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of such public remarks....

Can Russia's main task is to achieve victory on the battlefield in Ukraine with the minimal loss of troops, incoming defence minister Andrei Belousov said on Tuesday. -snip- Belousov presented himself as a man of integrity, telling parliamentarians: "I have always been, and will be, guided by the reinforced concrete principle 'You can make mistakes (but) you can't lie'." That was a pointed comment, given that he is taking charge of a ministry embroiled in a major corruption investigation that damaged his predecessor Shoigu. The scandal widened on Tuesday with the arrest of another senior official suspected of bribery. -snip-...

A video posted Monday on social media shows the Ukrainian military destroying 10 Russian military vehicles in a single strike. The video was posted by the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade on Telegram. Reportedly, five Russian BMP-1s, an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle, along with five tanks, were burned in the strike. The 63rd Brigade said that at least one vehicle was a Russian T-90M battle tank. The Ukrainian defense effort reportedly occurred near Terni in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The 63rd Brigade said it destroyed the vehicles "with the help of artillery and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) drops."