Free Republic

VLADIMIR Putin's top propagandist has seemingly turned on the tyrant and hinted at ending his 25 years of "catastrophic" rule in Russia. Popular Russian TV host Vladimir Solovyov was live on air when he argued that "a resignation is necessary" while referring to the embarrassing Kursk siege that has left Putin red-faced. Russia has taken a massive hit at the country's western borders near Kursk where Kyiv's troops managed to grab Russian land for the first time since World War Two. Speaking of the dire consequences of the Ukrainian onslaught, Solovyov hinted at a regime change inside Russia, saying punishing...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has suffered an emabarassing setback as his feared Satan 2 nuclear arsenal failed four out of five missile tests, according to arms experts and satellite imagery from the launch site. High-resolution satellite images of the launch pad at Russia's Plesetsk test site, where the RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile exploded, shows extensive damage. A crater approximately 60 meters wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia, along with visible damage in the surrounding area that was not present in images taken earlier in the month. -snip- The missile's liquid-fuel engine likely exploded...

A Russian RS-28 Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile likely failed during a test earlier this month, according to arms experts and satellite imagery from the launch site. Maxar satellite images from Sept. 21 show a crater about 60 meters (200 feet) wide at the launch silo at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia and damage around the area that was not visible in imagery from earlier in the month. It was not clear from the imagery if the liquid-fueled Sarmat failed during a launch or if there was an accident during defueling. “By all indications, it was a failed test. It’s...

Russia’s plans for their ‘doomsday’ hypersonic missiles have been delayed for years after the Satan-2 missile exploded during a test launch. ‌The huge detonation destroyed Russia’s only site suitable for testing the doomsday hypersonic rocket, the centrepiece of Vladimir Putin’s bragging of nuclear superiority compared to the West. ‌The explosion at Plesetsk is now known to have partially wrecked an observation building close to the launch site, with fears some of Russia’s lead rocket scientists could be dead. ‌Experts say the test programme for the rocket – also known as RS-28 Sarmat – may now be delayed for years, or...

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...

Russian State TV recently broadcasted a segment of a talk show during which the hosts discussed the potential of Alaska joining Russia. In the show, the host makes a joke saying: "Do you know what they call Alaska? Ice Crimea." He then adds that Alaska will "one day return to its native shores." The hosts are referencing the fact that Alaska once "belonged" to Russia, before being sold to the United States in 1866. This echoes rhetoric used in the war in Ukraine, that Ukraine "belonged" to Russia, and therefore should rejoin its so-called native land.

In the pre-dawn hours on Tuesday, a large flock of Ukrainian drones winged north from Ukraine all the way to Toropets, a town in western Russian that hosts the 107th Arsenal, a sprawling ammunition dump feeding the Russian force fighting in Ukraine, 300 miles to the south. The arsenal exploded with enough force to register as a small earthquake, draw the attention of NASA fire-spotting satellites and compel local authorities to order an evacuation of nearby residents. A lot of Russian munitions went up in flames. (snip) That so many of Russia’s best munitions were reportedly concentrated in a single...

THIS is the moment apocalyptic explosions tore apart two massive Russian missile and ammunition storage depots. One at Tikhoretsk contained vast quantities of munitions supplied to Vladimir Putin by Kim Jong-un for use in the Kremlin dictator's bombardment of Ukraine. Mushroom clouds and igniting shells lit up the night sky at the facility in Krasnodar region in a devastating pinpoint strike by Ukrainian kamikaze drones early on Saturday. But Ukraine also hit a new ammunition silo complex at Toropets in Tver region - just ten miles from an “indestructible” 30,000-ton munitions storage site that was obliterated on Wednesday. An unconfirmed...