Free Republic

Russian lawmakers Tuesday endorsed a bill mandating year-round military conscription, rather than just in the spring and fall, as authorities seek to fill the ranks as fighting in Ukraine grinds through a fourth year. The legislation, which was approved by the lower house, the State Duma, in a third and final reading of the measure, turns conscription into a permanent process. Once the bill is vetted by the upper house and signed into law by President Vladimir Putin, it would allow conscription offices to summon draftees for medical exams and other procedures at any time of the year. The bill’s...

Vladimir Putin’s wartime economy has been resilient in the face of Western sanctions triggered by his invasion of Ukraine, but it’s hitting a wall and U.S. pressure on the energy sector could cause a recession, according to experts. Massive defense spending has propped up growth, kept factories humming, and pushed unemployment lower, while Moscow has relied on allies like China for goods no longer available from the West. “But the country has exhausted its reserves of manufacturing capacity and manpower,” Alexandra Prokopenko, a fellow at the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center and former Russian central bank advisor, wrote in Foreign Affairs...

Update from Ukraine | Ruzzian fake Victory in Stepove. Actually they failed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrD4Inv8W8Q Militaryland news: The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the recent developments on the battlefield, as of 20th December 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time) https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-665-summary/ [NOTE: two summaries per week, released on Wednesday and Sunday] Recap Deployment Map changes – Week 50 December 18, 2023 https://militaryland.net/news/recap-deployment-map-changes-week-50/ *** Great interactive maps with viewer controlled Map magnification tool to use for each Front! https://militaryland.net/maps/

Update from Ukraine | Ruzzian Meat Wave Attacks start to Fail | KA-52 Crisis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Swwk_1eEGmw Militaryland news: The summary of the situation of Russian re-invasion to Ukraine covering the recent developments on the battlefield, as of 20th December 2023 – 22:00 (Kyiv time) https://militaryland.net/news/invasion-day-665-summary/ [NOTE: two summaries per week, released on Wednesday and Sunday] Recap Deployment Map changes – Week 50 December 18, 2023 https://militaryland.net/news/recap-deployment-map-changes-week-50/ *** Great interactive maps with viewer controlled Map magnification tool to use for each Front! https://militaryland.net/maps/