Free Republic

-Kyiv was having hourly rotating blackouts in parts of the city and the surrounding region on Sunday evening -Around 4.5 million people are without electricity, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his address -Mayor of Kyiv warns people to prepare for the worst this winter if Russia keeps striking energy infrastructure

Shipment of Fateh-110 and Zolfaghar missiles are to be delivered to Russia Putin's soldiers have been targeting civilians with missile strikes in Ukraine Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai said: 'The time has come for Ukraine to receive military aid as well' Israeli ministers have said it is time for the country to support Ukraine with arms shipments after US officials claimed on Sunday that Iran has secretly agreed to supply Russia with surface-to-surface missiles. The Islamic Republic has been sending drones along with Iranian troops into Ukraine to operate them, siding with Russia in its bloody invasion. Israeli Diaspora...

The Kremlin appears to have sent soldiers to force Ukrainians to vote in its staged referendums at gunpoint, according to residents who say troops came to their homes in occupied territories to enforce the 'vote'. 'My family was just forced to vote at gunpoint in Russian cosplay of a "referendum” in southern Ukraine,' said Maxim Eristavi, journalist and co-founder of Hromadske International, a broadcasting station in Ukraine. The Ukrainian journalist posted a video purporting to show armed soldiers entering the hallways where his family live and forcing them to vote in favour of joining Russia. Western countries have accused Russia...

Russian president Vladimir Putin was expected to give a speech at 6pm London time from Moscow potentially announcing the official declaration of war in Ukraine to defend Russian-occupied territories, but kept the world waiting on Tuesday night. Russian news channel that announced the speech deleted their posts around two hours after the Russian leader was set to begin what would have been his first international announcement since the country’s invasion of Ukraine on February 25. It appeared as though the Russian leader had cancelled his speech, pushing it back to Wednesday, according to a Telegram account run by political analyst...

Eight Russian cruise missiles hit Karachun Dam near Kryvyi Rih late Wednesday Strike damaged dam and pumping station, releasing water into Inhulets River River burst its banks, sweeping away bridges while flooding streets and homes It is just the latest Russian attack on civilian infrastructure amid its failing war ... The water is now making its way downstream to Kherson, where it will likely damage or wash away pontoon bridges that Ukrainian troops are using to attack the city. 'Russian forces likely targeted the Karachun Dam to damage Ukrainian pontoon bridges further downstream,' think-tank Institute for the Study of War...

Russia's Black Sea fleet based in annexed Crimea has installed a new commander, RIA news agency cited sources as saying on Wednesday, after Russian military bases on the peninsula were rocked by explosions in the past nine days. If confirmed, the removal of the previous commander Igor Osipov would mark the most prominent sacking of a military official in the nearly six months since Russia launched its war on Ukraine. State-owned RIA said the new chief, Viktor Sokolov, was introduced to members of the fleet's military council in the port of Sevastopol.

Russia's new 100 rouble banknote is impossible to withdraw from ATMs after Western firms that program cash machine quit the country following Ukraine invasion The Association of Russian Banks has asked for a six-month delay to rolling out the new 100 Rouble banknote as a new security feature is needed The Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier, a memorial to one of the bloodiest battles of the Second World War, is featured on the note to fuel patriotism The Western companies which install and update ATMs have pulled out of Russia Russia’s new 100 rouble banknotes are impossible to withdraw...

The Russian navy appears to have accidentally blown up one of its own ships in the black sea in the latest blunder for Putin's forces. A landing craft is reported to have exploded when it hit a Russian sea mine near Mariupol. The crew is said to have survived the friendly-fire incident, but the reputation of Russia's naval commanders is not so unscathed. 'Near Mariupol, a landing craft of the Black Sea Fleet D-106 blew up on a mine,' said a Telegram channel related to the Russian navy. 'Waiting for a confirmation of this suicidal goodwill gesture,' said the Twitter...

Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov today denied reports that Vladimir Putin has fallen ill. Unconfirmed reports persist that Putin, who is turning 70 this year, suffers from deteriorating health issues and may have been diagnosed with cancer and Parkinson's. In an interview with French TV, Lavrov said no one 'sane' could see any signs of illness in Putin, who reportedly has his food tested before eating it and bans his staff from standing too close to him. -snip- 'You can watch him on screens, read and listen to his speeches,' Lavrov said in comments released by the Russian...

The head of Russian state-backed TV network RT said 'things will end badly for all of humanity' if Russia doesn't win a military victory against Ukraine, hinting at a nuclear strike should the country lose the war. Russia's state-backed media has become infamous for its anti-Ukrainian rants since the war broke out in February 24. But the latest outburst was from RT's Margarita Simonyan, who studied in the US and told Russian viewers they should rejoice the fact that their children will never receive a western education. 'They all believe that we will lose and the west will win. They...

Russian losses in Ukraine over the first three months are likely to have already surpassed those of the Soviet-Afghan war which lasted nine years, the UK Ministry of Defence has said. The Soviet Union's losses are estimated to be around 15,000 killed in the Afghan war, with an additional 35,478 wounded and 311 missing. 'The Russian public has, in the past, proven sensitive to casualties suffered during wars of choice,' said the UK government ministry, which did not name the exact figure. 'As casualties suffered in Ukraine continue to rise they will become more apparent, and public dissatisfaction with the...

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...

U.S. President Donald Trump picked U.S. hostage negotiator Robert O’Brien on Wednesday as his fourth White House national security adviser, turning to a low-key choice for the position after the boisterous tenure of John Bolton.